This morning, after watering and fertilizing my porch pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets, I took a stroll around my “garden.”

Really all I have is a rolling, bumpy, rough-around-the-edges yard.  It isn’t really a garden, yet.  Though I do have a small but lovely island of various Sedums, Euphorbia, Goat’s Beard, Iris, and Geranium in the middle of my backyard.

In the back corner, someone, long ago, had a garden.  I’ve pulled multitudes of weeds from that corner, leaving behind strawberry plants which I had hoped would bear lots of fat juice red berries.  Ha!  Unfortunately they are not that kind of strawberry plants.  They aren’t even the Alpine Strawberries.  These strawberries are a ground cover.  Phooey!

In that corner, there also is a spiky plant, which I assumed was some sort of Iris.  This morning to my surprise those spiky things were blooming.  And NO they were not Iris.  I have Gladioli!  Beautiful flowers of orchid and butter yellow filled their small stems.  The last little bit of summer blooming.

 

Orchid Pink & Yellow Bi-colored Gladiolus close up | Easy how to floral arrangement | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

I quickly picked them and on my way in the house I thought, “How am I going to put these in a vase…the stem is too curvy to slip into a vase?”  And then I remembered the floral frogs I received from my friend Marion when she was purging her woodland home in preparation for her move to a ‘golden years’ apartment complex. There were 2 frogs…one a fat round one and the other a slim oval one.  But what would I put it in?

 

Simple Floral Arrangement | Vintage Frog | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Recently I unpacked some china and pottery that was my mom’s.  There was a small low green bowl that I never knew what it was for.  Candy?  I pulled it from the cupboard, placed the frog in it, and immediately knew it was going to be fabulous!

Seriously, this was the easiest floral arrangement I ever made.

 

Easy Floral Arrangement of Glads | How to | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Here’s the recipe:
  • Take a pretty low bowl,
  • add a floral frog, fill with water,
  • cut stems of flowers,
  • push flower stems down on froggy pins,
  • stand back and admire.

How much easier can it be?

 

Thank you Mom!  Thank you Marion!  Thank you former tender of the corner garden!!

I found a spot for this little bit of loveliness on the chest in my front room.  In front of that very fun French screen which I should tell you about some day.  (If the tech guy is able to retrieve my photos from my computer, that is.)

 

How to floral arrangement ::Vignette of glads :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

You’ll laugh, but this was so fast and so fun, so spontaneous, that I just wanted to share it with you.  But today, the clouds insisted on hiding the sun.  I did my best considering the poor light for the vignette on my chest.  For the other photos I set up a table by the window and shot a few pics when I saw there were a few breaks in the clouds.

 

Vintage Blue Glass Resister | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

The books, and blue glass resister, along with that piece of a shell I found several years ago, were already there.  I just swapped out another pot of greenery for the pretty “glads.”

 

 

Easy Gladiolus Arrangement | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Don’t you just love it when you are blessed with an unexpected discovery that just keeps getting better?

 

Bi-colored Glads | An easy floral arrangement how-to | AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

What was your recent unexpected blessing?

 

Thank you for stopping by today.
I appreciate you and your sweet comments make my day.

Joyfully!

Diane

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Comments

  1. Debbie says

    So Pretty! I enjoy reading your blogs. Its amazing the beauy that can come from seemingly “weeds”.

    • Diane says

      Oh Debbie, thank you for your sweet words. It means so much to me to know that you enjoy An Extraordinary Day.
      Blessings!! 😀

  2. Katherine says

    very nice! I will have to take my laptop to the “golden years” place and show Marion that her frogs are being well loved. Thanks!

    • Diane says

      Please give her a hug for me and let her know we are have fond memories of times spent together. Oh…I hope she isn’t put off by “the golden years” remark! Literary license. 😀

  3. Kim says

    Diane, I don’t have a frog. Now I see that I need to buy one! Your published this post before I found your blog, but I really enjoyed reading about your surprise – and the frog tip. Beautiful glads!
    Blessings,
    Kim

    • Diane says

      I know you like garage sales and thrift shops, Kim. Keep your eyes peeled for frogs. They work great for making fun creative arrangements and for holding vintage postcards and such too. I used them on my Memorial Day tablescape last year to hold place cards.

      I can’t believe that I’m now just seeing that you left a comment here. 😉

      Hope you’re having a blessed week! [hugs]

  4. Lovely photos, Diane! I’ve featured your post on The HomeAcre Hop today 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this beauty with us!

  5. Oh my goodness, your glads are so very pretty! Love the dish you arranged them in too.

    Thanks for sharing on Show-Licious. Pinning!
    ~ Ashley

  6. Diane I am just finding your blog. How lucky to have glads growing and such pretty ones. And I adore the floral frog you have. What a great idea to put them in a bowl to display them. You have given me so many new ideas now.

  7. Kathy says

    What a wonderful blessing! Beautiful! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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