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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Natural Grass Easter Table Setting

Friday, March 25, 2016

Natural blooming prairie grasses grow in our pastures,
along side the roads, and in our yards here in the Texas countryside. 
After blooming for a short time in late Winter to early Spring, their flowers will fade,
and the plants will go dormant to survive the long hot months to come.






Seeing the native wild grass Crow's Poison growing in my yard and woods 
inspired me to collect some, bulbs and all, to use as part of
a natural grass Easter table setting.

This is a table setting that everyone can replicate with just a
few minor changes based on what's growing in your yard
and what cute Easter collectible bunnies are in your house.




The roadsides, ditches, prairies, and woodlands are filled with native blooming plants 
which means an abundant source for FREE flowers and plants, 
free as long as not collected from someone else's private property. 
Come on over, I'll share some from my yard, ditches, and woods. 

Many people mistakenly believe it is against the law 
to pick flowers along Texas highways. 
It is legal to pick right-of-way flowers, bluebonnets included, 
but most of us do not so that everyone can enjoy the flowers. 
Just because something is LEGAL does not always make it a good idea. 



While not everyone enjoys wild, unruly flower arrangements, I do. 
Unstructured, free-flowing flowers, vines, and branches  
are among my favorite floral design elements. 

Adjust the free-form nature of the arrangements to suit your style. 
Use your clippers to trim your plants to get a neater look, 
much like mowing your lawn creates a neat manicured look. 



Well-loved traditional Easter egg hunts bring to mind images 
of spring-green clumps of daffodils and shaggy grass as places to hide the eggs. 



Crow's Poison grows mixed with other Texas grasses and
provides good hiding spots for eggs. 



Each place setting on the table has a small rustic rose pot planted 
with Crow's Poison and/or other grasses sheltering a blue-speckled egg. 
Granted, some of the pots have plants that are lying down on the job. 

No rustic small pots? No problem. 
Use 4-inch paper starter peat pots from garden centers, 
either left their natural color, painted to match your dishes, 
or decoupaged with an Easter scene.  



At other place settings, the plants are are standing tall. 
Part of the characteristics of native grasses is ragged growth. 



Even though small dining tables call for small centerpieces,
a centerpiece can still make a BIG impact by containing unusual items. 



With a narrow serving platter as a base, the centerpiece 
has an overturned flower pot and two glass ornament bunnies hiding at the foot 
of the clear glass vase holding a large mixture of grasses and Crow's Poison. 

See the tiniest of tiny purple blooms at the ends of the stems? 
The beauty of having a yard in the country is finding sweet little unexpected flowers. 
Many consider these little plants as weeds, but I consider them as flowers. 



Another possible arrangement could have just one larger rabbit 
paired with the vase of ornamental grasses. 
Experiment with whatever bunnies are in your collection. 



A paper placemat with a white and a brown bunny sits beneath each white plate. 
A paper floral coaster protects the wood table from moisture from the individual plant pots. 
Be sure to use some kind of coaster underneath the plants. 



Small chocolate bunnies sitting on each plate mean 
everyone has her/his own special Easter treat. 
Is it Easter if you don't have a chocolate bunny? 



A natural grass Easter table setting is perfect for our house in the country. 



What kind of table are you setting for Easter this year? 

~~~~ ❦ ~~~~ 

Please join me at these inspiring places for more joy of living. 
SUNDAY
Dishing It and Digging It @ Rustic and Refined

MONDAY

TUESDAY