Good Monday to you all.  I hope you had a relaxing weekend, and maybe got some fresh air to get ready for the week ahead of shelter in place?  I hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves.  This week I wanted to start off with a wonderful happy post for Moms.  With Mother’s Day coming up this Sunday, I thought these images of beautiful flowers would be the perfect way to start the week – Moms love flowers 💐!

Mother’s Day Flower Exchange

So here’s the backstory on this idea I came up with for a Mother’s Day Flower Exchange.  If you live in the Bay Area you know that May is spectacular around here with temperatures in the pleasant 60s and 70s and flowers blooming in abundance all over town.  When I say all over town – I literally mean all over town!!! I’m talking every front yard, back yard, retail center, gas station, grocery store parking lot, everywhere one looks flowers are abloom.  It’s like being in flower heaven all over town.  Roses mostly in the thousands and thousands are blooming, but other flowers join in the show as well.

Since my friends know I am an avid gardener, this year they have been sending me tons of photos of their gardens in bloom and sharing their gardening stories.

By the fifth text I got with pictures of flowers it gave me this cool idea – I thought since I’m not able to celebrate Mother’s Day with my friends this year, why not still make it memorable by exchanging garden bouquets?  That’s when I got the idea for a Flower Exchange – where I drop off a bouquet from my garden and my friends give me one from their garden.

This is what I suggested

“I’ve been receiving so many texts with photos of flowers blooming in springtime gardens and that gave me an idea. You’ve heard of cookie exchange, how about a flower exchange? I love Mother’s Day and since I can’t see you in person this year to celebrate, I thought we could do a flower exchange instead?

I’ll drop off a garden bouquet from my garden, and you gift me one from your garden.  I’ll leave my flowers outside, and you can do the same.  I’ll text you when I’m 5 minutes away so you know when I’m coming.  What do you say?  Want to do a flower exchange for Mother’s Day?

Just get creative, this is not a competition!  Just have fun with the arranging and let’s celebrate Mother’s Day in a unique way this year!    Hope to see you 6 ft apart with flowers 💕💐!

It’s no surprise that everyone was enthusiastically on board with responses like…

“Great idea! Up for it. “

“Sure lets do the flower exchange. I am up for it too, hopefully I will have more flowers in my front yard! Otherwise it will be mostly leaves with some flowers 😊”

“That sounds wonderful! “

“Yes, flower exchange sounds fun. I am in.  Lots of seedlings are growing. Will take out a few by next Sunday for you. Looking forward 👍🏻🌷🙏”

“Wow what a great idea!”

“Hi Kalpana, I sure like your idea of exchanging flower bouquet with each other from 6ft apart. But as you know , I’m not very creative but willing to do it. Thanks for coming up with this unique idea.💕🌹💐!!”

“That’s a lovely idea Kalpana! “

Mother’s Day Flower Exchange a Huge Success

I am happy to report that this Flower Exchange was a huge success!!  Basically I mapped out my weekend and stopped by my friends homes in one neighborhood one day, and my other friends and families homes on Sunday.

To be honest it was a lot of work driving around town delivering flowers, even though I was getting some in return.  It took a lot of planning, boxes in the car with padding to hold the vases with flowers and water in place, and making sure I drove slowly so they didn’t tilt and fall and mess up the arrangements.  I have so much appreciation now for florist deliveries!  How do they do it so well??  But it was all worth it!!

Friends were thrilled to see a familiar face!  What was meant to be a quick drop off and pick up, ended up being a few minutes of conversation from 6-ft apart.  As you can imagine people were craving conversation and company 😚😗😀.   I got my dose of  6ft-apart socializing for the entire week 💐😘😍!

My garden in bloom ready for a few bouquets

Flowers and leaves, twigs and branches for arrangements

I cut and cut and cut as many blooms, twigs and leaves as I could to make a variety of bouquets in all shapes and sizes.  I had to deliver ten arrangements and I was excited to receive some in return 😀 💐!!

Here is a look at the arrangements I made for my flower exchange on Saturday.

Here is a look at the arrangements I made for my flower exchange on Sunday.

I will post pictures of the bouquets I received in return later this week 💐💐💐!

Have a good week.  Please be safe and take care!