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My name is Matt, and I'm a flower arranger


By Matt
Hey! Psst. Hey man! Come over here. Listen. I don't want to shout this, but I kind of love arranging flowers. There. I said it. It feels so good to come clean and let it out. I know I'm not supposed to like it, but when I do it, IT FEELS SO GOOD!!!

Seriously though, flower arranging is a perennial favorite hobby of mine (Hey yo! Serious from now on I promise). It's another source of happiness I've found and accepted thanks to Julie. It started simply enough, in our first home in Gibsonville. We were lucky enough to own a beautiful Craftsman bungalow that Julie found, and a combination of love and luck allowed us to make a happy life in that cozy house for about 5 years. The inside was charming, but the backyard was where the hidden beauty resided. There was a long stretching perennial garden, engulfed in errant invasive rose of sharon shoots. That first spring, Julie and I went to war, armed with shovel and mattock. We stared poison ivy down. We pulled, and cursed, and pulled some more. By the end of the summer with patience and perserverance, we had done a damn fine job of restoration, and watering that garden became my sanctuary. It is still a tender memory. Hosing that garden down in the evening with the Grateful Dead playing and a cold drink in my hand was one of the most meditative experiences I've ever had.


And as that garden grew, my interest in plants and flowers followed. I researched and watched and became a father of blooms and blossoms. One day, probably around a birthday or anniversary, I took the plunge. I took my Felcos, and began to snip. I found a vase, and I took the leap.


What can I say? Beauty is a helluva drug. Julie came home, saw my creation, and encouraged me to continue, although at that point encouragement wasn't much needed. I was hooked.


What makes it so much fun? It's the combination of investment, creation, and fulfillment, just like it often is with most art. Imagine growing the colors you then used to paint the portrait. Cool right? That's what flower arranging is.

As far as tips and rules I don't have much to offer. That's just me following the Golden Rule. I don't really listen to other people's advice, and I just don't enjoy rules. That's part of what makes arranging so fun to me. I guess I'd recommend variety, a combination of perennials and annuals, variation of verticality and foliage, and to start with what you have less of so you can fill spots with what's more plentiful. Keep the size and shape of your vessel in mind, and most importantly, fill it with what you love. Grow what you love. The whole "no green thumb" excuse is just a different way of admitting impatience and a lack of awareness. Treat those plants like family, and I promise you, they will grow. Just like all relationships, you have to show a little love in order to receive that bounty of beauty. You can do it though. And honestly, I hope you get hooked, just like me.




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