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.]


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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 21 - Zinnia

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring Zinnias.

I'm in love with these Zinnias - they are just such a riot of colours and who can be in a bad mood with flowers like this around.

Zinnias are a native of Mexico and some other South American countries. They come in a wide range of colours, including white, yellow, orange, red, purple and lilac. They are loved by butterflies and hummingbirds. A lot of gardeners find them a bit tricky to grow due to a tendency to develop mould, they also hate having their roots disturbed and it's important not to sow too early - as they like it warm. 

You'll need :

- about 25 stems of Zinnias
- a medium sized container with a large opening - I have used an old vintage zinc milk pail

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.

In the final arrangement cut the stems so that the outer flowers rest on the edge of the container - then cut the rest a bit longer to create a nice dome-shaped arrangement. I removed almost all of the leaves as I wanted just a mass of colour with no foliage showing.

I also chose a neutral container for a vase - in this case a vintage zinc milk pail from my grandmothers house in Sweden. 

There are a few different types of Zinnias - but this particular one has quilled or rolled petals and they reminded me a bit of paper flowers.  

So just for fun I added a few craft things - some colourful rolled up card, some pink tissue paper, a bead necklace, some greeting cards and a few ribbons. 

The ribbons are all from Jane Means' ribbon collection. I'm one of Jane Means Ribbon Bloggers - and we feature her ribbons in some of our blog posts.  

Have a Wonderful Floral Friday!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 10 - Alchemilla and Astrantia

'A Bunch for the Weekend' - this week is a bunch of Alchemilla mollis and Astrantia major 'Ruby Wedding'. It's the combination of the ruby coloured Astrantia against the almost acid green small frothy Alchemilla flowers - that I find have an interesting texture and colour combination. 

I'm walking in the footsteps of Christopher Lloyd and Sarah Raven here - both fans of the 'unsafe' colour combinations. Both have written books on the subject - Sarah's The Bold and Brilliant Garden and the late Christopher Lloyd's book Colour for Adventurous Gardeners are books that explores the more unusual colour combinations. 

The flowers are from my garden and I used a vintage apothecary jar as a vase. I tied a short Jane Means gingham ribbon in green and white around the top.

There are quite a few stems - 12 stems of Alchemilla and 14 of the Astrantia. I conditioned the flowers as usual by removing all lower leaves that would end up below the waterline in the vase and cutting all stems at an angle before putting them in a clean vase with fresh water preferably over night.

The unusual colours make it look really fresh and lively - perfect for a hot summers day. 

Have a Perfect Floral Friday and a Great Weekend!

See you again on Sunday for another Floral Quote.

xoxo Ingrid

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