be the judge

The past couple weeks have been absolutely crazy. A last minute trip to Florida to help my dad pack up. A flood in our house in California. My husband’s 60th birthday week filled with a myriad of get-togethers, parties and surprises. And last fall I invited nationally renowned floral designers Martha Marsh and Cathy Miller to come to Dayton to give a demonstration and workshop to our garden club mid-May. Of course they were to stay at my house and I would host a dinner. Then while I was making my lists and checking them twice, asking Servepro of Palm Desert to hold the line, our local gas company inadvertently cut the water main to our lane. No water. The birthday-boy-to-be was away on a business trip in Tel Aviv. Really?!

I won’t bore you with all the torrid details. You can only imagine the logistics. Thankfully my dear friend Barbara agreed to house our guest presenters. One can’t ask a houseguest to brush their teeth in boiled water. But I said I would still do the dinner. You know me- everything was made and stowed just before the water came to a screeching halt. And miraculously the day before the party we got the all clear that the water was safe to drink and use.

With everything going on I hadn’t given my centerpiece a moment’s thought. Seriously what do you put on your table when your guests of honor are national floral design judges and horticulture experts. Well I would have to do what I do best- run over to Trader Joe’s to see what I might pass off as my own. Tulips were an idea, but I wanted to do something that would make (pardon the pun) more of a splash. Then I spied the most beautiful chartreuse and lilac potted hydrangea.

 I knew exactly what I was going to do with my $9.99 find.

I have a collection of small vases. Choose an odd number in varying sizes. Here I have nine.

Next cut the blooms off of the plant.

Trim off the excess foliage.

Then trim the stem of each bloom so that it rests right on the lip of its vase.

Place it in its vase filled with water.

Repeat with all of the vases and blooms.

This type of arrangement looks wonderful on my mirrored runner.

But you be the judge.