Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Foraging for Free Flowers "Planting Petals" ~ Free Printable


It may be hard to think about summer bouquets in the beginning of autumn. However, the frugal woman in you may enjoy foraging for a few free flowers to plant next spring… Perhaps this picture will be an inspiration?


Taking a brisk walk in the fresh fall air, we spotted a meadow of zinnias past their prime. The next day, baggie in tow, we cut the tops off all of the brown, dried, dead flowers. We placed them in a jar, covered it with a lid and set them in a dark corner of our laundry room (you may want to place contents in an envelope or paper bag prior to putting in your jar if you have humidity issues). We didn't bother separating the petals from the seeds.

And there they sat until the following spring...


Once the sun began to warm the earth, we sprinkled our "petals" inside our flower beds and showered them with water.

They began to grow… and a cutting garden was made without spending a dollar!


This will work with calendula, zinnias, marigolds, daisies and echinacea (to name a few)… Just collect all the dead flower tops as you see them in the next few months (no need to separate the seed from the other plant matter). There is life in them yet!


Our extra "planting petals" will be given in small seed packets as spring gifts. We will share our printable below in case you are interested in giving some away. The first page is left blank to fill in your flower name while the second one is labeled zinnias since that is what we had.


What thrifty ideas can you share for creating beautiful bouquets? What seeds are your favorite to collect? Little pug is quite interested!

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
~ 2 Corinthians 9:6


28 comments:

  1. Free flower seeds always the best.
    Merle..........

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    1. I couldn't agree more Merle :) Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Love this... thank you for the reminder! I had a friend send me seeds from her plants from last summer... and would you believe I could not find them anywhere when going to plant come Spring!

    Guess what... after buying a few starters and planting them. I finally found her packet she had mailed me. NEXT year. I keep extra seeds in the freezer... now, I know where they are for this upcoming spring.

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    1. Thanks for sharing Bevy! It happens to all of us :) We put things in too safe of a place and then can't find it! We also keep seeds in the freezer but more long term needs... Have a lovely week!

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  3. Hello Jes, I am so glad I read this post! I needed to be reminded to get outside and gather some of those seeds. They are the hardiest flowers and bloom very late into the fall. The cosmos will work well also from the seeds of the dead pods. I feel like I have been a little behind with my apples and fall decorating. But I finally think I have gotten caught up. The men leave for elk hunting this week, pray for them as we would love to have the meat. Also,I wanted to tell you that Amy and I just ordered some nice organic sweet cinnamon yesterday for our baking. I can't wait to try it!
    Thanks again for the reminder!! Roxy

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    1. How fun! Thanks for sharing you baking plans and good idea with the cosmos! :)

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  4. Thank you, my dear, for the lovely post and beautiful flower pictures :) Hugs and blessings to you!

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    1. You are most welcome! Hope you are feeling better!

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  5. Dear Jes, it certainly has a while since I paid a visit to your beautiful blog! But I'm so glad I stopped by today - your posts are always so inspiration and encouraging, thank you:). I am so happy that spring has come to South Africa now...I am busy planting all that I can and I long for flowers in the garden for colour! Have you heard of the book 'Gifts from the Garden' by Deborah Robertson? I received it for my last birthday and it is filled with stunning projects for things to make and do with the harvest from both your veteable and flower garden:). From lavender linen spray to strawberry body lotion - I hope to try a few recipes out this year as Christmas gifts:) I hope you are well! Much love and blessings, Kelly-Anne

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    1. Hi Kelly-Anne, I DO have that book and it is a favorite!! I just drool at those pictures and projects!!! Thanks for stopping by, it was nice to hear from you :)

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  6. My favorite thing is that you use a pitcher as a vase. I love using things from around the house, as well, instead of buying new containers!

    Visit me:
    LeeAnne, Style N Season
    http://stylenseason.blogspot.com

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    1. Exactly my thoughts! Thanks for stopping by LeeAnne :)

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  7. I save marigolds, poppies, sunflowers and sweetpeas every year.

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    1. Oh, I love sweet peas!!! Yes, yes, great idea :) Thanks for sharing Gill!

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  8. Wow, pretty zinnias! Love the pitcher/vase, too. Zinnias are one my favorite cut flowers, and they're so easy to grow. I agree, foraged are best because the thrill of getting them for free and the memory of where they came from give them the edge over commercial seeds. I have a nice stash of foraged seeds that I've gathered from hither and yon, and some were gifts. I downloaded the file and can't wait to fill the packets. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Very true about the memory attached to them as well! Thanks for sharing and glad you will use the printable :)

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  9. Zinnias are so pretty, and hardy! The seed packet printables are lovely. Thank you!

    Sarah

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    1. Thank you Sarah! I think the best part is that the frugal woman in me can have freshly cut flowers in her home because they are FREE :) Hoping you are adjusting well with the new blessing! :)

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  10. Jes, your zinnias are beautiful, and to think that they sprouted and bloomed from spent petals is AMAZING! I wish I had known this technique when my marigolds and daisies were near their end, but at least I can save my one, lone zinnia, that is trying to hang on. Thank you for this very useful and hopeful advice!

    Happy Wednesday!

    Poppy

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    1. Hi Poppy! Yes, there is still hope for that lone zinnia! :) And may it produce plentifully for the Poppy-View readers :)

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  11. Oh so smart. I have in the past deadhead Zinnia's and dried them but didn't know they would germinate. I might still have one in my sewing room but it's at least 8 years old! I wish I could snatch some deadheaded flowers when the maintenance change the beds here! In the old apartment they had sweet potatoe vine and it would grow out over the side walks. I sniped a few leaves that were on the sidewalk that would have been cut away. (don't tell) It roots and grows well. I really miss a garden. Thanks for sharing yours!

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    1. I won't tell :) Thanks for sharing! You could also consider a small container garden... Have a lovely week Sherry~

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  12. I am so thankful for every post you have written. Always encouraging. I love your free printables
    and have used them again and again. Thank you for your efforts!

    Lisa

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    1. Thank you Lisa for brightening my morning with your sweet comment ;)

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  13. Jes, thank you for coming by my Monday post. I do 100% support Homeschooling. I wish I would have been able to. God Blessed us to be able to send our children to Christians Schools. I did get to homeschool our daughter half of her Freshman year because of a move. I wish I could write more on my blog to support. Ocassionally I have written about our school years. I teach Preschool at a Christian school. I am able to Bless and support families that aren't able to homeschool. Thank you so much for your sweet comment. You Blessed me and I am glad that I could Bless you!

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    1. ~ all smiles ~ I hope you have a lovely weekend Sherry :)

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  14. Such a nice way to share this... I love to collect the flower seeds or seed heads... Along w/ those you mentioned, I also collect morning glory, dill (I just LOVE dill even though it isn't a true flower!), coreopsis, and more.... Thank you for a great post... you make it look do-able for those who may be timid about trying this.... and the printables are a beautiful bonus. :)

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    1. Thank you Joy for sharing your favorites too! I have a hard time growing dill for some reason but have some small plants in our sun room that I am trying to nurture. Have a lovely week :)

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