“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.” S. D. Gordon
Today I’m sharing an easy make-ahead Easter centerpiece that captures the magic of spring. I will show you how ordinary pots of supermarket flowers are elevated in a beautiful arrangement that gives you a big bang for the buck. I especially love how this arrangement captures the sense of emergence of new life into a new season.
After a brutal week of severe winter weather, loss of power for 4 days, and widespread devastation to trees from an ice storm, I just had to get my hands dirty and find an indoor gardening project to restore my sanity. I headed to my local produce store to see what was available. There were loads of potted bulbs and small filler plants to choose from and I decided a basket of flowering plants would brighten up the house as we continue to recover from winter’s wrath.
MATERIALS:
newspaper, pruners
basket or planter
selection of plants of different heights and textures, including some trailing plants, in no more than 2-3 colors, mine in purple, white and greens
pussy willow branches
Spanish moss
mini bird’s nest
ribbon
I could not resist the intoxicating smell of potted hyacinths, harbingers of spring and the tallest plants in this arrangement. A cheerful primrose in white brought in another color. Primroses hold a special place in my gardener’s heart as I first discovered them when my beloved mother-in-law, Louise, gave me some years ago. A delicate fern, trailing varigated ivy and an unknown velvety plant with purple coloring completed my selections.
To start, and to be “green”, I lined the willow basket with the wrapping from the hyacinth.
Starting with the largest plant and working to the smallest, I played around with placement of the plants, left in their pots, until I was satisfied.
The difference between a nice arrangement and a WOW arrangement is the layering in of accents. They are like the jewels of the arrangment. In came velvety pussy willow branches for height and texture; a mini bird’s nest for whimsy; lacy Spanish moss to fill in gaps and provide another organic texture; and a gorgeous French wire ribbon to highlight the purples.
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Ahhhhhh! Gardening is always therapeutic for me and I’m feeling like there’s a little bit of spring in the air so I can endure the rest of this terrible winter! I hope to have inspired you to get your hands dirty with an indoor gardening project of your own!
French Gardener Dishes 