The jumps at my barn are very plain, mostly boxes (painted nicely) and poles. When I took my baby horse off property this weekend, he was quite…surprised…at all of the foliage at/around the jumps. I would like to purchase some fill to practice with at home, but obviously don’t need designer fake flowers. Where is the best place to get cheap foliage? Michaels/Hobby Lobby has failed me.
Dollar Stores!
8 Likes
Funnily enough, I actually texted my trainer this morning because I was in Michael’s for something else, and they had some really cheap flowers on sale. Tulip bunches were $2, and there were daisy-ish flower clumps for $1. I picked up enough for two of our flowerboxes for $16. These weren’t A-show-level decorations, but for schooling or starter-level schooling shows, they’ll work great. But I’m guessing what stores actually have probably varies by store.
Procrastinators may also be taking down winter holiday stuff now and there might be some pine to be snagged for free/cheap, depending on where you are. Or just people doing their spring pruning of stuff–pine, forsythia, etc.
1 Like
Goodwill or similar stores can be a good place to look also - especially for greenery at holiday times.
1 Like
Hobby Lobby but only during the frequent 50% off sales. Dollar Store sometimes has something useful. I also use afloral.com. My understanding is that a memorial park connection is the way to go but I don’t have one of those 
1 Like
Yep cemetery clean-ups. :yes: Flea markets finds. Hobby Lobby for everything else. I like their big red geranium bunches.
Big Lots used to have some finds but their prices have gone up dramatically. Not at all what they used to be.
After Easter I buy the floral garlands at Michaels and wrap poles with them or use them as ground lines.
2 Likes
Also watch beg/buy/barter boards after major holidays, when people are changing up decorations. I sometimes see really cheap garlands (wrap them around poles) and a lot of good things that can be put beside standards (e.g. snowmen, scarecrows, giant easter bunnies, etc). None of this has to stand up for long-term use if you are only spending a few dollars on it. Thrift stores are also good for picking up heavy, wool blankets in bright colors/patterns–drape them over a pole, and you have a scary wall.
It might not be the same as jumping flowers/brush, but the horse will get used to jumping whatever you put in front of him, so the flowers and brush shouldn’t be quite so much of a surprise/big deal.
After Christmas, grab a few trees that people have thrown out. Cut them up for brush which, in cold places will last into the summer. Flowers from the Dollar Tree are great for jumps.
Do you have a Homesense in your area? I found their fake flowers to be substantially cheaper than Michaels and they usually have a decent selection.
I found some at a liquidation auction for a bank seizure for a property that had operated as a resterant in a town near us. I went and looked, just to see what was there. I talked to one of the auctioneers, told him I really liked the HUGE bag of fake flowers, but they were bundled with some Halloween decorations which I had no use for, AND I was unable to attend the auction in person. So I left a bid of $10 for the lot. (Also left a bid of $10 for some empty barrels, also for the purpose of jumps). Went back the next day to see what had happened. I owned the barrels, and paid the $10. Then the same auctioneer came up to me and said, “Those flowers you liked are still here. The guy that bought the lot didn’t want the flowers, he only wanted the Halloween decorations, so if you want them, you can have them. For free.” I loaded them up and took them home, rubbing my hands together with glee. Then they sat in my tackroom for a few years. A huge black garbage bag of them.
Then a friend of mine went to a Saturday local flea market. She bought a group of items, which also included a bag of fake flowers, which she did not want. She offered them to me. They were identical to the ones I already was storing, and were an impetus to get building a jump, instead of adding them to the lot I was already storing. Built one jump, but could not fit them all in on only one. So had to build a second one. I built them like small “brush” jumps, where the flowers were the “brush”. They are about 18" high. They are quite awesome, and other than the deer that frequent my indoor arena in the summer months (looking for shade) trying to eat them (and semi-succeeding with this plan), they have been great.
Some of these flower bunches still had the price tag on them. They were priced between $5 to $8 each. I had at least 100 bunches of them in all. For free.
Moral of the story is… look around. Good deals on things like this are to be had. Swap meets, garage sales, liquidation and second hand stores, seizure auctions.
1 Like
Two words! Dollar Store!
1 Like
I just got about 20 “sets” for 97 cents each at Walmart. No idea if that’s a good deal but it seemed good enough to me! And I should have more than enough to make two pallet flower boxes and maybe 2-3 regular flower boxes.
I’ve always had good luck w/ Michaels, AC Moore - any of those types of places, right now post Easter flowers probably 50-70% off. Sometimes you do get more bang for your buck if you get the larger bunches - if your flower boxes/ground lines have 8 holes, with the larger bunches you might only need 4 per section.
Dollar tree, you can order online and pick up at store for free.
Just get some clear sealing spray from home depot and spray them so they repel water dirt etc and hold up
5 Likes
Also Dollar General. They have good prices now through summer, and they have GREAT prices in the early fall.
1 Like
Definitely Dollar Tree if you are looking for cheap and they do hold up pretty well, especially if you know they are going to get beat up. Also check Joann Fabrics. They sometime shave really good sales, have to be careful what is marked at what percentage, but it you are savvy and pair it with their email coupons you could probably get a sweet deal. I would suggest Joanns if you really had your heart set on a particular flower. But otherwise the Dollar tree is your best bet. They also sell bunches of ferns and grass type arrangements. They are usually not as full an big as Michaels or the more expensive store, but you can’t beat the price of a $1 a bunch.
Around me, Dollar General has the best deals. They don’t always have a great selection though. I’ve had a fake ficus tree sitting in my garage for a very long time. I recently sawed the branches off and stuffed them into a brush box and it looks great. BTW, brush boxes are very easy to make and so are small boxes to go in front of jumps. The biggest difference to me in horse show jumps and home jumps (besides all the brush and filler) is the fact that horse show jumps are very wide. You have poles and gates, with boxes in front of that, then flower boxes, then Christmas tree type brush. The verticals at horse shows are like the oxers we have at home.
The cemetery idea is intriguing. How do you all get that connection? I’m imagining me calling them up, “uh hi, I want your cherished flowers.”
Sounds awkward.
Thanks for the suggestions, I will definitely hit the dollar stores (which I never would have thought of).
My plan for the flower boxes was landscape timbers and drilled holes. I mean the horse cantered his very first X yesterday, not like we’re gunning for oxers or brush boxes any time soon!
1 Like
Periodically cemeteries will clean up and remove all the old flowers. You can call and just tell them that you are interested in taking the flowers they collect. When I was young we did this. None of the cemeteries around me now allow fake flowers or I would definitely call.
1 Like
