10,000 Flowers of Beauty... All Real.

For about 12 years now the Derrick and Cook family's have been carrying out this tradition of decorating the 8 foot cross with flowers. This is one of the first years we have been able to completely fill up the cross and still have flowers left over. We guess it is about 8,000-12,000 flowers in any given year, many of which are so small they can't even been seen. But they sure make a differance when they are missing.




BIG VERSION:
http://www.pronetworks.org/EASTER-03/EasterCross-03.jpg





BIG VERSION:
http://www.pronetworks.org/EASTER-03/EasterCross-Church-03.jpg

wow! great job!

Most people think I'm kidding here at home when I tell them. LOL

They think we just drapped flowers over it until I show them the pictures. I think this one's next to my favorite after the 2000 one. That was the best, bc we had all gold flowers at the crown, and red on the tips of the arms. It looked awesome. This is the fullest one to date though I think.

That is really beautiful Great job on it!!!

Just awesome! I love the colors and the fullness, I can imagine how much more impact it has to see it in real life.

I'm curious though, where do you guys get all the flowers and how do you attach them? We have nothing blooming at all here, I think chance of last frost date is May15.

Simply gorgeous John...amazing...how long do the flowers last...

That is absolutely fabulous John, and a very meticulously well done piece of flower arranging. I adore flowers and gardening and that is just one more hobby of mine. I remember last year's one, but i have to say this one surpasses that. i love traditions like this, and it's very important to see them kept up. I have to say all credit to your family and friends for taking the time for this labor of love.

Thanks everyone. Deb we collect the flowers all locally. Many come from my mother's new flower gardens beside our home in the field where she grows all sorts of flowers for sale now. Other come from the river like the Water lilies. Others come from various plants and bushes from friends of the family. The cross has to be watered twice a day and it lasts for about 3 days... so Wednesday we'll probably take it down... depending on how much Sun we have between now and then.

The mystery of how we do that baffles everyone around here, lol. It's actually a type of foam in metal frames like really fine chicken wire. The flowers are punched into the foam in large rectangle pieces and then hung up on the cross. Then the task of filling in all the blank spots and undersides of all the frames comes in. We have to use a scaffold just to get up to do it all. It took us about 2 hours with 10 people yesterday. Soon enough me, my brother and our cousins in the Cook family will completely take over. We did a lot of it this year.... probably more than ever before. Currently my parents and the Cooks grandparents do it.

That is so beautiful John. What a nice thing to do for the Church. I bet everyone that goes by appreciates all the hard work, and so does the "man upstairs"....

It is really something to see, isn't it? Thanks for clueing me in on how the flowers are attached. That's one of the perks of living further south, you get beautiful flowers to enjoy much earlier than we do.