Growing, Sowing and Arranging Flowers by Jane Wrigglesworth
Here are two very different floral creations that would both suit a casual centrepiece. The top image shows roses, jasmine and unripe strawberries in a fancy vase; the bottom image is a collection of blue flowers in plain metal dishes. Both look striking in their own way and both look like they’ve been casually thrown together on the spur of the moment – none the worse for it.
Image source: rose bouquet Moonlight Rainbow; blue flowers Basket Bike.
Happy New Year everyone! I’m very excited about this year, with all its opportunities. Flowers have been planted for cut flower production and my new online magazine, Sweet Living, has been launched. (Check it out here). But I’ve decided not to let myself get so busy this year as to not be able to stop for a cuppa and smell the flowers. I simply adore flowers – without them life would be less beautiful, I reckon. Here’s to a good year to you and yours.
It’s officially summer and the roses are finally coming thick and fast. They’ve been late this year. In fact, that’s been the case for many plants. Some commercial growers have reported that their crops have been slower to bloom this year – four to six weeks slower – due to the amount of cloud cover. Apparently we’ve had more cloudy days than usual. Rain too, I’d say.
Roses look terrific in small vases (like this cute little egg cup display from Celebrations, and the pretty pinky blooms in the elephant teapot at Style Me Pretty) or larger ones, as seen over at Florali. Those crinkly blooms beside the roses in the photo directly above are celosia, or cockscomb.
Pull out and your dainty vintage teacups and put them to good use – as a sweet little vase for pretty flowers. These lovely creations, which feature over at Style Me Pretty, are blindingly simple to put together yet they’re downright gorgeous. Plop a piece of floral foam inside and insert flowers. Easy! Don’t worry if you haven’t got floral foam. You can pop a small jar inside the teacup and place your flowers into that. You can place them directly into the teacup too, but they stand better with foam or a jar.
My favourite type of arrangement for the vase is the rustic type, the casual, mixed flower bouquet with varying colours, flower forms and seed heads. And if the vase itself is rustic, all the better. These gorgeous creations from The Real Cut Flower Garden are just the ticket, mixing annuals, perennials, foliage and seed heads to perfection. The top arrangement sports a large peony (in the middle), pale orange stock, white phlox and blue cornflowers. The bottom arrangement showcases white phlox, pink achillea (bottom front), tall pink francoa spikes (top middle), red and green nigella seed heads (top right) and pincushion-headed astrantia. What’s your favourite type of arrangement?
Spot the handsome hydrangea and the sexy South American bulb in this photo-worthy floral display. The hydrangea you’ve met before, but the bulb? Commonly known as ‘glory of the sun’, its botanical name is Leucocoryne purpurea. According to Parva Plants, it produces a few needle-like leaves in autumn “followed later by tall thin wiry stems boasting up to 8 long-lasting fragrant, papery blooms in shades of violet or maroon”. Outstanding!
Throwing out the silverware? Check out these perfectly stylish silverware vases designed by the clever folk over at Beach House Living. They make supremely lovely Christmas tree decorations, just big enough to hold a single flower. Want to make our own? Click here for step-by-step instructions.
An array of glass vases displaying single blooms screams elegance to me. Add silk butterflies and you have a picture-perfect floral display. If you’re short on flowers but awash with vases, this is the perfect solution. From Pale & Interesting.
You gotta love wildflowers. They’re so free and easy. Case in point: wild violets. Each winter through spring these pee-wee perennials form prostrate mats of creeping stems with dainty purple flowers. I know they’re tenacious (lawn enthusiasts may despise them), but I adore their diminutive good looks as they make their way across the garden floor.
Turns out they make great cut flowers too. Of a sort. Check out this cute little DIY over at Design Sponge. All you need are old aperitif glasses, several wild violets (the sweet violet Viola odorata is perfect) and moss (sphagnum moss works just as well). Go to it!
