Due to popular demand, I'm posting pics and a quick tutorial! :)
Gather moss (easily spotted on a hike through the woods!) or get it from a farmer or a friend! Farmers on farmers' markets in cities might have ideas or might sell it to you if you ask them in advance, so they can gather it and bring it to you..
Also, gather flowers and greenery from your garden.. Find adequate space for doing this (garage or such may come handy).
Put moss in a 'dish' (bigger dish for bigger flower arrangements!) This is a small one for a smaller arrangement. Add water if needed (or add water later on!). Start with the greenery: put in the highest central piece/green branch 1st!
(It doesn't matter if some of the lower leaves are not so photogenic, with more green branches added in, you won't see those anyway!)
Get the green in first!
Then, start adding the flowers! And - voila!
Totally homemade, totally DIY, totally Zero Waste!
(It can all be easily composted later on. Since most cemeteries here lack true composting facilities, it will best be collected and brought home to our compost, or into Granny's 'green bins'!)
Still need to educate our relatives to compost and not trash this one!
Mum made two of those very quickly! One bigger (1st pic above) and one smaller (other pics later on)..
No chemicals added!!
She said moss is great to 'stick stuff in', so I'm expecting we'll be using this from now on, or grow/plant our own flowers! (Which might be not-so-easy, as Mum says the chrisantemum grown in pots need special 'care', sometimes special chemicals are used, etc! If you plant the ones from pots into your garden, big ones will grow! So, how to grow not-so-big ones?)
Cousin and Aunt planted pansies on the grave they tend, and into a bowl with some greens from last year. So they may actually even be greener than us! :) /gasp/
(no pic, it was dark and my SD card was full!!:)
Pansies don't survive after flowering, so it depends on what they do with them later on too! (Hopefully they'd get composted?) And of course it also depends how they are raised and where they are bought.. Local gardeners are better than big supermarkets, it depends what chemicals might be used in getting them to grow and bloom!
We did instruct our relatives on the glass candle, so hopefully they'll reuse that one! (Another set of relatives still needs to be instructed on that too!)
Remember, my Mum made this flower arrangement, so it reflects her taste - she made quite similar ones with plastic foam before! (Actually these two look waay better!!)
You can make what *you* personally prefer, what reflects your personality and style, and of course use what grows in *YOUR* garden! (Or your friends' or relatives'! - All this greenery comes from my Uncle's garden actually!:)
Beautiful arrangements!!!
ReplyDeleteYour mother has very good tastes!
If cemeteries were full of these compositions – with true flowers and no plastic – they would be happier places! :)
cute arrangements!! the moss is a good idea, never thought of that :)
ReplyDeleteHey Layla,
ReplyDeleteZero waste is an awesome goal! I love moss. :)
Karol
Thank you Danda and Pop Champagne!!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see quite a lot of chrisantemums in pots this year, but some grizly non-eco flower arrangements too!
Moss is a traditional way of making flower arrangements here in Slovenia, I was told. My Mum even said she's done such arrangements once before, no idea why she then just bought the plastic foam??
Karol, I love moss too!!
So glad you like the idea of zero waste too!! Hopefully we'll be able to read more about it on your site too?
Girls, check out Karol's blog - it's quite inspiring!
hehe, if I ever replace a lawn with moss I will definitely write about it :)
ReplyDeletelol Karol - not sure about moss instead of lawn? Do tell how it goes, if you venture into it! :)
ReplyDeleteJust make sure there is none on the roof if it's not a 'green' roof!
Moss on conventional roof (made of clay or cement) can ruin and destroy rooftiles!