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.]

Floral Styling - A Simple Flower Arrangement - # 9 - Alstroemeria, Snapdragons and Scabiosa

Being able to find several flowers that has almost the same colour is sometimes not easy. I felt so lucky to find three different flowers of similar colour and loved being able to combine these dark pink flowers in an arrangement. 

You'll need:  

- 9 stems of Alstroemeria
- 12 stems of Scabiosa
- 3 stems of Antirrhinum also called Snapdragons
- light-coloured or neutral vase with a fairly wide opening
- dark-coloured plate or tray
- some black buttons and a black frame

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.

Start by trimming the Alstroemeria so that the flowers sits about 5-6 cm above the rim of the vase. Do the same to the rest of the stems - some of the flowers will naturally hang over the edge of the vase. 

Trim the Scabiosa to similar length and dot the flowers in amongst the Alstroemeria. 

Trim the snapdragons so that they sit above the rest of the other flowers - to suggest some movement and textural interest. 

I then positioned the vase on a black metal plate - a bit off-centre and added some vintage black buttons next to the arrangement.
   

All the buttons are from my mother's and grandmother's "button collections" - I think it was a way of thinking. "Never throw away a button - they might come in useful." When sorting out my grandparents old house in Sweden - I found several cake tins full of buttons. I kept a small amount - I especially like this collection of large black buttons from the 1930's, 40's and 50's in wood and early plastic materials. 

The black empty frame in the background picks up the black theme and nicely 'frames' this dark and dramatic late summer arrangement.

The flowers are grown by Cel Robertson at Forever Green Flower Company and I bought them at my local farmers market where they have a stall every Saturday morning.

Have a Lovely and Creative Day with Flowers!

~ 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.]

Florets - Floral Quote - # 72 - by Jane Packer

"Scabiosa were once my very favourite flower - I just couldn't believe the detail of each fragile flowerhead. This was back at the very beginning of my career when there wasn't as big a choice of flowers as there is now. Even now, when I see the first scabiosa of the season I can't help but smile. I am reminded of my past love for them and I always take a bunch home where I can admire them all day"

~ Jane Packer ~

[Jane Packer: (1959-2011) British florist and founder of Jane Packer Flowers and flower school, author of thirteen books.]

[Quote from: At Home with Flowers by Jane Packer.]

[Flowers: Pink Scabiosa/Pincushion flowers.]

[Vase: Swedish vintage aluminium coffee pot.]

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

I'm back from my summer break and will be posting some more lovely 'Florets' - floral quotes by florists, garden writers and other flower lovers. I hope you'll enjoy them!

Wishing You a Wonderful Floral Sunday!

xoxo Ingrid