NEW ORLEANS — Krewe Des Fleurs is a costume collaborative marching krewe, where the ladies are all dressed as beautiful flowers.  This year they are doing something new along the parade route.

News with a Twist Reporter Kenny Lopez explains.

For the past few years the lovely ladies of Krewe Des Fleurs have been bringing their flower power to Mardi Gras.  This year they will be giving out a special limited edition throw.

“We will be handing out seed beads that you’ll find in these necklaces.  Inside you’ll get one bead and that one can go in the ground and you can start growing your own tiny garden,” Laura Dean-Shapiro, Krewe Des Fleurs founder, said.

This is a throw that grows; all you’ve got to do is add water.

“The seed beads are made from unbleached, unprocessed paper, and natural wildflower seeds.  There is nothing dangerous are harmful going in the ground, ” she said.

This Krewe wants to make sure people know that you don’t eat these throws.

“They are for the ground to eat, not people,” she said.

They will only be making about 100 of these limited edition seed beads, so in order to get one, you must make a sign that reads, “Seeds as Beads.”

Krewe Des Fleurs members feel they’re making Mardi Gras more beautiful through flowers versus old plastic beads.  Even they’re costumes are very environmentally conscious.   Costume designer, Dana Beuhler of Mardi Gras Customs explains.

“I purchase from mac papers and they are part of the sustainable forestry initiative.  All the glues I use have the lowest boc’s that I can get,”  Beuhler said.

In addition to these seed beads, the Krewe Des Fleurs ladies will be handing out special hand-made orchid hair clips and magnets.

The ladies of Krewe Des Fleurs will be dressed as orchids this year, and they make their own costumes.   This year their costumes will also include lights for the night parades.

For more information about Krewe Des Fleurs and which parades you can see them marching in, click HERE.