Remember when mom told you to eat your vegetables?  Well leafy greens and veggies are still good for your insides, but come this fall, get ready to take that lettuce out of the salad bowl and put it in a pot.  That’s right- repot greens from the grocery store.

A vegetable based arrangement can be as simple as taking a few heads of red butter lettuce (that extra pop of red provides a nice break to the monotony of the green) and arranging them in a long, trough-like planter. Ikea is an ideal resource for inexpensive plant pots.  Snatch up some of these Plant Pots from IKEA  and for well under the cost of a dozen roses, you can create mini garden sanctuaries throughout your house.  Add a few bulbs of cauliflower, maybe a splash of orange and you’re done!

Asparagus stalks can make beautiful centerpieces as well. Here’s a quick and simple arrangement.

What you will need:

Small can or circular vase.

One bunch of asparagus.

Raffia or any similar twine.

Thick rubber bands.

Flowers of your choosing.

Fill your can or vase with water.  Then, using it as the center, arrange the asparagus along the outside so that they cover the surface.  Band the stalks in place with a rubber band. Wrap the rubber band with your twine. Arrange flowers of your choosing—oranges or purples are a nice contrast—in the center.

And if you really feel like going for if, bell peppers are great for bbqing, but they’re also nature’s own little pots.  Cut the tops off, hollow out the insides, fill ¼ with water and float flowers in their bellies. Since the bell pepper is naturally vibrant and provides a beautiful array of color, a white flower or something similar helps add, not detract from the uniqueness of the arrangement.    

-Arianna Schioldager