"Arrange-Plant" - your Garden for Bouquets!

I've coined a New Term for how I go about gardening in my own yard. I use the term "Arrange-Plant"... you're familiar with the term arrangement- it's evolved from that... I specific look for plants- that I can use for Arranging... meaning I want to cut the flowers, or foliage- off the plants and have them hold up for my flower arranging projects.I love Hostas- they are perfect for Flower Arranging- both the leaves and the blooms. I have Lilacs, Viburnum, Red Bud, Pussy Willows, Forsythia, Astilbe, Lilies, Herbs- like Purple African Basil, Scented Geranium, Mint... of course Roses, Peonies, Daisies, Liatrice, Daffodils, Tulips, Grape Hyacinth, Nine Bark- the list goes on and on... I'm always looking for NEW Plants to add that will allow me to create beautiful arrangements- just by taking a step outside and through the garden!I've been arranging flowers from my Garden for many years- In fact- here's some BONUS Content- an Episode of my First Web-based TV Show- JTV- where I show how to arrange flowers from the Garden- It's on Youtube- and while you're there- PLEASE Subscribe to my Channel- It would mean the world to me...One of the plants I grow in the garden is Hibiscus- while it's not suitable for arranging- it's great for Garnishes- and I use the blooms and buds- for my Flower Cocktail- the Hibiscus Mojito- we feature in this episode... you can even use the blooms to make your Hibiscus Flower Syrup- if you're so inclined... Check out the recipe for the Hibiscus Mojito Here! Here's an interesting turn of events though- People always want to visit my INCREDIBLE Garden- "It must be just glorious"- they say- "It must be filled with all kinds of flowers- it has to be soooo Beautiful"...  Well- to be honest- it's a working garden- I grow things- I experiment a lot- so sometimes things don't go as planned- or sometimes - they get out of control. Last year- I "fell hard" for the Purple African Basil- and I planted it everywhere- and every single one of my plants did tremendous- I had Giant Balls of Purple Foliage- Tons of Pollinators- and they kind of took over... at the end of the season- I couldn't make enough arrangements, or create enough pesto- to use them all up before the frost... It was a Happy Accident... and I loved it.At the same time- my Master Gardener friends- may have been a bit dismayed- at how unplanned it looked... but again- I'm not about creating a garden- that is completely aesthetic - I'm interested in whacking away at my garden to create beautiful arrangements- that I can use for decorating, entertaining, sharing and gifting. That's what I like about "Arrange-plant".I regularly appear on my Local ABC Affiliate- with my Friend Catherine Behrendt- here's a Throw Back- to a segment of Take 5 and Company- where we talk about arranging from the garden and also foraging on the roadside... hehehe!I have a big row of Hydrangea- problem is- I have clay soil- so I have to feed them constantly to keep them blue- which is what I want- but if I forget- or am distracted- I have Lavender- and sometimes Pink- depending on my dedication... but at the same time - it's fun to have Blue, Lavender and Pink Hydrangea... I just don't want all PINK...hehehe!I've got some really good tips about harvesting flowers from your garden- and I compiled it into a FREE Downloadable Publication- www.uBloom.com/GardenToHome - it's designed to share information about being successful- harvesting flowers from your garden and using them to create arrangements- "ARRANGE-PLANTING"... get it?! Click on this Link- and Get your FREE Copy of Garden To Home- delivered right to you Email Box- it's a 6 page full color PDF with lots of tips!I also buy flowers- that I can't grow very well... I can't seem to get the hang of Dahlias or Zinnias- so I have a couple of friends- that you'll meet in Season 2 of Life in Bloom- that help me with Zinnia Production and my Dahlia Obsession- hehehe! I love going to the farmers market- I go every week- and buy lots of Zinnias and Dahlias (and other flowers in Season) - I love being able to get fresh foliage or other accent flowers from my garden to mix with them... that's another benefit of Arrange-Plant.So- check out the Pilot Episode of J Schwanke's Life In Bloom- I'll introduce you to "Arrange-Plant" - and pick flowers and foliage from my garden- and create the arrangement you see here in this blog post! It's a fun hobby for me... and it brings me (and my friends that I share arrangements with) so much Joy and Happiness... I hope it can do the same for you!