6 March 2015

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 42 - Blue and White Hyacinths




Today on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some blue and white hyacinths in a zinc container.

Hyacinths are spectacular at the moment they are still going strong and a real pleasure to use as cut flowers.


You'll need:

- 9 stems of blue hyacinths
- 5 stems of white hyacinths
- a low wide container in a neutral colour - in this case I have used a zinc container
- a piece of ornate Victorian iron work
- a large round blue and white plate
- a vintage blanket in dark colours 


For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- a pair of florists scissors
- a florist bucket filled with fresh water

Condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. This is to reduce any growth of bacteria from deteriorating leaves. Also remove any broken or bruised leaves.

Cut the stems at an angle - this is to increase water absorption.  

Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours, to let the flowers absorb the maximum of water, before making the final arrangement.

You might have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the vase or container and to get the right proportions.

These stems come from hyacinth bulbs that I grew myself in pots and I just cut the stems and left all the leaves with the bulbs. When the leaves has died down I will plant them in my garden. Hopefully they will come back next year and not be decimated by slugs and snails or dug up by squirrels. 



You need to cut the stems quite short - but long enough to stand above the edge of the container - so hold the flower against the side of the container and measure.

I have packed the 14 stems in quite tightly - that way they all support each other.

Arrange the stems in a pleasing pattern according to colour and size of the flower heads. 


Experiment with the colours you surround the arrangement with - greys and blues all look lovely with the blue and white flowers. 

I have also added a fun little detail by putting a strip of grey washi tape along the edge of the zinc tub - its very easy to remove from any surface when you don't want it any more.

You can also do this with a smaller vase or container if you don't want to use as many stems as I have done. You can't go wrong here!!



Have a Happy Floral Friday and Enjoy Your Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

9 comments:

Unknown said...

What a beautiful spring-like arrangement! I love the pretty colors you've picked. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

With pleasure I look to the beautiful hyacints and the photo's you taken.
Its so lovely to busy with flowers!
Have a nice weekend! Here in the Netherlands we become a springweekend!

With love,
Gerry

HWIT BLOGG said...

Underbar combo...blått och vitt, väldoftande också!
Ha en skön helg vännen!
Varm kram,
Titti

Ingmarie We said...

White and blue are always lovely together. Classic! Have a nice weekend.

Frances said...

Ingrid, I think that everything in this composition is beautiful and adds a certain something to the total effect. (Of course, we cannot sense the scent from the screen, but I know it's there.)

I've got my second pot of pink hyacinths on the go, and when I got home from work this evening, it was wonderful to be greeted by that unique hyacinth scent as the flowers bloom outward.

Happy weekend! xo

Tante Mali said...

Dear Ingrid,
thank you for the flowers! Happy weekend and happy spring
Elisabeth

Anonymous said...

Vilken fröjd att titta in hos dej på lördag morron och mötas av detta vackra!
Ha en trevlig helg!

Ela said...

What a beautiful flower arrangements ! I love this combination of colors !
Have a happy weekend :)

Unknown said...

Ingrid, this arrangement is absolutely gorgeous!

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