A Bunch for the Weekend - # 87 - White Pinks, Statice and Eucalyptus

This week I'm featuring white Pinks, Statice and Eucalyptus - a lovely combination of white and purple flowers with the addition grey-green foliage.

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 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.

The bright, white Pinks are almost luminous especially in contrast with the darker purple colour of the Statice.

I would very much here like to give Cel Robertson the credit she deserves for creating this combination of flowers. She has planted and grown them on her organic flower farm in Norfolk called Forever Green Flower Company. She then combines the flowers into bouquets and sells them at farmers' markets in London and elsewhere.

All I did was to buy two bunches from her at our local farmers' market and combine them into one big bouquet. 

I also made a smaller side bouquet with the white Pinks on their own in a vintage silver plated cream jug.

I like the shape and simplicity of these scissors - but oh, my dear are they uncomfortable - if you use them a lot. They don't stay sharp however often you sharpen them and the metal  dig into your hands. I would never recommend them to be used for any frequent work with flowers. I'm just featuring them here as a prop.

I apologise for being negative and critical about a very humble pair of scissors - I'm usually not negative and critical about things I feature on my blog because I like to show things I like. 

This on the other hand is one of my favourite brands - Marimekko. I have things that I bought in Sweden as a teenager and I'm still using them - shirts, bags, cushion covers and tablecloths. Quite amazing considering that it's quite a few years ago. 

Surrounding the flowers and combining them with a few black and white props has worked well - fabrics, scissors, bowl, basket and a few pieces of jewelry.

I have used a large vintage pickling jar as a vase. These clear glass, very plain straight sided pickling jars has become one of my favourite containers to use for flowers. They just seem to go with most blooms and don't take anything away from the flowers.

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

You might wonder where I've been - I had to take a short unscheduled break last week for personal reasons - but all is well and I'm now back to my usual blogging.

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

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[All flowers and foliage from Forever Green Flower Company.]

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Creative with Flowers - # 21 - Pink Dahlias and Eucalyptus

I'm still enjoying the last few flowers with summer colours - like these pale pink Dahlias with a white and soft yellow centre. Aren't they gorgeous? 

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!

I love bringing flowers home from the farmer's markets and my local dependable flower stall - sometimes I will also venture to one of the nearby supermarkets.

My routine is always to condition the flowers as soon as I get home - even before I do anything else!

So make sure to 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.

I have used three little bottles from IKEA as my vases for the Dahlias and Eucalyptus. I found the set at a local charity store.

They have quite a narrow neck so perfect for just a few stems.

I have used one Dahlia stem and one or two stems of the Eucalyptus. That was really all that would fit into the narrow neck - but I have then repeated the same arrangement in all three vases. Keeping the three containers together as a little group works well and has more impact than just a single vase on it's own.

As my little side arrangement for a few short Eucalyptus - I used a very small preserving jar.

I have also used a few props: a small place mat from Sweden in a rag rug technique; a mini watering can with a ribbon from Jane Means' Ribbon Collection; and some Victorian iron works from a local reclamation centre. 

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer - I will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS by ingrid and titti. Hope to see you then. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Gorgeous Flowers and foliage from: Forever Green Flower Company.]
[Ribbon from: Jane Means' Ribbon Collection.]

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 - # 16 - Early Autumn Colours

Autumn is sneaking up on us - even though here in London it's still high temperatures - hotter than it's been all summer.

I bought this beautiful bouquet of flowers last week from my floral friend Cel Robertson, who owns the organic flower farm in Norfolk, called Forever Green Flower Company.

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

I found Cel's combination of flowers, foliage and grass just perfect for this time of year. Still full of 'summer' but with bits of 'autumn' sneaked in.

In the bouquet is a lovely combination of fresh white Alstroemeria, Lysimachia and Limonium or Statice as its also called. Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' has interesting dark foliage. The beautiful delicate grass Panicum virgatum adds movement and in the middle is some deep purple Verbena. 

I have added a Swedish rag rug that used to be my grandmothers and on top are some old and well read books. 

On a black Mexican plate is a collection of beads and two rolls of garden twine in similar colours to the beads.

I used some of these flowers in a different arrangement - that you can see here. 

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Friday with some more floral delights. 

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:

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

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

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

Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - # 9 - Zinnia

This time 'Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration' is all about Zinnia.

• Zinnias are native to Mexico and some other South American countries.
• They are in the Asteraceae family and resembles Asters, daisies and sunflowers.
• The Zinnia is named after the German professor in botany Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727-1759).

• They come in a vast variety of colours including hot pink, white, mustard yellow, tangerine orange, red, purple and lilac.
• There are also some varieties that has unusual muted palettes and interesting variegated colour combinations
• They are loved by butterflies and hummingbirds.

• A lot of gardeners find them a bit tricky to grow due to their tendency to develop mould. 
• They also hate having their roots disturbed and its important not to sow the seeds too early - as they like it warm.
• Zinnias are a great late summer to mid-autumn flower.

• Zinnias look fabulous in a vase just on their own. Especially the bright ones that needs nothing else.
• Here I'm featuring two different coloured Zinnias in some of the more muted colours.
• I have still used the two colours separately - but using the same vase to give some interesting colour combinations.   

The vase I've used is a vintage pewter vase - neutral in colour but still making a statement with its tall narrow shape and nice texture.

The lovely flowers are British grown by Cel Robertson on her flower farm in Norfolk called Forever Green Flower Company.

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral day!

I will be back later in the week with more floral delights from 'Of Spring and Summer'.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

You can also find me on:

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 58 - Mixed Bouquet of British Summer Flowers

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring a large mixed bouquet of British grown summer flowers.

All the flowers are from - Yes, you've guessed it! - Forever Green Flower Company. Cel has expanded her range of flowers this season and doubled her production with exiting new varieties.

And - no, she's not paying me to feature her flowers or provide me with free flowers - I just love what she does.

HOW TO:

You'll need:

- a mixed bunch of all kinds of different summer flowers - here are some of the flowers I have used - dark almost black Cornflowers, small white Gladiolus, purple Nepeta, lime-green Alchemilla mollis, bright pink Corn Cockle and white double Feverfew. 

- a very large clear glass vase or jar - in this case I have used an oversized vintage pickling jar. 

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.

Method:

I arranged this bunch straight in the vase - so I didn't use any fancy handtied or spiralled arrangements.

All the stems were quite long so I chose a container that was in proportion to the length of the stems and amount of flowers - as I wanted a tall, open arrangement that looked a little 'wild'. 

I started with the bigger flowers and then filled in with the Alchemilla mollis and the Feverfew - using them a little bit like foliage.

I feel summer is finally here with all it's delightful flowers and life feels just that little bit easier. 

Enjoy your flower arranging! 

Have a Great Floral Saturday and a Happy Weekend!

I will see you next week with a 'Flowers of the Month' - after that I'm taking the month of July off to work on our house and garden - but I will be back in August with more Do-It-Yourself flowers from 'Of Spring and Summer'.

In the meantime I would like to wish you a wonderful summer holiday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson - Of Spring and Summer]
[Flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.]

You can also find me on:

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

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Floral Tea Party

The theme for FLOWERS this week is 'Floral Tea Party' - I have created a fantasy tea party where the coffee pot pour flowers into floral cups and there are flowers instead of cake on the plates.  

The flowers I have used are two different pink Ranunculus, a pink and green tulip called 'China Town', some dark green unfurling fern fronds from my garden, white stock flowers, a white rose and Polygonatum hirtum or as they are more commonly known - Solomon's seal - which is also from my garden.

Pink and green is a colour combination I love. Ranunculus and ribbons are two other things I love.

The narrow pink stitched grosgrain ribbon is designed by Jane Means. 

I'm one of these people who doesn't even have to use the ribbon for anything. I enjoy just looking at it and I'm the same with buttons and a whole lot of other haberdashery. Yes, I know, I know - a bit funny! It was probably passed on to me from my mother and Grandmother who both had cake tins full of buttons.

  

As part of my fantasy tea party is a little light reading by the light of a vintage lantern. The books are the two novels Emma and Mansfield Park by Jane Austin.

The fabulous vintage cup has a hand painted pattern called 'Foxglove' - a beautiful but highly poisonous plant. The foxglove - Digitalis purpurea -  is a biennial plant which means that it takes two years for it to flower. But even though the wait is long its worth waiting for. They also freely self seed so you get little surprises all over your garden.  

I hope you have enjoyed my little fantasy tea party!

Titti Malmberg - my lovely Swedish based collaborator - who I work alongside on FLOWERS - has also created a new post on her blog HWIT BLOGG - so please follow the link to her blog and go over and see her interpretation on the theme. 

Have a Very Happy Floral Wednesday!

I'll see you later in the week with more flowers from 
'Of Spring and Summer'. 

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid

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

[Pink ribbon from Jane Means.]
[Ranunculus and tulips from Forever Green Flower Company.]

You can also find me on:

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

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

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 50 - Tulipa 'Orca - Orange Double Tulip

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring a bunch of spectacular bright orange double Tulipa 'Orca' from the farmers' market.

You'll need:

- 5 stems of double tulips in any bright colour - here I have used a very bright double tulip called 'Orca'.

- a medium size vase in a bright but complementary colour to the flowers

- any objects in the same colour as the flowers as well as some in the same colour as the vase 

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.

Five tulips this size is all you need - they are so big and has a great impact. There is no need to fill the whole vase - just trim them long enough to sit a bit above the edge of the vase and let them casually lean off to one side.  

I have also assembled a little collection of orange objects - two books with orange covers, a children's clothes hanger wrapped with orange silk, an orange necklace from France given to me by my daughter, my Swedish grandmother's sugar bowl from the 1930's, a Bakelite vintage button and an American Indian pot from the Zuni reservation in New Mexico.

I have made a little bit of a daring colour choice here - by combining bright orange with a light teal blue.

To me they are both bright and 'happy' colours that are great together - especially at this time of year. 

What do you think?

Have a Great Floral Saturday and a Happy Weekend!

I will see you next week with more DIY flowers from 

Of Spring and Summer.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer]
[Flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.]


You can also find me on:

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

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

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