Valentine's Day Tablescape - Artsy Garden Girl

From the time I was a young girl my mom always had fresh flowers on our table. ALWAYS. Most of the time the flowers came from her own garden, but for a brief time they came from her college flower arranging class when she was obtaining her second college degree and raising my brother and I. There are two flowers that always make me think of my mother when I see them- Zinnias (still my absolute personal fave because they remind me so much of my mom) and Birds of Paradise because they were these rare exotic flowers in that college flower arranging class that she was so darn excited about bringing home. The bottom line is those fresh flowers were important to my mom because they brought a little happy to every day life and I’ve realized they do the same thing for me too.

My mom wasn’t the only one that always had pretty flowers in the house, my grandma Nan always had flowers at her house too and a pretty table set, no matter what the occasion. There was always a pretty table runner, centerpieces and decorations to honor any holiday, birthday or other celebration. I remember helping her set those pretty tables and having to help her arrange things just so. In my adult life I’ve realized there is something really rewarding about coming home to pretty table with fresh flowers and eating dinner with my family at it.

So in honor of these two beautiful women, one my goals for this year is to always have fresh flowers on my table and to add a little pretty to everyday life. It makes me happy too and happy is something you just can’t have too much of in this world.

The red flowers in this centerpiece are Cyclamen. To care for you cyclamen make sure to water when the soil is dry to the touch while in bloom, but do not let them show visible signs such of wilting before watering. Do not allow the water to get onto to the leaves or crown of the plant as this may cause rotting, watering from the base up in a tray is really the best option for cyclamen. While your plant is blooming keep it in bright indirect light.

When your cyclamen’s blooms begin to fade and the leaves begins to turn to yellow, do not worry, your plant is not dying it is just going into a period of dormancy. Remove the yellow leaves, stop watering and allow the plant to dry out. You will want to place the plant in a cool dark spot for about two months to let it dry out and rest. When the two months are up bring your cyclamen back out and soak the pot in a tub of water to hydrate it. Put the plant back into bright indirect light. Leaves should start to regrow, once this happens resume regular watering schedule with it and wait for the blooms to return.

Assortment of felted and sparkling Valentine’s Day ornaments.