“A Bouquet of Weeds,” Ensign, Aug. 1972, 93
A Bouquet of Weeds
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, an old saying declares.
Even weeds? Especially weeds, according to one Latter-day Saint homemaker.
Mrs. Lucy Green of suburban Salt Lake City finds real beauty in weeds, and she preserves their beauty in attractive bouquets and floral arrangements for others to enjoy.
Throughout late summer and the fall, Sister Green gathers weeds of different sizes and textures, colors them, and arranges them into attractive dried bouquets to be enjoyed all year round—and for many years to come.
The weeds are not all gathered at the same time; they must be picked when they have begun to dry but are still partially damp and green. Knowing when to pick them is an art that comes with experience and practice, and the novice “weed arranger” may have to experiment to develop this ability of picking the weeds at just the right stage of dryness.
Sister Green then prepares a special “magic” potion to color the weeds: cake coloring—either in the primary shades of red, blue, and yellow or combinations of these colors to make different colors and shades—added to half a glass of water. Only the bottoms of the stems need be immersed in the water. The color is then soaked up into the weed through the stems.
When the desired intensity of color is reached, the weeds may be immediately put into arrangements. No drying time is needed, and the colors will not fade.
Sister Green plans her color schemes with care—a bouquet of warm oranges, reds, and browns, or an arrangement of cool blues and greens. Some plants might also be used in their natural shades, such as the dollar plant in the accompanying illustration; this plant has a thin outer “skin” that is peeled off, leaving an unusual pearl-like leaf.
With these attractive bouquets, even weeds of field and garden can brighten the home and office through the winter months and for many years to come.