Regardless of the fact that I work full-time at a spectacular flower shop, elbow deep in stupidly fancy and pretty flowers, deep down I’ll always be a wild violet girl at heart. Each spring the yard of my childhood home would fill with little purple gems and my sister and I could hardly contain our glee. When I went to visit my parents this past weekend, I couldn’t help but dig a few of my favorite weeds up and plant them in fancy glasses for a makeshift table centerpiece. Humble and simple (and free!) are what the Merricks love most. -amy m.
CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
What you’ll need:
– Collection of old aperitif and other small drinking glasses.
– Several dug up wild violets or other small, sweet weedy flower.
– Moss to cover soil.
- I already had several mismatched aperitif glasses that hardly, ok never, get used. A cluster of different heights and sizes looks the best on a table.
- Wild violets are shockingly considered to be a nuisance to many lawn care fanatics. Luckily my parents are pretty relaxed in the turf department, so violets dandelions, buttercups and the like standard fare through out the spring and summer, all of which would make adorable planted, albeit temporary, centerpieces.
- With your fingers or small trowel, dig up individual small flowers, leaving a chunk of soil still attached to the roots.
- Tuck several small plants together inside each glass, topping off with a thin layer of scavenged moss.
- With proper watering (the soil should be lightly moist), these centerpieces will thrive for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
34 Comments
What a great lively idea. And you could get so many cups from the thrift store! I love it!
So simple and pretty.
Simple, Inexpensive and very pleasing to they eye. What a wonderful post. Thanks for the tip.
I LOVE these. Now if I just had some violets growing in my yard…
How sweet! I just took a photo of some in a customer’s yard, now I’ll know what to do with them! *Amy
It’s so simple yet very stylish. I love violets.
another incredible idea.. how do you folks do it?
I love this! My yard is full of violets and moss right now. I’ll make a centerpiece tonight. Thanks!
So pretty! Reminds me of the Easter flowers I planted up for out flat :)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs490.ash1/26797_701385545949_36808611_41395690_6922161_n.jpg
Such a great idea! They are so delicate yet make such an impact!
grrr just gave my little mix matched fancy glasses to Salvation Army!!!!!!! grrrr
love these! my next door neighbor’s yard is in full bloom with them.
Violets are adorable, they immediately make me think of spring. About 10 days ago I wrote a post about violets, too. Thanks for the tutorial :)
Beautiful! Will they live if you transfer the flowers into a pot later?
Beautiful – and the best thing is they don’t make conversation across the table impossible! I love flowers on the dining table but when they are too high (and that is relatively quickly the case when you sit) they get in the way. This is brilliant and playful! Thanks for the idea!
I love that idea . . . just goes to show how much enjoyment you can get from something without spending a lot of money.
These are so sweet, so pretty!
This is simply fantastic! I think I have some wild violet hunting to do!!
I love this!!! Now, I’d love to see what you do with hostas. Also in season right now, and so easy to find!
can’t wait to get home and dig some up for May Day surprise gifts!
This is a great idea and looks so lovely…but I’d humbly suggest to avoid digging up violets from wild places. Or else there will be no more wild violets. Instead, dig them up from your own yard or help a neighbor who doesn’t want them.
These centerpieces look so humble and beautiful. Just perfect.
I think I’ll do something like this (maybe other flowers – or even strawberries) for our house-warming party in a couple of weeks.
Cheers!
Gorgeous! I wish I violets so I could do this. They’re my favorite part of spring.
nice idea, haha~~, it’s warmly, shared with friends.
love that so adorable
These are just gorgeous Amy, what a fab idea. They would work beautifully with buttercups here in the UK.
I do these at Easter in eggshells, then place them around the table in egg cups. The scale is just right. They also look great in the green plastic strawberry baskets lined with moss….a way to reuse those baskets.
I love this.
These are so cute. Its autumn in Australia here, do you have an autumn version?!!
I have a soft spot for wild violets too! AND because I have saved every single one that has popped up in my yard, I definitely have plenty to recreate you fabulous idea for a springtime centerpiece! I just love this idea, thank you!
I’m going to try this very afternoon!
Oh, I wish, I wish! Oh, to have violets growing wild in the lawn would be sooo lovely. Poo to the lawn-mono-culture-perfectionists, nature abhors a mono culture. I love violets, and I totally adore what you have done here, just so pretty. Thanks for sharing.
I love these! So cute! I remember wild violets growing all over my childhood farm…just remember everyone that it is illegal to pick wild flowers (at least in Wisconsin) so don’t dig any up on public land ;)
Would love to incoorporate Violets in my wedding. My fiance’s mother passed away 3 years ago and her name was Violeta. I obviously dont want him to know so I wonder how to make them a big part of our wedding.
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