Flowers of the Month - August/September 2015

8 August - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Hydrangea

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

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.

12 August - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Flowers in August - Pink Dahlia 

26 August - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Late Summer Colours - Hydrangea

18 September - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Autumn Dreams - Dahlia

20 September - Florets - Floral Quote by The Flower Appreciation Society - Pink and White Dahlia

21 September - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Chrysanthemums

23 September - Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - # 8 - Zinnia

25 September - A Bunch for the Weekend - # 59 - Ornamental Cabbage

27 September - Florets - Floral Quote by Lotta Jansdotter - Alchemilla mollis and Agapanthus

28 September - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Alstroemeria

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

Have a Great Floral Day!

I will be back again at the end of October with another 'Flowers of the Month'. Before that Titti and I will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson - Of Spring and Summer.]
[Images of 1, 6 and 10 are provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

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Flowers of the Month - September 2014

This is the second month I'm featuring 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm highlighting all the different flowers I have used during the month of September.

Here is a link to the month of August flowers.

The name of the flower - under the image - is also a link to the post where I featured the flower.

Gladiolus

Callistephus

Alostroemeria, Scabiosa and Snapdragons

Zinnia

Feverfew/Tanacetum

Hydrangea

Ornamental Cabbage

Dahlia

Hydrangea and Snowberries

Chrysanthemum

Aster

I hope you have enjoyed the month of September in all its floral glory!

Have a wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 22 - Pink and Yellow Dahlia

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some stunning pink and yellow Dahlias. Here in the UK Dahlias are still going strong - so yet again some more of this extraordinary flower.  

You'll need:

- nine stems of Dahlia

- a vase or some kind or container that matches the colour of the Dahlias

- 10-12 strands of raffia to tie around the vase

- two decorative plates that matches or picks up the colour in the flowers and the vase. It's good if one is bigger than the other, so you can see the decoration on both plates

As always - condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. In this case I removed all the leaves as I didn't want any green showing. 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.

Twist the lengths of raffia loosely and tie them around the top of the vase. In this case a vintage pink jug. I looped it through the handle and made two simple knots - leaving the ends quite long to casually trail down the sides and onto the plates and table. I just like the simple and casual look. 

Cut the stems long enough for the shortest to rest on the edge of the container - then cut the rest in the middle a bit longer to form a round dome-shaped arrangement. The flower heads should sit just next to each other - quite closely together - but you should be able to see each individual flower head.

Finally - put the vase on the two plates and you have a pretty and romantic arrangement - for your table. 

Just for fun I have thrown in some vintage wooden spools of cotton - I love the worn old labels and that some are empty and others still have some of the old cotton tread left on the spool. 

In the background I arranged some of my favourite wicker baskets - in three different sizes - adding to the romantic country look.

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Flowers of the Month - August 2014

Here is another new series of blog posts - called 'Flowers of the Month'. I thought it would be nice to highlight all the flowers that I have used during the previous month. So at the end of every month I will do a post featuring that month's flowers.

It's quite nice to be able to see what each month and season has had on offer and if you are interested in reading some more about the flowers each flower name is a link to the post. Enjoy!   

Hydrangea

Echinops

Scabiosa

Sunflowers and Assorted Vegetables

Agapanthus Seed Pods

Alstroemeria

Dahlia, Helenium and Alchemilla mollis

Red and Orange Dahlia

Pink Dahlia and Alchemilla mollis

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid 

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 19 - Red and Orange Dahlia

There are so many wonderful Dahlias around at the moment - so this will be a week of Dahlias. It's that time of year and I'm not complaining - I love Dahlias. I wished they would last longer in the vase - but you cant't have everything.

So here we go again with some more - so on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' this week I'm featuring some striking red and orange Dahlias.

I chose a clear glass container to use as a vase. It's a vintage pickling jar that I bought at a 'loppis' in Sweden for not a lot of money. 'Loppis is the Swedish equivalent to flea-market or car-boot sale.

I love the dark colour of the stems on these Dahlias - they are such an interesting contrast to the red and orange. And I also love how you can see the stems criss-crossing through the clear glass - making a pattern all on their own. 

I find that you often never know if a Dahlia bud is going to open up or not. The tighter the bud the less likely it is to open up and develop into a flower. Sometimes they open just a little bit - like the ones in the picture - it's all very unpredictable. But mostly you'll get the advice that once cut the Dahlia buds will not open.

Buds are decorative in their own right and there is no need to discard them completely. It all depends what look you are after. A mass of just big Dahlia heads of flowers or an arrangement dotted with buds - breaking up the sea of colour. Buds or no buds - both are worth trying.

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.

Have a Wonderful Floral Friday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid 

Flowers from the Flower Market - # 5 - Dahlia and Helenium

This week on 'Flowers from the Flower Market' - I'm featuring some spectacular looking Dahlias. In the bunch are also Heleniums and Alchemilla mollis flowers.

Dahlias are such an amazing cut flower - they might not last that long but while they are at their best - they are spectacular.

I found these stunning Dahlias at my local farmer's market - at my favourite flower stall - Forever Green Flower Company. An organic flower farm run by the lovely Cel Robertson and her husband Robert.  

What is interesting about these Dahlias is the combination of speckles and lines on the yellow petals. 

As a background to the Dahlias are a whole bunch of Heleniums. A great cut flower and loved by bees and other insects.The dark copper red colour of the Heleniums are picked up in the speckles and lines on the Dahlias. 

Around the edges are some Alchemilla mollis flowers - added as a little finishing touch of frothy green.

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 cool water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement.

Arrange the big Dahlia flower heads at slightly different heights in the front - with the shortest one just above the edge of the vase. Arrange the darker Heleniums as a background and the Alchemilla at either side along the edges.

I have used a very neutral vase - a chunky off-white vase from the 1930's and as a background a vintage grain sack from my grandfathers old country store in Sweden.

A lovely combination of late summer flowers that would look great anywhere in the house.   

Have an Amazing Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid