Part 2 Spring in the Cottage Greenhouse…DIY Whimsical Spring Arrangements

Dainty wood violets, wild irises, perky daffodils, fragrant hyacinth’s, azaleas in all shades of pink, creamy white Lady Banks roses, and woodland ferns are making their spring debut at Cottage Green!

Part 2 of Spring in the Cottage Greenhouse is a DIY on how to create sweet arrangements using the spring flowers and plants that have
popped up in your yard and by “shopping” in your cabinets for whimsical containers to plant them in

(Click here if you would like to read Part 1 of Spring in the Cottage Greenhouse)

There was great pleasure in watching the ways in which different plants come through the ground, and February and March are the months in which that can best be seen.

~  Henry N. Ellacombea

While I was in the backyard working the other day, these wild irises kept waving and beckoning me. I knew it was rude to keep ignoring them, and finally, worn down by their persistence, I stopped working and went into the cottage greenhouse to fetch my trowel and walked over to the patch of iris. I dug up a few of them and thought of which containers would be best to transplant them into…something shallow and low that would display the slender leaves and gorgeous deep purple flowers that would be blooming soon.

The stormy March has come at last,
With winds and clouds and changing skies;
I hear the rushing of the blast
That through the snowy valley flies.

~William C. Bryant

I took the bulbs into the greenhouse and from my collection of vessels and flower vases (click here to see) selected a soft-white, French, vegetable tureen, trimmed in gold, and circled with tiny flowers. I found this tureen recently at a flea market for only $3.00 and have been anxious to use it!

And…this squatty, embossed vessel in a lovely shade of moss green, to plant the rest of my iris.

I collect all kinds of vases, dishes, and ornate bowls for flowers, but If you don’t have a collection of containers, search in your cabinets, use your imagination, and look at what you do have…gravy dishes…sugar bowls…soup tureens… teapots…bowls…baskets…(I even used a birdcage!) and repurpose them as planters. Side note: If you find the perfect vessel to use, but still want to use it again for serving food…line the inside of your dish with foil, then put a thick freezer baggie (or use 2 thinner baggies) into the container. Fill the baggie carefully with potting soil while it is in your dish or container so it will form to the shape of your vessel. Trim away the excess baggie, making sure to leave enough of the baggie above the soil, to tuck the edges of the baggie into the plant receptacle or, instead of tucking the trimmed baggie into the planter, leave the trimmed rim of the baggie, to “collar” or peek above the top of your container. Plant your bulbs or flowers in the potting soil. Water lightly, making sure you don’t over-water, since your vessel does not have a drainage hole.

I wanted to dress-up and soften the look of the potting soil in my little woodland arrangements, so I went to gather some moss. I grow moss in different shady areas of our yard (click here to learn how to propagate and transplant moss) and I gathered enough moss for both of my arrangements.

The best way to gather moss is to gently place your fingertips over the moss you want to gather and begin “scootching” your fingers toward you, in a raking manner. The moss will begin to roll-up as you keep using your fingertips as a rake. When you have gathered as much moss as you think you’ll need, pick up your bundle of moss. Don’t worry if your moss tears, or pieces of it fall apart. Moss mends easily when it is pressed back together. Look at the picture below to see the moss I’ve pieced together to cover all the potting soil in the white tureen… then look at the green vase to see where I am in the process of placing the small bits of moss together.

After I covered the potting soil of both arrangements with moss, I lightly pressed the moss down into the potting soil and spritzed the moss bed with water. Tip: You have to keep your moss moist, or it will dry out and look dull, instead of bright green. Then I took a small watering can and gave the base of each iris a deeper watering, being careful not to waterlog the flowers.

All done! Even before the deep purple wild iris bloom, this arrangement is a charming spring welcome.

Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.

~William Shakespeare

This last darling arrangement was a sudden inspiration when I was looking for another container to put these gorgeous hyacinths into, and saw this golden birdcage I have displayed in my greenhouse. I placed my pot of hyacinths into a gold planter, so it would match the bird cage…slipped the tray out of the bottom of the cage…placed the hyacinths under the bird cage…and voila! an instant, whimsical spring arrangement! I can hardly wait for the wild iris to bloom to see their deep purple blooms next to the purple-blue flower of the hyacinth!

A light exists in Spring, not present in the year
At any other period, when March is scarcely here.

~  Emily Dickinson

I hope this has inspired you to go hunting for a little bit of greenery, or something blooming out in your yard to transplant into a heretofore, never- before-thought-of container, and you make a delightful springtime arrangement!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

Which spring flower, or bush is the first to bloom in your yard? Is it the demure crocus that bravely pushes through the snow, cheery daffodils, or dreamy hyacinth’s…the forsythia, azaleas, or flowering quince?

Let me know in the comment section below! (:

Would you like to have each new post I write delivered directly to your email address? Just click FOLLOW in the post above and follow the prompts.

PLUS…

Follow me on Pinterest: Trenda@cottagegreenonthelake.com

on Twitter: Trenda@4theseasons

on Instagram: cottagegreenonthelake.com