Free Flowers

While out and about in my neighborhood, I often come across pretty plants that are in parking lots or just happen to be on the side of the road, in public areas, and quite often I can even fashion a flower arrangement from something in my yard. I like having some greenery inside the house, and even more so when it is free! Lately I noticed some beautiful blooming camellias on the side of the road along the road that borders the fenced off airport property. They are not in any one's yard ( I wouldn't pick from someone's yard unless I knew them awfully well and had permission). In any case I only needed a few branches to make a bouquet (because I would never deflower a whole plant or make it look ugly, either). But picking a few blooms or branches from a plant in a public area never hurt anyone, and it cheers me up to see them in the house. I took a walk and got some exercise and collected some blooms.

I got enough for a good sized vase:

and another small sprig in a small vase:

I've also made arrangements using plants in my yard, even common plants can make a beautiful arrangement like fall arrangements using bits from my corn after harvest, or grasses, branches of holly and pine for winter holidays. Another idea is individual flowers floating in a bowl of water; it doesn't last long, but at the price it doesn't matter. 

It's also a good way to train your eye to see all the beautiful living things around you each day, and get out of the compartmentalized, store bought mentality.