...OF SPRING AND SUMMER...

Inspiration for Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 12:56:00 +0000

Are you looking for some inspiration for Valentine's Day?

Here is an adorable little video to put you in the mood!
The video is from Funny How Flowers Do That

Here are also a few links to help you on the way. All from Funny How Flowers Do That.

Let Love Grow In Four Steps

Celebrate Love 365 Days of the Year

Bouquet Recipe: A Vase To Fill Your Heart With Joy

Love And Flowers Make The Difference

Recipe: Filo Tarts Inspired By Ranunculus

Recipe: Fennel Salad To Fall In Love With

Recipe: Almond Carnations To Yearn For

Recipe: Tempting Cordials

Have a fun day!!

Chanel - Making of the Spring and Summer 2018 Haute Couture Collection

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 06:00:00 +0000

I haven't done a Floral Media post for a while - but when I saw this delightful and beautiful little video - I just couldn't resist.

The video is just over two minutes long so please take the time to watch it. Enjoy the meticulous cutting, colouring, painting, shaping and stitching of the flowers.

Video from CHANEL
Music: Matthew Herbert: Titles from A Fantastic Woman soundtrack.

From the Archives - Tulip Day - Styling Tulips

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 06:00:00 +0000

Today is Tulip Day in Sweden or Tulpanens Dag as they would say over there.
This post is from January 2016 - when I did a whole week of tulips. Below are some links from back then.

Here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Well, today it is all about tulips......!!

Today on Tulip Week - Day 6 - I'm doing a little bit of styling with tulips. In fifteen images I'm combining tulips with some unusual containers, fabrics and other ornaments as well as a few mixed arrangements.

In the first image I have used fourteen little clear vintage glass bottles and put one or two flowers in each. But instead of spreading them out around the house I've grouped them together - that way they will have much more impact.

In the image above I've used a bright pink watering can as a vase and filled it with tulips in a few different pink colours. A different and fun way of presenting the flowers.

A handful of tulips in each of the two vintage milk bottles. I've decorated the bottles very simply with some contrasting twine.

In this one I've used a collection of vintage and new red vases and added some of the more unusual tulips such as parrot, fringed, double and multicolored. I have also put some of them on a black metal plate to pick up the black center in the darker tulips but also to anchor the whole arrangement.

For these tall and very elegant tulips I'm again using a vintage milk bottle. An uneven number of flowers are arranged very simply with just a few leaves left on as a little ruffle around the long stems.

Red parrot tulips are so dramatic that they need nothing else to take the attention away from the flowers. Here they are arranged in a tall but plain and neutral grey metal vase.

I have used a antique blue and white floral patterned cup as a vase for some deep pink single tulips. They are cut very short just long enough to sit above the edge of the cup. The arrangement is finished off with the addition of three little mini dark blue glass bottles.

In the next few arrangements I've combined the tulips with different fabrics. Around the house we often have fabrics such as curtains, cushions, rugs, blankets and table cloths.

Yellow is not an easy colour to combine with other colours. Here I've arranged curvy edged bright yellow tulips in a vintage milk can on a light yellow fabric.

Some fresh and bright white tulips in a green vintage bulb vase. In the background is an abstract patterned fabric that looks like buildings with rows of windows.

Pink and purple tulips in a vintage jug that has a wide band of pink around the middle. In the background is a striped fabric in pink and white picking up the pink colour in both the flowers and the jug.

In the next few images I've made some very simple mixed arrangements often using just one other flower.

Multicolored orange tulips mixed with bright orange Ranunculus - becomes a dramatic and vivid arrangement. It needed a stark and crisp black and white chevron fabric to offset all the orange!

Here is a mixture of pale pink tulips, pink hyacinths and Eucalytus foliage. An interesting mix of quite pale colours so not to overwhelm the flowers I have chosen to use very pale cream ware containers. The one with the flowers is actually an old mustard jar and the tall bottle in the background is an old Japanese sake bottle.

Strong colours can be teamed with other strong colours like here where deep pink tulips are mixed with matching ornamental cabbage, also called brassica - the Mexican fringed shawl also matches in colour.

Some unusual green parrot tulips is happily mixed with blue hyacinths. Cut very short and arranged in a clear glass cube. The dark blue vintage bottles in the background makes the flowers stand out.

In the final arrangement I have mixed pretty pink tulips with gorgeous pink hyacinths. On the side is a casual metal wire basket with twine and a ball of torn rags for weaving rag rugs.

Have a fabulous Tulip Day!

Ingrid xoxo

From the Archives - January 2016 - Pink Spring Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 06:00:00 +0000

This post is part of a new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another.

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit.

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

It's a very pink bunch for the weekend this week - a bunch of pale pink tulips, some small pink gerbera, a bunch of bright pink ranunculus and some beautiful and very pink hyacinths.

As a vase I used a small vintage pickling jar - this one has a funny little strawberry and some lettering in the glass. It has tall straight sides and I also needed something that had a wide opening but that would hold the flowers in a compact shape.

I was also looking for something that would raise the arrangement off the table and I thought a pail of books would do the trick. On my bookshelves I found six books that all had pink spines to match the pink flowers.

I also added a piece of chevron pink and white fabric, a small pink vase and a large vintage pink and green floral patterned bowl in the background.

I have chosen flowers within a very tight colour palette - but the flowers are very different in size, shape and texture to still give a varied and interesting arrangement.

It's such a pleasure and privilege to be able to have access to beautiful flowers at this time of year. A time of year when the weather is still dark, grey, cold and rainy even snow outside our windows - so what a treat to have flowers to arrange, style and photograph!

I hope this might have inspired you to find some flowers in a monochrome colour scheme and make an arrangement for the weekend.

Have a lovely floral weekend!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote - # 166 - by Ngoc Minh Ngo

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

All the authors have written one or several books about flowers, green plants, gardening, interior styling or interior design. Many are experts in their field but what is the most important is that they are all passionate about flowers and plants.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

"The world is full of beauty, and few things are more beautiful than flowers. For millennia, flowers has been weaving their way into the fabric of our lives, claiming a central place in the human experience."

"Like all civilizations before us - from ancient Chinese and Egyptians to the Persians, Greeks, and Romans - we gather, grow, observe, admire, and record flowers for a myriad reasons.We celebrate them in songs and poems. We love and mourne with flowers in hand. We borrow their loveliness to embellish our home, adorn our dresses, and grace our table."

~ Ngoc Minh Ngo ~

[Ngoc Minh Ngo: New York based photographer, landscape designer and author of two books Bringing Nature Home (2012) and In Bloom (2016).]

[Quote from: In Bloom by Ngoc Minh Ngo.]

[Book cover photography: Ngoc Minh Ngo.]

[Flowers: Holly foliage.]

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Gott Nytt År!

I would like to wish everybody a creative and inspiring 2018!

I also like to thank all of you who has visited my blog and all of you who has made kind, supportive, fun and encouraging comments - I have loved reading them all - thank you so much.

Many floral hugs for the new year!

See you soon.

xoxo Ingrid

[Styling and photography: © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

McQueens Festive Table Runner

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Here is a short video from McQueens showing a very colourful and festive table runner that could be used for a New Years dinner table.

Caleb at McQueens creates small posies using red tulips, ranunculus, anemones, Skimmia and ivy berries. Both the little hand tied arrangements and the individual stems are put in a collection of low glass vases surrounded by candles.
Quick, easy and beautiful!
[Video by McQueens.]

Florets - Floral Quote - # 165 - by Selina Lake

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" Berries are winter's version of spring blossoms. Well, for a short time...before the birds have a feast. If you have berries in your garden and want to create a gorgeous display, perhaps on your kitchen or dining table, invest in a pair of decent garden pruners and a pair of gloves, as most plants and trees that produce berries also have sharp thorns. Gather your collection of cuttings and arrange them in a large glass jar filled with water. I particularly like using long rosehip cuttings and the beautiful autumnal berries of the callicarpa shrub. Place shorter cuttings of rosemary, ivy and holly in a variety of vases and glass bottles."

~ Selina Lake ~

[Selina Lake: British, freelance interior stylist and author of six books.]

[Quote from: Winter Living by Selina Lake, (2015). Published by Ryland Peters and Small.]

[Cover photography: Debi Treloar.]

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

Happy Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

I would like to wish everybody a wonderful and very

Happy Holiday!

God Jul!

Happy Christmas!

Season's Greetings!

All the best and lots of love!

xoxo Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Christmas Creativity with Hyacinths

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

This is a lovely video with the top Swedish florist, Anna Gouteva, showing us how to be creative with hyacinths.
The video is in Swedish but it's still worth having a look even if you don't understand what she says. She shows quite clearly how to make the different arrangements.

Anna talks about how she loves every part of the hyacinth - the root system, the bulb, the leaves and of course the flowers.
She makes little arrangements on small trays keeping both soil and roots as well as an arrangement using hyacinths as a cut flower under a glass dome.
She also shows us how to create an unusual table setting using wallpaper instead of a tablecloth. Builds a centrepiece by connecting the cleaned off bulbs with florist wires she also adds other flowers for height as well as some lovely candles.
The last arrangement is a coffee table arrangement in a large bowl with white hyacinths, sedum and pinecones.

The video is created by the Swedish Flower Council Blomsterfrämjandet.

Florets - Floral Quote - # 164 - by Malin Hidesäter and Anna Skoog

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" Christmas is coming! The time leading up to Christmas, before everything gets stressful, is lovely. I buy wreaths and decorate the entire house with flowers, not least hyacinths, for their scent is a must in December. Of course, it's lovely to have Christmas baskets and potted hyacinths but cut flowers can bring just as much Christmas spirit into the home. Why not release the traditional flowers like amaryllis and hyacinths from their pots and bulbs and use them in exciting different ways? Try them with white orchids!"

~ Malin Hidesäter ~

[Malin Hidesäter: Swedish florist, flower expert, floral stylist, TV presenter and author of two books - Flower Power and Krukväxter.]

[Quote from: Flower Power (2007) by Malin Hidesäter and Anna Skoog.]

[Jacket photography: by Anna Skoog.]

[Plant material: Moss and dried bloodorange slices.]

[Styling and Photography: © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

Winter Bouquet for Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Here is a short video showing you how to make a very simple winter bouquet for Christmas.

The two main colours are white and grey green foliage.

The flowers are spray chrysanthemums, roses, limonium and single chrysanthemums and the foliage are grey-green eucalyptus and beargrass.

The bouquet is made as a handtied arrangement where all the stems are crossed. You can tie it with some raffia ready to give as a gift or simply put in a beautiful vase like they have done here.

[Video provided by Elle Decoration and design by Interflora. Florist is Nika Wahren from Skillad Floral Design and video by Johan Hedberg.]

From the Archives - 29 December 2014 -Tiny Blooms - Cyclamens as Cut Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

This post is part of a brand new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another.

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit.

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

This series of blog posts - called 'Tiny Blooms - are about small arrangements. Small - might be the size of the container or it could be the size of the flowers or the amount of stems in each container. It will also be that the arrangement is minimal both in presentation and that it's quick and easy to do. Apart from that there are no other strict rules - I'm allowing myself a lot of creative freedom!

Over the month of December I've been doing a few inspirational posts - that I've called 'Black and White Christmas' - and as it's still December - here is another one for the the New Year.

Well, they are mostly white - with some black additions - and mixing contemporary elements with some vintage.

As my 'tiny bloom' I have used yet again some white Cyclamen - but this time it's the smaller variety. But instead of displaying the whole pot with the flowers - I decided to use the cyclamens as a cut flower.

I had earlier bought quite a few little pots with lots of cyclamen buds - I kept them outside and they very happily opened up its beautiful little flowers.

So for this little project I cut about 30 stems and put them all in a little black vase.

As we are still in the holiday season - I added a Swedish vintage wooden toadstool, some plump cranberries and in the background I've displayed a mini Christmas tree.

All very quick and easy - the flowers last for about a week and if you plant the cyclamen in your garden - it will come back year after year.

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

I'll see you later in the week!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Florets - Floral Quote - # 163 - by Paula Pryke

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

"Flowering Plants and displays indoors are essential to get one through the winter gloom. The barren trees and bushes in my garden and the wider landscape and bundles of twigs at the flower market suggests new designs.

I spend more time working with foliages and I am inevitably drawn more often to fruits and vegetables to inspire my creations. Some mornings the mist seem to meet the garden as everything in England looks grey."

~ Paula Pryke ~

[Paula Pryke OBE: British, top London based florist, founder of Paula Pryke Flower Shop and School; and author of seventeen books.].]

[Quote from: Flowers Every Day (2012) by Paula Pryke. Published by Jacqui Small.]

[Jacket photography by Rachel Whiting.]

[Flowers: Bright pink hyacinths .]

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

Amaryllis - Houseplant of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Every month The Flower Council of Holland choose a Houseplant of the Month and for December 2017 it's the Amaryllis.

All these colourful and seasonal images are from The Joy of Plants.

Here is also a link to The Flower Council of Holland with lots of information about how to use and how to take care of Amaryllis.

Have a happy floral day!

From the Archives - 26 December 2014 - A Bunch for the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

This post is part of a brand new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another.

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit.

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring a bit of an unusual plant as a cut flower and it's called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'.

We have just passed the shortest day of the year and flowers in the garden are in short supply, flowers in the florist shop during the winter season often come from far away and can be expensive.

There are some lovely potted plants around at this time of year - such as Poinsettia, Cyclamen, Paperwhites, Hyacinths and Amaryllis.

All these flowers are lovely and delightful - but I have already used all of them at least once in the last months - so I decided to try something a little bit different this week.

I'm using a low-growing evergreen shrub called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' and both my local flower stall and greengrocer were selling it as a cut flower.

It has short stems but has these clusters of little, round, tight flower buds in a deep, dark, red colour and it has thick oval dark green leaves.

You'll need:

- about 7 stems of Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' - they will all have 2-3 flower heads on each stem

- a medium size vase or container in a neutral colour - I have used a vintage zinc container

- a jam jar to put inside the main container

- 3 grey and 3 white tissue paper poms poms - in three different sizes

- 3 Kosta Boda glass Snowball votive lanterns with tea-lights

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

As always - you need to condition the flowers - remove all the lower leaves that would end up below the waterline in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement.

With woody stems you also need to make a vertical cut up the stem to increase the area for water absorption.

The container I have used can not be trusted not to leak and I also don't want it to get any more rust - so I'm using a jam jar filled with water inside.

The Skimmia stems are not very long so the arrangement will be fairly low and wide. The side of the zinc container flares out so the flowers will sit very nicely in a loose and natural arrangement.

The red flowers sits perfectly against the grey zinc and the grey is also picked up in the grey pom poms in the background.

The grey and white tissue paper pom poms are all piled up in one corner and I have positioned three Snowball candle holders at the other end - both round and a little festive to fit the season.

Have a Happy Floral Friday and a Great Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Florets - Floral Quote - #162 - by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" By the end of the eighties, house plants started to disappear from our homes, simply because they were outdated, no longer in sync with modern trends. Our lives got busier all the time. We no longer made time to care for our indoor plants. This custom is now returning, because we are gradually remembering to value slow-paced lives and experience nature.

We are surrounding ourselves with plants again, creating our own retreat and oasis. This makes us happy."

~ Irene Schampaert and Judith Baeher ~

[Irene Schampaert: Editor, graphic designer, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Judith Baeher: Freelance editor, stylist, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Quote from: Wonder Plants (2016) by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner. Published by Lannoo]

[Cover image: Serge Anton.]

[Flowers: Ferns.]

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

The Joy of Plants: Expose # 19: Christoffers Blommor

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

I hope you love this video as much as I did!

I loved the fact that it was filmed in the beautiful country of Sweden.

It features the Swedish florist Christoffer Broman and his shop in the oldest part of Stockholm as well as his house in the archipelago.

Blommor means flowers in Swedish.

His shop in Stockholm's Gamla Stan, that he opened in 2001, is legendary and as he says himself he likes to make flowers look modern but not overly trendy.

There is also a second shop in Södermalm - the southern part of Stockholm.

By some he is considered the best florist in Stockholm.....!

Here is a link to Christoffers Blommor.

Video by The Joy of Plants.

From the Archives - 7 December 2012 - Floral Feast

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 06:00:00 +0000

This post is part of a brand new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another.

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit.

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

Inspired by the season and the fact that I wanted to use some red berries I came up with this very easy and very quick arrangement.

My local florist, Achillea, always has inspiring displays outside as well as inside their shop and this time was no exception. I picked some Ilex with red berries and some berried ivy. I also said that they didn't need to wrap it up, but as I turned my back for thirty seconds she had it all wrapped up in brown paper and matched the berries with red raffia!

The Ilex verticillata that I chose is a holly that is also called Black alder or Winterberry. At this time of year there are some other twigs with fruit or berries that you can use, like crab apples or rose hips.

The berried ivy is just normal ivy, but it's only mature ivy that has berries. I have plenty of ivy in my garden but it is clipped every year so it never reaches a mature state and therefore no berries. I love the colour and texture of the berries combined with the glossy pointed leaves.

Just like with all cut flowers you need to condition both the Ilex and the ivy. Remove any branches and leaves that will sit below the waterline and cut the stems at an angle. You will need a pair of secateurs to cut any woody stems and you should also split the stem at the bottom to increase the surface area, to help the plant absorb water.

I have used a large clear glass vintage apothecary bottle, a small glass container, a red and white enamelled candle holder, red raffia, some small mostly red vintage Christmas baubles and a torn strip of black & white fabric with a pattern of snow crystals.

I put the Ilex in the big bottle and tied the piece of fabric around the neck.

I arranged the ivy in the little bottle and twisted the raffia around the top.

The vintage enamelled candle holder is made by the Swedish company Kockums. I put a partly burnt candle in the holder, I didn't want it to be too tall, and arranged the little vintage baubles around it.

I am hoping to be able to inspire you with more seasonal and very easy floral arrangements every Friday for the next few months.

[Photography and Styling by Ingrid Henningsson for ...Of Spring and Summer...]

Florets - Floral Quote - # 161 - by Willow Crossley

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

"You often see amaryllis potted in containers or baskets or extravagant cut flowers in vases, but I prefer to grow them in old pickle jars, as shown here. I think that gives them a botanical chic, rather like turning them into a museum specimen for you to watch growing taller and taller until they flower.

Amaryllis always seem to fall over under their own weight, but these jars act as a support from every angle, which makes them practical as well as beautiful. Curiously amaryllis don't really need soil - just a tiny trickle of water every so often will do, to keep the roots wet."

~ Willow Crossley ~

[Willow Crossley: British, Oxfordshire based florist, designer, journalist, founder of online business Willow Rose Boutique and author of two books. Inspire (2014) and Flourish (2016).]

[Quote from: Inspire by Willow Crossley. Published by Cico Books.]

[Flowers: Maidenhair fern.]

Flowery Stories with Kally Ellis from McQueens Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

This is a lovely video with Kally Ellis who talks about her favourite flower - Anemones.

Kally Ellis is the founder of McQueens Flower Shop and Flower School in East London. She started her business in 1991 and is now one of the top London florists.

[Video by McQueens Flowers.]

From the Archives - 27 October 2014 - Take 3 Flowers!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

I'm starting a new series of blog posts called 'Take 3 Flowers' - I will show you how to make easy but beautiful and stylish flower arrangements - just using three different flowers. Sometimes one of the three will be some kind of foliage.

Using just three flowers will sometimes be a challenge - but it will also keep the cost down. Cut flowers can be expensive and foliage on the other hand tends to be cheap. You can use lots of it to help fill out the arrangement and to provide support for the other flowers. If you have a garden or access to one you can probably find some foliage to use from there.

In this first one - I'm using two different Chrysanthemums - they are both what's called 'spray' - that means that towards the top are several smaller stems with one flower on each stem.

The light orange one has single daisy type flowers with a lighter centre.

The other one has a light maroon colour and picks up the lighter colour on the back of its petals.

The green foliage that I've used is called soft Ruscus. Used a lot by florists and quite easy to find. But really any small- leaved green foliage would do.

If you are in luck the Ruscus might have some of its bright orange berries - as an extra little bonus.

You'll need:

- 10 stems of Chrysanthemums in two different colours

- 5 stems of soft Ruscus or similar green foliage

- a fairly large vase or container - in this case I have used a large vintage terracotta jar

- a small vase or container - in this case an old small brown glass milk bottle

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

As always - condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with tepid water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement.

Sorry, about always repeating this last bit - but it's probably the most important thing you can do to make your flowers last longer! So I'm afraid you have to put up with me always going on about it.

Start with the foliage and place it all around the edge of the vase. Then add the two different flowers - shorter around the edges and a bit longer in the middle - to make a soft domed shape. You don't want it too even - it looks more natural when the flowers are different heights. But this will probably happen naturally as the flowers are at different heights on the spray stems.

Make up a small arrangement with all the little off-cuts in the second little vase.

I love all these orange, maroon and terracotta colours especially at this time of year. I have also played around with placing the arrangement next to a 1930's Lloyd Loom chair in similar colour - that has an ethnic weaving hanging over the back of it. I also found a small bowl and some beads in the same orange and maroon colours.

I hope you will enjoy my new 'Take 3 Flowers' series - I'm looking forward to the challenge and it will be lots of fun!

Florets - Floral Quote - # 160 - by Jane Packer

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

*****

The author I'm featuring here is Jane Packer who is sadly no longer with us, but her work and books are still here to inspire us and show us how to work with flowers.

I have many of her books but my favourite is her last book At Home With Flowers. Here is a short quote from the back of the dust jacket: " ...Jane Packer chooses the flowers she loves best and shows how to use them to bring colour, variety and style to every corner of the home."

"One of the quickest ways to make a living room feel special is to use flowers. They remind us of the natural world, the changing seasons and the planet that we live on.

Your living room may be large or small but, whatever its size, it should be a space that makes everyone in the family feel relaxed and comfortable. The best living rooms always appear cosy and welcoming, no matter what season it is. We often choose to accessorize with cushions, lamps or other bits and pieces, but I believe that it's flowers that truly bring a living room to life."

~ Jane Packer ~

[Jane Packer (1959-2011): British top London florist, founder of Jane Packer Flowers and Flower School; and author of thirteen books.]

[Quote: From Jane Packers last book At Home with Flowers (2011). Published by Ryland Peters and Small.]

[House Plant: Ficus lyrata (Fiddle Leaf Fig).]

Simple Autumn Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Here is a short video showing you how to make a very simple autumn bouquet.

The two main colours are a beautiful dusty pink and grey green foliage.

The flowers are spray chrysanthemums, roses, limonium and single chrysanthemums and the foliage are grey-green eucalyptus and beargrass.

The bouquet is made as a handtied arrangement where all the stems are crossed. You can tie it with some raffia ready to give as a gift or simply put in a beautiful vase like they have done here.

[Video provided by Elle Decoration and design by Interflora. Florist is Nika Wahren from Skillad Floral Design and video by Johan Hedberg.]

From the Archives - 18 November 2015 - Tiny Blooms - Pink Chrysanthemums

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Here is another post in a brand new blog series - called 'From the Archives'. These will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another.

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season, that still lifts my spirit.

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

This series of blog posts - called 'Tiny Blooms - are about small flower arrangements. Small - might be the size of the container or it could be the size of the flowers or the amount of stems in each container. It can also be that the arrangement is minimal both in presentation and that it's simple, quick and easy to do. Apart from that there are no other strict rules - I'm allowing myself a lot of creative freedom!

Chrysanthemums, pink and vintage bottles - some of my favorite things!

I found some pink spray Chrysanthemums - 'spray' just means that they are multi-stemmed - and I cut some stems down to their single flowers.

My daughter and I spent a few hours at the Country Living magazine Christmas Fair last week. There are some lovely stalls that I go back to every year. On one antique stall I found these adorable mini vintage bottles - bought five and I had an instant little collection.

Combining the two makes a charming display - the bottles are only just over 11 cm tall - so they are perfect for one or two stems.

To photograph them I have displayed them on an old French linen tablecloth - but a small collection like this works very well on a little tray - keeping them together gives them more impact.

Chrysanthemums are available all year around but are particularly welcome at this time of year when cheep flowers are sparse on the ground. Here in London its raining, its dark early and very windy. Well, the pink colour reminds me of spring!!