Florets - Floral Quote - # 144 - by Rachel Siegfried

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

All of them have written one or several books about flowers, 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.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both helpful and useful for everybody who is arranging and styling flowers.  

"Narcissus make up for their limited choice in colour with an amazing variety of forms. These range from the well-known trumpet form of the daffodil, to the more unusual split corona - which looks more like an exotic orchid. Lending themselves to informal arrangements, narcissi look lovely when a few varieties are combined in a simple jug or vase."

~ Rachel Siegfried ~ 

[Rachel Siegfried: British, Oxfordshire based flower farmer and floral designer, founder of Green and Gorgeous and author of The Flower Book (2017).]

[Quote from: The Flower Book by Rachel Siegfried.]

[Flowers: Yellow daffodils. Flowers from my local flower stall in North West London]

[Vase/Container: White glass vase designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.]

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

*****

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral weekend!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back next week with more floral delights.

I'm looking forward to seeing you back here then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

*****

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have just over 12 000 followers and around 200 boards all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and boards showing how to arrange flowers. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 99 - Dark and Moody Flowers

I love and I get really excited when I find two different flowers in the same colour. So when I found tulips and hyacinths in exactly the same colour I was over the moon.

I know, I know - a bit "sad" as our kids would say while they roll their eyes.

It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for the Weekend, I will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will last longer and they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.

For the large main arrangement I'm using my good old trusted Savoy vase designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. It's perfect for this kind of arrangement. It supports the bendy soft stems of both the tulips and the hyacinths.

I have kind of packed them in quite close - which means that they support each other as well.

In the main vase I have left the bulb-bit and the bottom of the stems - as you should do - there is plenty of space in the vase. But in the small side arrangement I did cut the stems as the opening was too tight. 

I also kept as much of the foliage as possible - only removing any damaged leaves. I really love the the contrast between the strong colour of the petals and the bright green pointed leaves of both flowers.

The props that I have used are two different linen clothes or fabrics, a round vintage tray from antique markets. 

The containers that I have used for the side arrangements are both vintage laboratory jars and in the background is a piece of Victorian metal railing from a reclamation yard. 

When you buy flowers next time look for two flowers in matching colour - it gives the whole arrangement a cohesive look. Nothing else was needed for this colourful spring arrangement as the tulips and hyacinths had so much textural and visual interest. 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral weekend!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. I'll see you back here then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

*****

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have just over 12 000 followers and around 200 boards all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and shows how to arrange them. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

Pinterest:   https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 91 - Colourful Parrot Tulips

I'm staying with tulips for one more week - so in this 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring some very colourful parrot tulips.

The vase I'm using also follows on from last week - it's the well known Savoy vase designed in 1937 by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.

It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for the Weekend, will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will last longer and they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.

Parrot tulips are a group of spectacular and flamboyant flowered cultivar of tulips. Each one is unique with its irregular shape and attractively fringed petals. The petals can also be feathered, curled, twisted or wavy.

It's believed that their name comes from their resemblance to parrots - both the feathers and the bird's beak.

The Savoy vase has a wavy shape - but the sides are straight. This particular vase is only 12 cm tall so if you cut the stems quite short it will keep the flowers very nicely contained - almost in an upright position. 

 I have styled the flowers with a selection of items in different matching red colours.

This red beaded tea-light holder is one of the many things I have found at the charity store. It gives off a glimmering glow that is beautiful at night.

The large red beads are from a bracelet that broke. I liked the individual beads - so I kept them and I have continued to enjoy them for what they are - just simple colourful beads.

The huge variety of colour and style plus the long season make tulips one of the most versatile and inexpensive flowers around. 

So why not go out and buy a bunch this weekend!

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral weekend!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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Creative with Flowers - # 25 - Double Orange Princess Tulips

This week on Creative with Flowers - I'm featuring a bunch of orange tulips.

Tulips are now starting to appear on the flower stalls. I always find them a very welcome sight. They are one of my favourite flowers and I think they are great to work with.  

This series of blog posts - called 'Creative with Flowers' - are about using flowers in creative ways. It could be about how the flowers are combined - maybe in a little bit of an unusual way. It might be the choice of vase - maybe not a vase at all but a container that could be anything from jugs, bottles, jars, tins or teapots - vintage or new it doesn't matter. 

As always my arrangements will be quick and easy - and there will always be lots and lots of colour!

Ten stems of colourful tulips plonked in a clear glass container. What could be easier?

 This one is called Tulipa 'Orange Princess'. It's a double tulip instead of the usual single petals that most tulips has - double tulips has many layers - giving the flowers great depth and fullness.   

Joining the tulips are three Scandinavian vases all white and minimal in their design. Well, what do you expect - after all they are Scandinavian!

From left to right: White ceramic vase with an abstract pattern on the sides by the Swedish artist Bertil Wallin. Next is a piece of white marble with a carved garland as decoration. I have no idea what it was used for, how old it is or where it's from. The small glass vase is also by Bertil Wallin and on the far right is a small mini version of Alvar Aalto's Savoy vase. 

Tulips will be available for many months now. Remember to give them plenty of water. They also keep growing in the vase so the arrangement will slightly change over time. 

If possible keep them in a place that is not too warm and put them somewhere cool over night - and they will last much longer.

If you can re-cut the stems and give them fresh water every 1-2 days. They will last approximately 5-10 days.

Tulips are great for a dining table as they are not too tall - people can see each other across the table. 

A colourful tulip arrangement will work in almost every room in the house - just think about tying in the colours of the flowers with colours already in the room.

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral Wednesday!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'. I will be back later in the week. Hope to see you then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right and an email will come right into your inbox.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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Creative with Flowers - # 4 - Caramba Tulips

Today on 'Creative with Flowers' we are taking a look at how you can use the same simple bunch of tulips and use them in a few different ways.

The tulip I have used is called - if you call it by its proper botanical name, Tulipa 'Caramba' - which I think is a wonderful name.

I have picked up the pink colour in the tulips and added a few pink props such as a striped fabric, some bright pink raffia, a saucer with pink flowers and pink labels.

The first arrangement has a grandmother feel to it. The embroidery pair of scissors belonged to my grandmother and so did the mother-of-pearl buttons in the little vintage glass jar. The glasses belonged to my grandfather.

For this arrangement I have used a white jar from Gustafsberg in Sweden and its dated 1898 - so again around the time my grandmother was born. 

I have kept the stems as long as possible and I have only removed any broken or damaged leaves. It's quite nice when you can keep lots of fresh crisp tulip leaves. It adds a lot of visual variation and interest to the arrangement.  

The pink on the petals looks like someone has taken a paint brush - dipped it in paint and just made little brushstrokes on each petal.

The next arrangement is really a bouquet to give to a friend. I wanted to show that you just have to add little details - like the colour coordinated raffia and label makes the flowers look special. Quick, easy and simple! 

For the last arrangement I have used one of my favourite vases - a white mini Alvar Aalto Savoy vase. By now you probably say "Oh no, not again!"

I have cut the the stems very short - so that they sit just above the edge of the vase. Vary the height a little bit to give some variation.

In the background you can see a second very small pink vase with the same tulips - just to accompany the lager vase. 

It's the same bunch of tulips that I have used throughout - just showing how you can use them in different ways.

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a wonderful floral Wednesday!

I'll see you on Friday with another FLOWERS from Titti and I - with some floral inspiration for Easter.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

For more floral inspiration follow me on:

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Creative Ways with Flowers - # 2 - Colourful Tulips, Ranunculus and Anemones

I love colour - well, almost all colours - I particularly like all the pinks and purples and the blues and lilacs. I often keep a very tight colour palette - that I find easier to work with and I still find it a challenge to combine strong colours from different ends of the spectrum.    

Here I have worked on combining some deep purple and bright orange double tulips - with bright orange ranunculus as well as some extremely dark anemones - they are so dark they look almost black.

All the flowers have interesting textures and colour variation in the petals. I like the fluffy foliage on the anemones and the little green pointy tips of the tulip leaves. It all helps to give a lot of interest to the arrangement.

I have cut the stems very short. All the flowers sit just above the edge of the vase - giving it a low and compact shape - perfect for a dining table, coffee table or side table.

I have used my old favourite vase - the Savoy vase designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. This one is a mini one just 10 cm tall - but perfect for small, short and sweet little flower arrangements. 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a lovely floral Wednesday!

Me and Titti from HWIT BLOGG will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS - all about early white spring flowers for your table.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~

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

For more floral inspiration follow me on:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Florets - Floral Quote - # 97 - by Jane Packer

"Ever-graceful and hugely versatile, tulips are cultivated in a rich variety of colours, shapes and sizes. More unusual examples include ornate parrot tulips with serrated edges, and double blooms with extra layers of petals. When using tulips in formal arrangements, be aware that once placed in water, all varieties will grow about 5 cm (2 in), and the heads will incline toward the light. Always look for a strong, firm leaf as a sign of quality."

~ Jane Packer ~ 

[Jane Packer: (1959-2011) British florist and founder of Jane Packer Flowers and flower school and author of thirteen books.]

[Quote from: Fast Flowers by Jane Packer (1998).]

[Flowers: Pink, green and white parrot tulips with white edged leaves.] 

[Vase: Mini Alvar Aalto white Savoy vase.]

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

Have a fabulous floral Sunday!

I'll see you again next week.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

You can also find me on:

Pinterest:   https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Florets - Floral Quote - # 94 - by Jane Packer

"Vibrant, clashing colours - scarlets, vermilion, crimson, shocking pinks, sapphire blues, sherbet oranges, acid yellows ans lime greens - capture the spirit of city life. Whether you use them in harmonizing shades of a single colour or in startling, breathtaking combinations, flowers in the city should always look strong and contemporary. You can use flowers to create many moods - elegant, chic, ethnic, exotic, serene or sophisticated - all to enhance their surroundings. Use them to bring out the colours in a nearby painting or to complement a collection of objects. Flowers particularly suited to metropolitan living have strong shapes and definite personalities - tulips (Tulipa), roses (Rosa), ranunculus (Ranunculus), gerbera (Gerbera), amaryllis (Hippeastrum and orchids (Cymbidium) all fit the bill."

~ Jane Packer ~

[Jane Packer: (1959-2011) British florist and founder of Jane Packer Flowers and flower school and author of thirteen books.]

[Quote from: Living with Flowers by Jane Packer (1997).]

[Flowers: Deep pink hydrangea and tulips.] 

[Vase: Alvar Aalto white Savoy vase.]

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

Have a fabulous floral Sunday!

I'll see you again next week.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

You can also find me on:

Pinterest:   https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Tiny Blooms - # 21 - Holly and Rose Hips

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!

I have used some glossy very dark green holly foliage and to that added branches of small red rose hips. They both come as quite tall branches and I have simply cut them down to about 10-20 cm short stems.

Cut the stems at different lengths to give the little arrangement some movement and interest.  

The vase I'm using is my old stand by - the mini version of Alvar Aalto's Savoy vase in white. It was designed in 1937 and is still being made and sold by Iittala in Finland. But any jar or bottle would be perfect.

Instead of just one make a whole lot of them and arrange them down the middle of the Christmas table.

This quick and easy arrangement would not take long to do - so another great one for the holiday!

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

I'll be back later in the week with more floral delights from 

Of Spring and Summer.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~

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

You can also find me on:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson