Florets - Floral Quote - #162 - by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner

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

All the authors have written one or several books about flowers, green plants, 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 and plants.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" By the end of the eighties, house plants started to disappear from our homes, simply because they were outdated, no longer in sync with modern trends. Our lives got busier all the time. We no longer made time to care for our indoor plants. This custom is now returning, because we are gradually remembering to value slow-paced lives and experience nature.

We are surrounding ourselves with plants again, creating our own retreat and oasis. This makes us happy."

~  Irene Schampaert and Judith Baeher  ~

[Irene Schampaert: Editor, graphic designer, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Judith Baeher: Freelance editor, stylist, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Quote from: Wonder Plants (2016) by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner. Published by Lannoo]

[Cover image: Serge Anton.]

[Flowers: Ferns.]

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 156 - by Sophie Lee, geo-fleur

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

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

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

"Houseplants are good for your health: they release oxygen into your home, control humidity and purify the air. An indoor garden can be your sanctuary from the outside world, and for many people it is a source of great joy. Whether you live in a small apartment, or a large country house, by introducing certain plants into your home, you will start to notice improvements to your health, and overall happiness." 

~ Sophie Lee ~  

[Sophie Lee: British, stylists, founder of botanical styling company geo-fleur and author of Living with Plants, a book about houseplants and a guide to indoor gardening.]

[Quote from: Living with Plants, by Sophie Lee from geo fleur. Published by Hardie Grant Books.]

[Houseplant: Calathea.]

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 155 - by Ivy Muse

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

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

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" Styling with plants is not a science. There is no single rule - other than keeping them alive, of course! Learn what works for you, understand the conditions of the spaces in your home and if something doesn't look right, move it. It's all about having fun and creating something beautiful. Like most things in life, with a little practice and know-how, you'll be styling your plants like a professional in no time. All you need is a few handy tips and tricks. Don't be afraid. Trust us."

~ Alana Langan and Jacqui Vidal ~ 

[Alana Langan and Jacqui Vidal: Australian, stylists, founders of Ivy Muse, a botanical wares studio and author of Plant Style, a book about how to style your home with houseplants.]

[Quote from: Plant Style by Alana Langan and Jacqui Vidal, 2017, published by Thames and Hudson.]

[Green Houseplant: Ferns.]

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 153 - by Selina Lake

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some 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 most important is that they are all passionate about flowers and plants.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.  

"Walk into a home filled with houseplants and you are bound to feel instantly more relaxed. Living plants clean the air, boost the oxygen levels and enhance any room they are in by lending it a fresh, organic style. After a gradual decline in popularity since their heyday in the 1970s, when plants where the must-have home accessory, the trend for houseplants has been revived and is steadily growing in fashionable circles."

~ Selina Lake ~

[Selina Lake: British, freelance interior stylist and author of seven books on home and garden.]

[Quote from: Botanical Style by Selina Lake, 2016, published by Ryland Peters & Small.]

[Green Houseplant: Ferns.]

[Container: Terracotta pot.]

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

Houseplant of the Month - Alocasia - A Tropical Superstar

Houseplants and botanicals are very trendy and has become more and more important to a lot of people. Creating space for green plants in in your home is beneficial in several ways. 

How do you start building a collection of houseplants? What should you buy if you don't know anything about the plants or how to look after them?

Read on and I will pass on some inspirational tips. 

I grew up with a grandmother, mother, aunts and other relatives and friends who had houseplants on window sills, tables and on little plant stands in the corners. 

One relative would proudly tell anybody who wanted to listen that she had 100 houseplants. That was not very popular with the person that was asked to look after her plants when she went on holiday! 

Obviously over the years I learned a lot about how to look after houseplants and had a few myself. 

Later on when I started traveling and lived in different countries - having houseplants was out of the question. When we started having children - houseplants was not really on the agenda.

Very few houseplants from then on found their way into our house. A few plants given as gifts quickly died but others did survive. I have one that is still going after 25 years!

If you follow me on Instagram you'll might have noticed that more and more of my images has been of houseplants. Well, I will admit that quite a few new plants has found their way into our home lately..........! 

The houseplants you can buy today, many are quite different, compared with those early days back in Sweden. But even back then we all had big Monstera and rubber plants. 

Every month The Flower Council of Holland feature a different houseplant with details about the plant such as origin, different species and cultivars. You'll also find lots of advice on how to look after the plants.



They also feature lots of images showing how to display the plants in your home.

From this month, September 2017 till December, West Elm London store in Tottenham Court Road will display a different houseplant in their windows. 

This month it's Alocasia, in October it will be a selection of Green Plants, in November it will be Cyclamen and in December the plant will be Amaryllis.

Start with one or two plants and see how you get on. Before buying any figure out where you are going to put them. Plants need light, water, air and the right temperature as well as feeding during the growing season.

The trick is to find the perfect place with the perfect light level and temperature for each plant. Then the next trick is to give it the right amount of water - more houseplants are killed by overwatering than underwatering.

Embrace the green trend and above all enjoy! 

Images: The Flower Council of Holland  
  

Floral Media - Houseplant of the Month - Peace Lily

Houseplant of the Month the month of June is the Peace Lily.

Every month the Flower Council of Holland in collaboration with people from the horticultural sector chooses a plant that does well as a houseplant and is well liked by the public.

Here are some facts about the Peace Lily:

• The Peace Lily comes from the rainforests in South America.
• It loves a damp, moist atmosphere .
• The Peace Lily comes in different sizes - from mini to extra-large.

• The Peace Lily doesn't like a dry atmosphere - brown points on the leaves means the air is too dry.
• The Peace Lily grows happily in a bathroom.
• Keep the Peace Lily outside in a sheltered out of the sun position during the summer. 

• The white spathes are not the flowers, the flowers of the Peace Lily are tiny and are found on the pointed spadix.
• Peace Lilies represents peace - the white flower is the symbol of the white flag.
• It's a plant that is known for its air purifying characteristic.

• Keep the plant in a light position but not in direct sunlight.
• It likes regular lukewarm water with added plant food during the growing season.
• Don't let the root ball dry out.
• Regularly spray the leaves with lukewarm water. 

• Remove any dead flowers.
• Leave the plant to rest during the winter in a cool but light position and it will flower year after year.

Here is a fun little video showing how to make a living wall using Peace Lilies.

Here are two links to The Joy of Plants - Funny How Plants Do That - the UK branch of The Flower Council of Holland.

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Have a Happy Floral Monday!

I will see you later in the week.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Images provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

Floral Media - Houseplant of the Month - Hibiscus

It's May and it's time to feature another house plant!

The Flower Council of Holland do a campaign that they call 'Houseplant of the Month' - where they every month will highlighting a particular plant.

In the month of May they are featuring Hibiscus as Houseplant of the Month. 

Indoor plants are popular again and green plants are featured more and more in interior magazines and on blogs.

Urban Jungle Bloggers are very much on target with this trend where Igor Josif and Judith de Graaff are doing a great job promoting and encouraging more green plants in the home.

The Flower Council of Holland is an organisation that promotes plants and flowers.

 

A link to more good stuff about flowers and plants on Flower Council of Holland.

Here are two links to The Joy of Plants - the UK branch of The Flower Council of Holland - Funny How Plants Do That.

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Have a Happy Floral Monday!

I will see you later in the week.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Images provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

Floral Media - # 19 - Floral Links

Link to Linda Lomelino's blog - one of my favourite Swedish food bloggers and her amazing food photography. 

Floral and gardening trends and events in 2014 - some new and exciting things happening in the flower world this spring.

The French artist Aurore Janon gentle floral water colours are beautiful. She studied at  Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris and now lives in the North of France.

A charming farmers' market in Sydney, Australia - via Minna Mercke Schmidt and her blog Blomsterverkstad.

Indoor potted plants are becoming more and more popular Erin Boyle at Gardenista asked The Sill - to give us their ten top tips on how to look after houseplants.  

The gardener, TV presenter, author of many gardening and cook books - Sarah Raven - picks her Top Ten Dahlias. 

It was Tulip Day in Sweden on the 15 January marking the beginning of of the tulips season. Have a look at this fun little video at what happened at Malmö train station in Sweden on Tulip Day.

[Styling and photography 1. © Linda Lomelino, 2. © Aurore Janon, 3. © Minna Mercke Schmidt, 4. © The Sill.]

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

Back soon!

xoxo Ingrid