Creative with Flowers - # 13 - Pink and White Flowers

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!

Seven different flowers in seven different clear glass containers. The pink flowers are peonies, sweet peas, spray roses, Gladiolus italicus and Astrantia. The white flowers are stock and Gypsophila.

All the containers are vintage laboratory glass containers in different shapes and sizes.  

I have grouped them together on a tabletop and added a few black props - a Jane Packer apron, two small bowls and two little boxes with postcards from the Design Museum in London. 

Flower arranging does not have to be done in one vase or you don't even have to mix any flowers. Choose a few different flowers within the same colour range, pick out containers that are similar in some way and put one type of flower in each container. 

Group them together on a table or sideboard and you end up with an interesting mix of colours, shapes, heights and textures, it will give visual variation and at the same time have a great impact.  

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I'm now taking a break from blogging to enjoy some time with family and friends. I will see you again in August.

Have a wonderful summer - enjoy the warmer weather and go out and smell the flowers! 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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Florets - Floral Quote by Erin Benzakein

" Big pieces, such as urns and large vases, go quite fast. I love dramatic statement pieces, and I think my excitement speeds things up," she says. 
"Centrepieces or low arrangements often take a bit of time, since securing all the elements in a 'pin frog' can be a bit tricky." In line with her sensual spirit, Erin also has an unusual predilection: "I love weaving edibles - cherry tomatoes, strawberries, baby apples, raspberries, bush beans, herbs, carrots - into bouquets, as well as airy elements so that the slightest breeze can catch a component." To get started, this ambitious achiever's advice is simple: "Just skip your latte once a week and buy a posy of sweet peas instead!"

~ Erin Benzakein ~ 

[Erin Benzakein: American, florist, farmer florist, photographer, author, teacher, entrepreneur, award winner of the 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Award for Floral and Event Design and founder of Floret Flower Farm in Washington State, USA.]

[Quote from: Floral Contemporary by Olivier Dupon, 2014.]

[Flowers: Mixed bouquet with pink roses, Gypsophila and Gladiolus.]

[Vase: Vintage apothecary clear glass jar.]

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

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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.]

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FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Happy Midsummer!

It's the longest day of the year and Titti and I would like to wish you all a Happy Midsummer!

This is a summer bouquet with all British flowers and they are all grown by the lovely Cel Robertson on her flower farm Forever Green Flower Company in Norfolk. 

I met Cel at my local farmers' market and I buy her beautiful flowers almost every week from her stall in North West London.

It's a simple mix of summer flowers put together to look like its just picked from a country garden.

Around the neck of a plain glass vase I have tied a handful of raffia as a simple decoration to go with the country theme. 

It has a combination of blue Cornflowers, large Daisies, pink Gladiolus italicus, grasses with lovely seed-heads and lime green Alchemilla mollis. 

A perfect combination to celebrate the longest day of the year and Midsummer!

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

Titti and I are taking a break over the summer and we will be back with more FLOWERS in August. 

Have a Very Happy Midsummer!

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

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid

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

[Flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.]

You can also find me on:

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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 - # 20 - Gladiolus

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some Gladiolus in an amazing light green colour. 

It's a flower that I will forever associate with the Australian comedian Berry Humphries and his alter ego Dame Edna Everage. The Gladiolus was the character Edna's favourite flower and she would bring out big bunches on stage and during the finale throw the flowers into the audience. 

Gladiolus was for many years not a flower that I would ever buy. I associated it too much with being old-fashioned and for a long time it was hard to find. I'm now glad to see that it has made a comeback. 

I found these lime green beauties at my local farmers market. I made two arrangements - one large in a vintage zinc container and a very small one in a little contemporary Danish vase.  

It's such a wonderful structural flower - tall and slender so perfect for an arrangement in a tall vase. But I also wanted to see how it would work cut down and used with a very short stem.

You'll need - for the large arrangement:

- 7 stems of Gladiolus

- a tall container with a not too wide opening

You'll need - for the small arrangement:

- 1 stem of Gladiolus - cut down so that only 3-4 flowers remain

- small vase with straight sides

- small pebbles

As always - condition the flowers by removing any unwanted leaves - 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 for a few hours before making the final arrangement.

In the large arrangement - cut the stems so that the flowers sit just a short distance above the edge of the vase - showing a little bit of stem. I then simply arranged all the stems to just lean to one side of the container. It makes it all look a little bit less formal.

For the small arrangement start by trimming the stem so you only have a few of the top flowers left on the stem. Cut it so that the bottom flower sits just above the edge of the vase. You might also need to put a few little pebbles in the bottom of the vase to support the flower stem to stand straight. 

The little black vase is Danish and is called Lyngby Vase by Hilfling Design.

Gladiolus are available to buy during the summer and autumn. To be sure the flowers are fresh the leaves should be crisp. You also sometimes are given the advise to remove the tips of the flowers to stimulate the buds further down the stem - because the top buds often never open. 

Have a Wonderful Floral Friday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Florets - Floral Quote by Vic Brotherson

When I first started out, I used to dream of having a cupboard full of vases, jugs, bottles and pots to display my flowers. Now I am lucky enough to have a shop stuffed from floor to ceiling with every conceivable shape and size of container; and yet there are still days when we need one just a bit wider or lower. My advice would be to keep as many different styles of container as possible, then your choice will be easier. My personal style is for the vintage, classic shapes of container with traditional lines that really allow the flowers to work their magic.

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Vic Brotherson - florist and founder of her London flower shop Scarlet and Violet, author of Vintage Flowers.]

[Quote from Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]

[Flowers: Purple and pink Gladioli.

[Vintage Props: White china apothecary jar, lavender metal cake tin.]

[Other Props: Purple scarf, tissue paper and necklace.]

[Styling and Photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and summer.]