(inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day
Hello everyone, and welcome to the official page for the International Lonely Bouquet Day initiative!
The ultimate goal of this initiative is to dedicate one day a year to making strangers happy. The method we have chosen through which we hope to achieve this goal is… flowers!
In preparation for the (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day that will take place on Sunday the 29th of June, I’d like to introduce you to the Lonely Bouquets. What began as a simple idea to spread the joy of flowers throughout our local countryside has blossomed into an initiative meant to inspire hobby gardeners all throughout the world. After-all, the beauty of flowers knows no boundaries… it can’t be confined to just one country.
The basic concept of the Lonely Bouquet goes a little something like this: 1) pick flowers fresh from the garden or forage straight from nature, 2) arrange the flowers in a small, recycled jar, 3) add a signature “take me!” tag, and 4) leave the homegrown arrangement behind for a lucky local to take home. Voila! You have just delivered a handful of flowers that will surely put a smile on a stranger’s face.
Working on my own, I can only reach so many people. I’ve spread flowers as far as London, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Cologne, Aachen, Dusseldorf, Ghent, Knokke, Brussels, Malibu, Maastricht, Gulpen, Valkenburg, Voerendaal, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Aubel, Vise, and probably another village or two… but why don’t we go one step further! Why don’t you guys join in on the flower fun and surprise some strangers with flowers from your gardens? Last year the event was a great success! Participants from all over the world spread lots of flowers and smiles from such far away locations as Mexico, Hong Kong, South Africa, Australia, Finland, Russia, and England! If you’re up for a little adventure and ready to smile from ear to ear, come along and join us for the second (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day on the 29th of June, and help us make the world a better place, one flower at a time!
Do you have flowers in your garden? Do you know anyone who does? Do you want to help make people happy? Then you can help! We hope to get gardeners and philanthropists alike to gather all of their flowers, create simple bouquets, attach our “take me!” tags, and distribute the bouquets throughout near-by villages, towns, and cities. All of this in the hopes of putting a smile on a stranger’s face! :)
To sign up for the event, please pop on over the The Lonely Bouquet facebook page! For examples of the text I use on my “take me!” tags, please have a look here!
Don’t have facebook? Follow along with the flower fun on twitter (@lonelybouquet) and instagram (@thelonelybouquet)!
And for the Dutch speakers out there… I tried my best! :)
Recent reactions from Lonely Bouquet recipients:
“Eergister vond ik je fleurige boeketje op weg van mijn werk naar huis. Ik zag hem staan, en hij lachte mij toe. Hij heeft in ieder geval een nieuw thuis gevonden, en fleurt deze grijze dag op met zijn mooie kleuren.”
“Found but not taken: Being by bike I couldn’t take the lovely bouquet you left at the statue in Maastricht. Instead I took the memory of there being people like you who try to brighten up someone’s day in an unexpected manner.”
“Gisteren, na een verblijf van 6 weken in het ziekenhuis, is mijn zus overleden aan lymfeklierkanker. Vandaag op weg naar het uitvaartcentrum waar ze ligt opgebaard, kwamen wij Uw lonely bouquet tegen in de minckelersstraat te maastricht. Mijn zus was gek op bloemen, vooral paarse, haar lievelingskleur. We hebben ze meegenomen naar het uitvaartcentrum en bij haar neergezet. Het leek wel of ze het zelf gearrangeerd had. Bedankt voor uw prachtig boeketje. ”
“Hallo, meine Tochter hat den Blumenstrauß gefunden und mir mitgebracht, super. Ich habe mich sehr gefreut, war genau passend, ich hatte genau an dem Tag einen neuen Arbeitsvertrag gemacht. Der Blumenstauß war wie für mich gemacht. Vielen Lieben Dank!”
“Een mooie zaterdag begin juli was er jonge dame onderweg.
“Onderweg van een ziekbed na een nieuw leven.
Nog onzeker op krukken ging haar eenzame weg naar Val Dieu.
Een beetje troost zoekende en een mooie ritje lokte haar daar heen.
Troost vindend in mooie muziek, een kerk bezoekje, kopje koffie,
En dan, voorzichtig lopend op krukken over kiezel stond daar een roepend boeketje,
Alleen, om mee te nemen, hoe doe je dat met krukken?
Maar de kleuren en het verlangen drongen aan,
En dan kunnen er wonderen gebeuren,
De warme kleuren van roze en rood maar vooral de geuren gaven haar vleugels.
Bedankt.”
“Der einsame Blumenstrauß = “The lonely Bouquet” hat heute eine Liebhaberin gefunden: Mich! Bzw. meine im Pflegeheim lebende Mutter, der ich ihn später mitgebracht habe, nachdem er so einsam auf der Brüstung einer Brücke an der Düsseldorfer Königsallee stand, von vielen Menschen zwar gesehen, aber kaum gewürdigt, geschweige denn mitgenommen. Das war mein Glück. Endlich einmal war ich zur rechten Zeit (heute, 10. August 2012, um 13 h) am rechten Ort! Ich habe mich sehr gefreut, erstens diesen hübschen Strauß anzuschauen, zweitens ihn sogar guten Gewissens, weil geschenkt, mitnehmen zu dürfen. Und dann hatte zunächst ich meine Freude an ihm auf der Zugfahrt nach Oberhausen und später meine Mutter im Pflegeheim, die sich sehr über diesen hübschen Zimmerschmuck gefreut hat. Das ist eine ausgesprochen liebenswürdige Geste vom unbekannten Spender, dem ich hiermit von Herzen Dank sage.”
In case you didn’t take part in the NNF (which I’m sure most of you didn’t), here’s Tjeu’s wonderful video presentation!
SUI45 Tjeu Seeverens (NNF12) from VideoLogic on Vimeo.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- National Lonely Bouquet Day Initiative | Fleuropean – the power of flowers
- National Lonely Bouquet Day… Are You In? | Fleuropean – the power of flowers
- Sunday Clippings | Plinth et al.
- Spreading happiness – one flower at a time! | B31 Voices
- The International Lonely Bouquet Day - madame love - interior and flower blog
- A Lonely Bouquet | The Garden Deli
- #ordinarilyfabulous - Karen Main
- Sunday Clippings | Plinth et al.
- Kansainvälinen Yksinäisen Kimpun Päivä 30.6.2013. The International Lonely Bouquet Day 30.6.2013 | Minna's Floral Blog
- News Alert ~ International Lonely Bouquet Day | Ice the Cake ~ The Blog
- The Lonely Bouquet | Katie Hale
- A Week in the Life of an LTer | katiegoestolt
- Looking for a Good Home... | Alluring Blooms
- Floral Verde LLC » Blog Archive » The Lonely Bouquet
- Exquisite Designs Blog» Blog Archive » The Lonely Bouquet
- Lonely Bouquet | Chapel Designer Progressive Blog Post
- Lonely Bouquets to Brighten Days | operationUNunhappy
- stems The Lonely Bouquets - stems
- Flower Lovers Find Mystery Bouquets | Interflora
- The Lonely Bouquet Project | Angela Explains it All
- International Lonely Bouquet Day is Tomorrow! « Florabella
- An unexpected gift and the power of flowers…… | Spice Grove Designs
- Flowerona Calendar : June 2014 | Flowerona
- Flowerona Calendar : June 2014
I think this is the best idea I’ve heard in ages!!! I will definitely join you!!
Thanks so much for this wonderful & fun initiative!!
xo Chantal
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that Chantal!! Together we’ll help to bring smiles to faces all over the Netherlands! :)
I’m in! I might need to do some before the actual dag so as to get some practice in. :)
Yes! Sounds great Jennifer! Feel free to post some pictures if you decide to do a few practice rounds ;) I’m liking the team of lovely ladies ready to take on the flower challenge!
Hoi Emily, ik doe mee.
Wat een mooi idee en wat een mooie verhalen komen van een Lonely B!
Groetjes uit Maasticht!
X Anja
Wat leuk Anja! Ik ben blij dat je met ons “lovely lady” team meedoet! ;) Groetjes en hopenlijk tot snel! Nu moeten we alleen voor wat “macho mannen” zorgen…
Ik ben ook van de partij, leuk!
Bloemen betekenen heel veel voor menigeen. Afhankelijk van de omstandigheid kunnen ze zorgen voor liefde, vreugde, geluk of troost.
Kun je wat meer vertellen hoe “the lonely bouquet”-dag eruit gaat zien?
Groetjes,
José
Super Jose! Jazeker kan ik jullie wat vertellen over hoe “the lonely bouquet” dag eruit gaat zien! Ik weet alle detaillen nog niet, maar ik ben van plan om mensen over heel Nederland, Belgie, de wereld?! te motiveeren om bloemen bij hun thuis (of bij een vriend(in)) te plukken om boeketjes te maken die bij hun in de buurt worden neergelegd. We zouden waarschijnlijk een Facebook pagina en/of een Twitter account creeren voor de mensen die willen deelnemen om de boeket-locaties te delen EN de ontvangers een platform te bieden voor hun reacties! Suggesties zijn altijd welkom! :)
This is the loveliest action/project I’ve ever heard. You reminded me of Amelie-the movie! I am so glad there are people out there who are trying to just to put a smile on peoples face, congrads for the idea!
Thanks Nazli! I love Amelie, definitely one of my favorite movies! I’m honored! :D
i think the idea of you and flowers started when you started wearing hybiscus and orchids behind your ear…..right ear/ left ear doesn’t matter cuz you were about 2 1/2 yrs old!
love you,em.
I agree, Mom… and sitting on the front porch, watching while you potted up all the plants ;)
Dag Emily,
Wat een vrolijk initiatief. Count me in! Ik heb een tuin, waarvan ik een groot deel als moestuin benut. Ben deze week begonnen met het zaaien van tomaten. Nog niet buiten, maar in een kweekbak op de vensterbank in de keuken. Weet nu al dat ik er veel te veel zal hebben. Wil het overschot aan voorbijgangers aanbieden, zodat ook zij over een paar maanden de aller lekkerste pomedori die ze ooit hebben geproefd kunnen eet. Maar misschien moet ik ze wel her en der gaan neerzetten met een ‘neem mij mee kaartje’ er aan….
Hoe dan ook, houd me op de hoogte, want ik doe mee aan Lonely Bouquet Dag!
Grtjs, Els
Dag Els,
Wat leuk! Ik ben heel blij om te horen dat u ook van de partij bent :D
Dat zou idd super zijn om als voetganger een lekker bosje verse tomaten tegen te komen. Veel succes met het kweken! :)
We beginnen vanaf April met de voorbereidingen voor de Lonely Bouquet Dag. Ik verheug me al, zeker met het mooie weer van de afgelopen 3 dagen. Eindelijk een beetje lente!
Ik zal u zeker op de hoogte houden :)
Groejtes,
Emily
As the self-proclaimed spokesperson for Flowers Without Borders (FWB), a hot new spinoff of the venerable Flower Power movement, I hereby offer our support for the National Lonely Bouquet Day Initiative. FWB embraces the Lonely Bouquet ideals. However, our counter culture heritage behooves us to close our eyes to any National boundaries implied in your initiative and expand the minds of strangers across the entire planet using your chosen method… flowers. We will not stop until our bouquets have put a smile on every Earthling stranger’s face! Carpe Diem!!! Err… just one thing.. I don’t have a garden.
Hi Twig! How wonderful that you’re willing to join in on the flower fun! Don’t worry- you don’t need a garden to participate. Maybe you have some friends with flowers, or some neighbors who are willing to donate a few blossoms? Or you can always just gather a handful pretty wildflowers! :) I agree that giving away free flowers should not be confined only to the Netherlands… let’s call it an (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day!! Thanks so much for your comments, and carpe diem! :) xx Emily
Hello! I have been reading your posts on Facebook for a couple of months. I just love the photos you post. Your lonely bouquet post really struck a cord … I’m going to start scouting for locations in and around Faversham, Kent. Happy flowers! Julie x
Hi Julie! Yay! I’m so glad to hear it! :) Let me know how it goes. If you’re interested, on Sunday, June 30th I’ll be hosting a sort of international day dedicated to spreading flowers for strangers to enjoy. I’ll be leading a group here in Belgium/Holland… and it’d be great if you wanted to lead a little group in Faversham! :) xx Emily
I would love to. What do you write on your labels?
Wonderful! I just write something along the lines of “Adopt me, please!”, hehe. I’ll be posting a label template in just a little bit for you guys to print out, if you’d like :) xx Emily
Hi Emily, I’ll look out for the template, or perhaps you could email it to me?? Happy flowers! Julie
I can most certainly do that, Julie! :) xx
I am definitely doing this! I live in the USA (Nebraska), and have helped my mother grow and arrange flowers since I was 10 years old. This is such a lovely idea, and I am so excited to bring some lovely flowers to my town! :)
This is also similar to a project that my husband is doing, an original art giveaway where he has committed to giving away 1000 pieces of his original art in the next 5 years. It’s so much fun to discover ways that you can make someone’s day a little better.
Hi Sonia! Thanks so much for joining the movement! What your husband is doing sounds super special… what an amazing initiative! I have some family in Nebraska (Omaha), so maybe they’ll be lucky enough to find some of your flowers :) xx Emily
I think this is a beautiful idea, and will be doing my bit in Melbourne, Australia !
How wonderful, Denise! Thanks so much for joining the fun! Now we can really call it an international bouquet day!! If you’d like to follow along with any news and/or share your stories and photos, please feel free to join the community at https://www.facebook.com/TheLonelyBouquet :) xx Emily
I’m a florist from home in the Scottish Borders and will gladly take part. What a lovely idea! Em x
Hehe, from one “Em” to another, so glad you can join in on the flower fun!! Looking forward to seeing your flowers :) xx Emily
Oh could you email me the template too? x
We’re in!
Woo-hoo! So happy to have you guys on board!! :) xx Emily
Fabulous idea.
Thanks so much, Jennifer! :) xx Emily
Count on me! I’m pregnant though, due July 14th… so if everything goes ok, i should have time to make a bouquet and deliver it around Reims in France just before :)
Oh my gosh! Congratulations Laetitia! I had no idea! If you can’t make it on the big day, I’ll be sure to spread some flower love in your (and your beautiful baby’s!) name :) xx Emily
So inspirational! I would be honoured to be a part of this special day :-D
I shall be spreading the joy in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia xx
Look forward to it!
How wonderful, Michelle!! Happy to have you on board! Looking forward to seeing the blooming beauty you spread in the hopes of putting a smile on someone’s face! :) xx
What an absolutely wonderful idea!! We’ll be spreading some happiness in New Hampshire!
Thanks so much, Karen! So happy to have you on board!! xx
What a fab idea!!
Looking forward to beeing a part of it!
Camelia (Ireland) xx
Wonderful, Camelia! So looking forward to seeing your creations! :D xx
At Thistle Du Florist we to would love to join in, based in the Ayrshire valley of Scotland,We have some beautiful countryside to leave The Lonely Bouquet,
thanks Heather
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Heather! I’m sure you have absolutely gorgeous surroundings in which to leave the Lonely Bouquets!! :) xx Emily
Heard about this on Garden Geeks page, one from Florida!
So wonderful, Debbie! Glad to have a fellow Garden Geek joining in the flower fun! :)
hi,i found one of the lonely bouquet outside the kingsthorpe village primary school in Northampton where my son goes to school. i have taken it home to where we live
That’s so great to hear, Lisa! Thanks so much for letting me know! :) I’ll ask around and see who might have left those lovely flowers behind… Have a wonderful evening! xx Emily
Hi, have just left my first lonely bouquet by the postbox in our village. Can’t wait to see if it’s gone later. What a fab idea
Jo Moore Flowers
Fabulous, Jo!! So excited to hear how it went! :D xx
What a wonderful idea! I just love flowers and it was Dunstable’s very own Cottage Garden Flower shop that shared this amazing idea on my facebook page about Dunstable. So I will be placing an arrangement somewhere in a local shop or on a market stall this Saturday ~ Happy looking!
Fabulous!! Thanks so much, Beverley. I’ve been following along with your distributions on facebook… so much fun!! :D xx Emily
Hello! I am in love with this idea! How fun that this has spread across the globe :) . I just stumbled across this, and am in motion to have a Lonely Bouquet movement here in Little Rock, Arkansas this Sunday. Yay, I am excited :) Hopefully someone will adopt the bouquet quickly, it is pretty hot in Arkansas!
Yay! I hope the heat doesn’t take the wind out of your Lonely Bouquet adventure!! Let me know how it goes and feel free to share any pictures you take! :D xx Emily
HI!
What a wonderfull idea.We’re in :)
Just made two bouquets ready to go today
marianne, Finland
Yay! So happy to hear the good news, Marianne! :D xx
What a wonderful idea! I live in Germany, just across the border from Salzburg, Austria. I’ll be happy to spread some smiles in both countries this Sunday — count me in!
That’s amazing, Nichole! I’ve always dreamed of traveling to Salzburg! At least now I can vicariously travel with you and your flowers :) Let me know how it goes and feel free to share any pictures!! xx Emily
What a wonderful idea, count West Bridgford (UK) in. Have collected some jars and will go out in the garden on Sunday morning early to make some bouquets to leave around the towns. How exciting!
thanks for sharing it with us.
That’s so great, Karina!! I can’t wait to see how it goes!! :D xx
Ill be taking part in Australia- what a sweet and fabulous idea, thank you for inviting us all to help bring some happiness to the world!
Yay!! I’m so excited that you’re going to join in the flower fun! It’s so wonderful that so many fabulous flower folks have accepted my invitation. So thank YOU :D xx
Found the flowers outside our local pub. What a lovely surprise, brought a smile to my face after a sad week in which I lost my father in law , who was a wonderful man. Thanks to the person who took part in this lovely initiative. XXX
I would like to thank whoever left such a charming bouquet of flowers in the passageway leading into Beech Grove from Gowthorpe (approaching Leeds Rd), in Selby. They ended up only a short distance away, as I live in the square just around the corner (111 Gowthorpe). I came across them as I set out to visit Tesco, and wondered why someone had left them in such a place – until I noticed the tag attached which read “Please take me home!” Then I read the rest of the message, noticed they were in a jar of water, picked up the carrier bag with them in and went back to the house to put them in a vase. The time was approximately 2.30pm on Sun 30th June. Well I’d never heard of the like of it before, but found it such a lovely thing, and felt so priveleged to be the lucky finder! I’ve looked up some of the beautiful pictures on the website, and am most impressed with it all, and just how widespread this is! Well this is a beautiful bouquet, and they’re looking at me now, and I’m looking back at them. And it no longer looks the lonely bouquet it did in the passageway at the side of the wall, but most charming and very much at home! (Plus you fulfilled your object. You made a stranger very happy to receive them). Thank you! Pauline.
From New Zealand I will be spreading your message,have enjoyed reading your facebook posts & blog .Thank you
we waren gisteren in Eijsden waar mijn zoon begraven ligt. We wandelden wat rond in het dorp en plotseling zag ik het boeketje zonnebloemen liggen van “the Lonely Bouquet”. Het was alsof ik de zon in mijn hart ontving van mijn zoon; een heel bijzonder geschenk. Een prachtig idee, zeker om deze wijze van bloemengift voort te zetten. Hartegroet van Bep.
Wat een prachtige verhaal, Bep! Hartelij bedankt voor de reactie. Ik ben heel blij dat the zonnige bosje bloemen goed getimed was met het bezoek aan uw zoon.
Veel liefs, Emily