Shown below, our favorite flower girl dresses and wreaths.  For larger photos and more great ideas, visit Pegeen.com

Flower girl dresses by Pegeen.com

Last year, I divulged a little bit from the normal blog and wrote about my family’s tradition, passed down from my father, to show your favorite teacher appreciation and love by giving her flowers.  My boy’s would go through our extensive gardens, choosing their favorite flowers and cutting their prizes off, wrapping them in wet paper towels and tin foil and bring to their teachers.

Today was no different for my “almost in college” son who went off to take his last SAT, determined to get a higher score and hopefully the next notch for 100% Bright Futures.  Well, my big lug ran back to the car and said “Mommy, we have to bring my favorite person some gardenias from that massive hedge out front.”   We cut off some branches and wrapped it in tin and gave it to the most wonderful of wonders at Billy’s school,  the school attendance Mrs. Johnson.  To all those teachers out there, my sons will forever cut those flowers for you, and for me, my eternal gratitude.

Tags: Flower Girl Dresses, May day, teachers, wreaths

When I was a little girl in Collingswood NJ, my father had me visit his old teacher, Ms. Tobin, who lived down the street from my beloved childhood home on May 1st.  He taught us that May Day was a day to celebrate flowers and love and thanking someone special, and especially teachers, in your life.

Gardening in New Jersey, c. 1999 all rights: Pegeen.com

Gardenia Bushes - Florida c. 2009 All rights: Pegeen.com

We would go into my father’s garden gathering up Delphinium, Peony and Violets and make a Construction Paper cone.  We would fill the cone to the brim and run to Ms. Tobin’s down the street, ring the door bell and run fast away.  It always made me feel so giggly and of course, I passed on this tradition to my children.  So, today, with one son away in a trip to the Carolinas and another strapping football player going to practice I have the task of getting flowers for their teachers today (in the ball player’s case – the coaches wife) so that they too can remember their teachers in our family tradition.

My father also made me MAD for gardening.  I was lucky to have purchased a rambling old Tudor Home in NJ (more…)

Tags: gardening, Pegeen.com, teachers