This week on 'Creative with Flowers' - I'm featuring some gorgeous white Amaryllis. It's such a perfect flower for this time of year. Easy to look after - you just need to know a few little tricks and all will be well!
As always my arrangements will be quick and easy - and there will always be lots and lots of colour!
Amaryllis must be the perfect flower - easy to condition, there are no leaves to remove, the flowers don't open up all at the same time, they last for a long time and you just need a few stems as each stem has several flowers - so it makes a big impact.
This particular white Amaryllis has some green colouration inside the flowers fading to white. So I have added a few muted green vintage bottles and bowls.
At this time of year I crave candles and I will always light some in the evenings.
There are a few things you need to keep in mind when you use Amaryllis as a cut flower.
If you are making a tall arrangement put a thin bamboo stick up the stem to prevent the stems from breaking. The flower heads become very heavy and if there is no support the stems can break.
If you are making a short arrangement where the stems are supported by the side of the vase there is no need to do this.
Another advise you see is to fill the hollow stems with water. Simply turn the flower upside down, fill with water, plug the opening with some cotton wool , keep your thumb over the opening and quickly place in the vase.
You also need to put a rubber band around the bottom of the stems to prevent the stems curling up. Floral tape also works well. Remember that the tape or the rubber band might be visible through a clear glass vase so you might want to use some other type of vase or container.
I always cut the bottom of the stems straight across with a sharp knife on a cutting board - not at an angle. As the bottom of the flower stems tend to curl up - it will look much neater with a straight cut and easier to keep the rubber band or tape in place.
Another thing I also do is that I remove the anthers filled with pollen as soon as a bud has opened up. This is to prevent the pollen falling on tablecloths and clothing.
Trim off any faded flowers and enjoy the remaining flower heads.
In this arrangement I have only used three stems but each one has four flowers so altogether I have twelve flower heads - I call that good value for money!
Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral Wednesday!
Thanks you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'. I will be back later in the week with more floral delights. I'll see you then.
Thanks you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'. I will be back later in the week with more floral delights. I'll see you then.
Ingrid
~ xoxo ~
[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
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I love amaryllis, and I particularly appreciate the suggestion for using a bamboo stick! I live in Brazil, the natural home of amaryllis, where it can be grown outside year round. While it's not usually the concern of floral designers, many people do wonder how to get the bulb to rebloom after the first year. In case you're interested, I wrote about this at http://www.courtneyhelena.com/home/how-to-get-amaryllis-to-bloom-happily-year-after-year. Thanks, once again, for an informative and interesting post!
ReplyDeleteCourtney Helena
São Pedro de Alcântara, Brazil