If you prefer live plants but are intimidated by the thought of caring for them, talk to a company that will come in and take care of your plants for you. Service options range from simple watering and removing dead leaves and blooms to applying organic pesticides when necessary. The Fresh Look Fresh-cut flowers are more expensive than green plants, but they are beautiful reflections of a season. Many congregations ask members of their congregations to donate flowers for worship. Whakatam Baptist Church in New Zealand solicits weekly donations via its Web site.
Donors can also offer flowers in memory of a special person or a special date.
The donor program can be suspended during the seasons of Advent and Lent, if desired. That's what St. James Episcopal Church does. On high holy days, such as Easter and Christmas Day, however, a church can literally explode with flowers, with the help of people in church. At a recent Easter service, celebrants at Campbell Memorial Presbyterian Church in Weems, Virginia, received flowers as they entered the church narthex. At the front of the sanctuary waited a wooden cross wrapped in fine-mesh wire.