I recently heard someone (on TV) use the expression, “In the weeds,” which was an idiom I had never heard before. Based on the context, I thought I had a pretty good idea what was meant, but I decided to look it up. It got me thinking about a post I wrote ages ago about horse idioms…so I tried to compile a list of idioms that involve plants (weeds, flowers, grass, and trees)…Here’s what blossomed:

1. In the weeds – to be so busy/behind schedule/overwhelmed that it would be impossible to catch up.
2. Down the garden path – to mislead someone.
3. Nip in the bud – to stop something before it has a chance to get started.
4. Pushing up daisies – a euphemism for dead (and buried).
5. Stop and smell the roses – take time to enjoy the simple, beautiful things.
6. The grass is always greener in someone else’s backyard – the tendency to romanticize what we do not have.
7. Babe in the woods – a person who is out of his/her depth.
8. Out of the woods – to survive a dangerous or difficult situation.
9. Cream of the crop – the best part of a group.
10. Out on a limb – to be in a dangerous or weak position without any support.
11. Branch out – to try something new.
12. Beat around the bush – the opposite of getting to the point.
13. Can’t see the forest for the trees – to be so bogged down by details, you miss the big picture.
14. Come out smelling like a rose – to come out of a potentially bad situation unscathed (kind of like, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”). It reminds me of one of my favorite phrases/song titles, “Everything’s coming up roses,” which I’ve adapted to “Everything’s coming up Josie!”
15. Money doesn’t grow on trees – a reminder that money is hard to come by and once spent, it will not regenerate itself.
16. Barking up the wrong tree – to be wrong about someone or something.
17. Fresh as a daisy – fresh, energetic. Warning: do not use this idiom or your writing will be anything but…
18. Gilding the lily – to decorate something that is already decorative.
19. Make hay while the sun shines – to take advantage of favorable conditions to get a job done (in other words, “there’s no time like the present”).
20. Make like a tree and get out of here (I mean, make like a tree and leave) – okay, so this one isn’t strictly an idiom…it’s more like a bad pun…courtesy of Biff from Back to the Future, and I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Can you add any fun, colorful, flora expressions to the list? I’d love to hear your thoughts!