by Kelly
A couple of weekends ago I went to visit a friend in California and on Saturday morning we went to the Calabasas farmers market. It was a sight to behold...truly a feast for all of the senses!
Anyway, while my friends and I walked the stalls, tasting all the citrus fruits and smelling all the tulips, I also noticed that many of the shoppers were carrying bundles of flowering tree branches around. A little later, I walked by the booth that was selling them...there they were - giant plastic tubs of bundled apple and peach (I am assuming) tree trimmings for $20. And I laughed to myself a little....'only in California' was all I could think.
Well so fast forward to this past weekend and my peach tree is starting to bloom! Something I look forward to every year! It is always a such a delight to see the pale pink petals and witness it quite literally abuzz with honey bees.
And then I had a brilliant idea.
I figured hey...if it's good enough for the fine folks of California, it's good enough for me! So I went outside and cut several branches off of my peach tree to bring inside.
The nice thing about using tree branches like this is that you don't have to 'arrange' anything. For the larger branches, I rummaged in my cupboard and found an old, glass flower vase but any type of tall, slender container would work - mason jar, tall water glass. And then the smaller twigs I put into a couple of vintage bottles.
One thing to keep in mind, by cutting stems from a flowering fruit tree you are essentially pruning away any potential fruit that it might produce. Which contrary to what the critters in my neighborhood believe, I am growing this tree for the actual peaches....peaches for my family to eat. (This topic is probably another blog post for another day however).
At any rate, I love having these these peach branches on my kitchen table. They have such an earthy, organic vibe...a completely different feel than a vase of tulips or daisies. Plus, it's a nice way to enjoy the sweet blossoms up close rather than viewing my tree from inside. And especially this week when the forecast is for wind and storms all week.
As we move into spring, I would highly encourage you to find some flowering tree or shrub branches and bring them inside - forsythia, quince, bradford pear, saucer magnolia...any of these would be perfect for adding some beauty and interest into your indoor spaces. And if you do, be sure to capture it and share it with us either in our Flickr pool or on instagram with #focusingonlife.
Until next time,
Kelly
11 comments:
Good morning to you! When we get some flowers on the trees (about late June here! Hahaha) I will follow your lead. Oh Spring, why are you so late coming to Nova Scotia? It is lovely to see these, great shots, Kelly.
So yes, good morning from the snowy center known as Seabright...
I love it!!! And I love the look! Very springy! :)
Oh, you're preaching to the choir here! I have actually considered planting a peach tree just so I can photograph the blooms and bringing them inside to enjoy would be another bonus. The vases of branches that you are sharing here bring such a beautiful, delicate spring vibe to the space! And, of course, you know all about our fight with the birds eating all of our pomegranates so your comment about the critters eating your peaches made me smile!
Again, thank goodness for Trader Joe's. About this time of year they have blooming branches in their collection of flowers (probably from California) and I scoop them up and enjoy them until the Midwest begins to bloom. Thanks for the beautiful blooms!!
Oh yes Kelly! I do this every spring. I especially love to cut forsythia and bring it inside. The organic look of it in the vases is so pretty. So glad you have spring there. Can't wait for it to come this way.
Great idea! The images are splendid, Kelly.
I do this with my apple tree every year, and it's beautiful. My mother ALWAYS has a centerpiece on her table - often branches with some trailing ivy at the base. It's perfect!
These are beautiful, Kelly! And such a fabulous idea. When we had a forsythia bush (may she rest in peace), I used to do this. I still do this with small dogwood branches. I'm about a month away from that so I guess I should check out TJ's this weekend! (Thanks, Deanna!)
So lovely!
thank you friends for all the kind words! looks like i'm in good company when i comes to bring springtime indoors. xoxoxo
This is such a wonderful idea and they look beautiful on your table. Alas, I fear I may be too late to gather any branches. Our trees were blooming beautifully, but the high winds and rain we've had today have probably knocked all those lovely blossoms to the ground! Maybe there will be something left when the deluge stops!
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