Designers creating stunning floral arrangements in NYC trash cans

(Image credit: iStock)

New Yorkers used to walking by overflowing garbage cans are doing double takes, thanks to a group of floral designers who are transforming trash receptacles into vases.

Some sunshine can be found on Bowery and East Houston today. #LMDxNYC #lmdwashere #flowersfornewyork #lewismillerdesign #streetart #boweryandhoustonA post shared by Lewis Miller Design (@lewismillerdesign) on Mar 8, 2017 at 4:33am PST

Lewis Miller and his design team are mixing beauty with grit by taking gorgeous flowers and arranging them in trash cans. "They're our flowers to New York," director of special projects Irini Greenbaum told Today. "That's really the message — to gift flowers to New Yorkers for no other reason than to make them smile." They do most of their work in the early morning hours, and have been dubbed the "flower bandits."

Because Love is grand but it can also be rough, gritty and complicated just like our beloved City. Our final random act of flowers for this Valentine's Day, Bowery and Bond Street. #LMDxNYC #lmdwashere #flowersfornewyork #lewismillerdesign #urbanjungle #orchidstagramA post shared by Lewis Miller Design (@lewismillerdesign) on Feb 14, 2017 at 1:10pm PST

They've branched out from the world of garbage, and also place flowers on New York landmarks, like John Lennon's "Imagine" memorial in Central Park. "People actually took some of the flowers and turned the installation into a peace sign," Greenbaum said. "Which is something that we didn't do. ... It's nice to see it take on a life of its own."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.