Harvesting Beauty: A Year of Hand-Picked Bouquets

I decided I would pick flowers to place on my kitchen counter at least once a month this year.

Some of these bouquets are entirely wildflowers found in highway ditches, others were picked from my planters at home, and some featured blooms from around my neighbourhood. There are a few exceptions made for winter months, but this year's collection of blooms was entirely free. 

Always make sure you're picking from somewhere you have permission to harvest. Removing plant parts is not allowed in some parks and natural spaces. Make sure you know how to identify what wildflowers you're picking and being mindful not to take too much. 

With that said, here is 2023 in bouquets. 

January 25th - Forsythia branches cut and tricked to bloom early inside, and some tulips from a friend. 

February 20th - bulbs moved from my fridge to some soil meant I didn't have to cut any flowers this month (nothing was blooming outside just yet).

March and April - a staggered supply of daffodils, escaped from gardens into ditches and paths. 

May 24th - a few geraniums and sunflowers from my planters brought inside. 

June 1st - fragrant lilacs from a neighbour's enormous lilac shrubs and more sunflowers from the balcony. 

June 15th - Marigolds and Oxeye Daisies! 

July 25th - a handful of weeds or a wildflower bouquet? Who's to say. Goldenrods, Black-eyed Susans, and Yarrow. Common but beautiful. 

August and September - a continuous supply of wildflowers from roadsides kept this jar full all month. This one featured Goldenrods, Asters and Wild Carrot, and although simple it's one of my favourites this year.

November - my 3 year old Amaryllis took the spotlight after the wildflowers went to seed. 

December - the Christmas Cactus had its time to shine right on schedule. 

Whether you want to surprise a loved one, or pick up this habit of self-love like I did this year, stopping to pick some ditch flowers is free and delightful. I'm not usually one for New Years Resolutions, but this one definitely brightened my life this year. 

Do you have a goal for the new year?