Flowers of the Month - April 2015

1 March - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Happy Easter! 

It's the end of April and I'm back with 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm featuring all the different flowers and floral arrangements I have posted during April.

The title of the post under the image - is also a link to the post - if you would like to see it again or you missed it.

4 March - A Bunch for the Weekend - Bright Yellow Daffodils

6 March - Take 3 Flowers! - Tulips, Freesia and Eucalyptus

8 March - Floral Media - Houseplant of the Month - Ivy

11 March - A Bunch for the Weekend - Parrot Tulips, Lisianthus and Bear Grass

13 March - Tiny Blooms - Double Daffodils - Narcissus 'Double Ducat'

15 March - DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - Tulips

18 March - A Bunch for the Weekend - Pink Tulips and Ruscus

20 March - DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - Muscari and Myosotis

22 March - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - All on a Plate

25 March - A Bunch for the Weekend - Mixed Ranunculus

27 March - Tiny Blooms - Stock Flowers

28 March - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Gerbera

I hope you have enjoyed all the flower arrangements from the last month as much as I have enjoyed created them. 

Have a Wonderful Floral Thursday!

See you later in the week. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Images of Ivy and Gerbera provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 46 - Bright Yellow Daffodils

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring three different daffodils. Their botanical or Latin name are Narcissus.

The three are: 

- the small Narcissus with an orange middle is called 'Golden Dawn' 

- the single daffodil with the ruffled cup is called 'Carlton' 

- the large double daffodil is called 'Golden Ducat'.

They are all from the organic flower farm Forever Green Flower Company - so all British grown. 

You'll need:

- about 25 stems of daffodils, here I have used 9 'Golden Dawn', 9 'Carlton' and 7 'Golden Ducat' 

- a medium sized clear glass containers - I have used a clear glass apothecary jar

- three shimmering mini glass bud vases in gold, silver and green

- five little toy "spring lambs"

- a small piece of fabric - green with cream dots

- ribbon, a light yellow grosgrain stitched ribbon from Jane Means, to tie around the neck of the container

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.

Arrange the flowers in your hand - making a round dome-shaped bouquet - mix the flowers so that you have an even spread of the three different sized flowers throughout the arrangement.

Before you make the final cut - put the container at the edge of the work surface and hold the arrangement next to it to measure where to cut. You want the lower flowers to sit just above the edge of the container.

This arrangement is as bright as they come and really show that spring is here to stay. I certainly welcome bright yellow daffodils at this time of year - but maybe not so much yellow the rest of the year. What about you - is yellow a colour you use all year around? 

Have a Happy Floral Saturday and 

Enjoy Your Easter Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

[Ribbon by Jane Means.]

[Flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.] 

Florets - Floral Quote # 53 - by Mandy Kirkby

"The daffodil has grown in Britain in the wild since the sixteenth century, once colouring fields and meadows in great drifts and gradually creeping into cottage gardens. To the Victorians, the daffodil was a flower of the countryside, simple and natural, and had a great deal of folklore associated with it, as well as a host of jolly country names such as 'Butter and Eggs', a reference to the flower's two-toned bright yellow colouring. Children welcomed the daffodil and the new season it proclaimed by singing:

            

'Daffadowndilly has come to town

In a yellow petticoat and a red gown'." 

~ Mandy Kirkby ~

[Mandy Kirkby: British, editor, flower enthusiast and author of Love Letters of the Great War and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote: From The Language of Flowers.]

[Flowers: Bright yellow daffodils/ Narcissus.]

[Vase/container: Vintage white and blue enamelled jug.]

[Other props: Grey shawl, painted wooden board and grey and white ribbon from Jane Means ribbon collection.]

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

Have a wonderful Floral Sunday!

See you soon!

xoxo Ingrid

FLOWERS by ingrid & titti - Spring Bulbs

The theme this week on FLOWERS is Spring Bulbs - as many of them are starting to appear both in the garden and in the shops.

They are also one of the most welcoming signs that spring is finally on its way. 

Titti and I decide on a theme a few weeks in advance so its not always easy to predict what is going to be available and in flower. We like to go with the seasons and right now most bulbs are still in tight bud - they are still beautiful but not as colourful as I wanted them to be. 

I did find some daffodils in flower - its the little mini one called Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête' - which is one of my favourite daffodils. I love it because of its small size and the fact that it often has two flowers on the same stem. It's also one of the earliest to flower in the spring.

I replanted them in a zinc planter and covered the soil and most of the bulbs with moss just to give it a neat finish. The moss I had was leftover from Christmas - still nice and green - probably because I have kept it outside in the cold. 

I also decorated the planter with some washi tape around the top edge. 

A vintage paperback book of French poems from the charity store and my Grandfathers glasses is a nice contrast to the bright yellow little daffodils.

With my second arrangement I have to admit that I cheated. The white hyacinths are not planted in the basket - instead I bought them as cut flowers and I put them in a high and wide container. The container is well hidden in the basket and as a little decoration I added a pretty ribbon on the side and a fabric in the same colour.

When you buy hyacinths as cut flowers today at the flower market, supermarket or florist they often come with part of the bulb still attached. Try not to cut or trim the ends of the hyacinths - leaving the base of the bulb intact greatly prolongs the life of the flowers.

When you leave part of the bulb on the flower they naturally will take up a lot more space in the vase. So its not going to work if you intend to make an arrangement in a narrow necked vase - in that case you need to trim the bottom of the stems. 

The height of the vase or container will also be important to consider when you are not trimming the end of the stems. They are both top and bottom heavy - so its necessary to use a vase with high sides for support. 

Here is a link to Titti's blog - HWIT BLOGG - so you can go over and see what she has done with her Spring Bulbs.

And you can also find our previous FLOWERS - here, here, here and here.

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[Ribbon from Jane Means' ribbon collection.]

[Fabric from Sarah Hardaker's fabric collection.]

[Vintage props from 'My Prop Cupboard'.]

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

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Have a Great Floral Day!

Back soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote - # 49 - by Malin Hidesäter

"I couldn't agree with anyone who doesn't like yellow. No other colour brings out the desire in me to go out and buy flowers. Just think of daffodils! Those long green stalks lying in boxes in the grocery store in the spring are like ugly ducklings.They may not look like much until they brilliantly transform into beautiful sun-yellow trumpets."

~ Malin Hidesäter ~

[Malin Hidesäter: Swedish florist, flower expert, TV presenter and author of Flower Power.]

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

[Flowers: Yellow daffodils.]

[Vase: Glass votive candle holders used as vases.]

[Other props: Fabric, stretched small painted canvases and bakers' twine.]

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

Have a Lovely Floral Sunday!

See you soon again!

xoxo Ingrid