Florets - Floral Quote - # 114 - Shane Connolly

"I can never decide if peonies are a spring finale or a precursor to summer. Perhaps it's because they appear in the flower markets long before they open in the cooler climate of the garden. Either way they gently blur the seasonal edges and I quite like that.

Luckily they look wonderful with the last tulips of spring or with the first flowers of summer. Or, and this is my favourite way, completely on their own.

There are few flowers so completely sumptuous, and quite frankly, as buxom, as a fully opened double peony. A wide range of beautiful colours gives them very different characters but these exquisite shell pink specimens are without doubt the refined, couture-clad princesses of the peony world."

~ Shane Connolly ~ 

[Shane Connolly: florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of three books - A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote from: A Year in Flowers (2012).]

[Flowers: Pink double peony.]
[Container: Vintage apothecary glass jar with lettering on side.]

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

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral Sunday!

I'm taking a little break from 'Florets' over the summer. I'll be back in the early autumn with more floral delights from Of Spring and Summer.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~

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.

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Florets - Floral Quote - # 100 - by Shane Connolly

"Nothing epitomizes spring more than blossom. I love each and every variety as it comes into its own, but perhaps nothing is quite so uplifting as watching the first piece of single blossom slowly opening at home. Then you feel that spring is really on the way even if snow is falling outside."

~ Shane Connolly ~  

[Shane Connolly: florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of three books - A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote from: A Year in Flowers (2012).]

[Flowers: Prunus branches with pink spring blossom.]

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

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral Sunday!

I will be back next week with more floral delights from Of Spring and Summer.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~

You can also find me on:

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

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

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

Arrange Your Flowers! - # 6 - 12 Favourite Flower Arranging Books

Here are 12 of my favourite flower arranging and floral styling books.

The first four are all a bit cutting edge when it comes to flower arranging - some are modern and contemporary in style others are more romantic and incorporating lots of vintage containers.


Vintage Flowers (2011) this is the London florist Vic Brotherson's first book - choosing, arranging and displaying lush arrangements in vintage containers. Vic's very funky flower shop Scarlet and Violet, based in north west London, is full of vintage vases and containers. 
Here is my book review of her book. 

Vintage Wedding Flowers (2014) also by Vic Brotherson - romantic and beautiful summer arrangements - but not just for weddings. Vic did the very romantic wedding flowers for the model Kate Moss's wedding in 2011. 

Decorate with Flowers (2014) by Holly Becker - who writes the blog Decor8 and Leslie Shewring - who writes the blog A Creative Mint - creative ideas for flowers and containers and how to place them around the home. 
Here is my book review of their book. 

Flower Power (2007) by Swedish florist Malin Hidesäter and photographer Anna Skoog - bouquets and simple arrangements. Malin now works with Blomsterfrämjandet, who promotes cut flowers and house plants in Sweden. Blomsterfrämjandet do yearly trend reports that are worth having a look at - it's in Swedish - so you will have to do a translation.

The next four are all about how to bring nature indoors and making very natural and seasonal arrangements.

A Year in Flowers (2012) by Shane Connolly - seasonal flowers arranged in very natural and unfussy ways. Shane was the Artistic Director for all the floral arrangements at the Royal Wedding in 2011 for the Duchess of Cambridge. 

Bringing Nature Home (2012) by Ngoc Minh Ngo - floral arrangements inspired by nature. Arrangements by Nicolette Camille of the Brooklyn based Little Flower School. 
Here is my book review of the book. 

The Flower Recipe Book (2013) by Alathea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo - 100 easy-to-create arrangements set out as recipes - like a cookbook. They are the founders of Studio Choo, a San Francisco based floral design studio. 
Here is my book review of their book. 

Inspire - The Art of Living with Nature (2014) by Willow Crossley - 50 projects to bring the outside in. Willow shows you how to decorate your home using flowers, foliage and foraged finds. This is Willow's second book, her first was called The Art of Handmade Living (2012). 

The last four books are more about traditional flower arranging - all written by well established florists in the UK and America. 

At Home with Flowers (2011) by Jane Packer - beautifully simple arrangements for every room in the house. Jane's last book and I think her best. 
Here is my book review of her book.

Flowers Chic and Cheap (2010) by New York florist Carlos Mota - arrangements with flowers picked from the market or backyard.

Flowers Every Day (2012) by Paula Pryke - creative ideas for simple, modern flowers for your home. Paula mixes bought flowers with flowers from her garden. 
Here is my book review of her book. 

Simple Flower Arranging (2014) by Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks - Step-by-Step Design and Techniques. Sixty stylish arrangements - bouquets, small vases and table centrepieces.Their shop Bloomsbury Flowers is in Covent Garden and they have now opened a second location in Ham Yard also in the middle of London.

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

I will be back with more 'Arrange Your Flowers!' in January - in the meantime I'll see you on Friday with another 'A Bunch for the Weekend'.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Florets - Floral Quotes - Five Favourites

Sadly it's the end of Florets - my weekly Sunday post with floral quotes - at least for know. I've been writing it for the last two years and have clocked up close to a hundred quotes.

I would like to thank all of you who so loyally have followed Florets and made many kind comments.

I wanted to show you the quotes that has been the most popular among you guys - they are by Grace Bonney, Rachel de Thame, Shane Connolly, Paula Pryke and Jane Packer. 

"Few things bring a room to life or add that last special something like a beautiful arrangement of flowers. My personal obsession with fresh flowers and potted plants led me to add two floral columns to Design*Sponge and drag several of my editors along to countless flower arranging classes so we could learn more. For some people, flower arrangements can be somewhat daunting, but they can be easy, and exiting to create." 

~ Grace Bonney ~

[Grace Bonney - American, founder of the blog Design*Sponge and author of Design*Sponge at Home.]

[Quote: from Design*Sponge at Home.]

[Foliage: Pittosporum.]

[Containers: Vintage metal milk jugs.]

[Other props: Painted wood panelling, painted wooden cubes and vintage apothecary funnel.]

The transient nature of dazzling autumn colour is a great part of its appeal. You cannot expect to capture something so beautiful and ephemeral, and the inescapable fact that it will never again appear quite the same is somehow reassuring. Seize the moment, look long and hard, commit the view to memory, take a photograph - for the resplendent scene you see today may be gone tomorrow.

~ Rachel de Thame ~ 

[Rachel de Thame - British gardener, author of three books, Gardener's World presenter and designer of the flowers for The Royal Barge at Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012.]

[Quote: from Rachel de Thame's Top 100 Star Plants.]

[Flowers: Dahlia 'Arabian Night', Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' and grapes from Vitis vinifera.]

"Watching nature and being aware of the seasons also makes flower choice so much simpler. 

After many years in the business, I am still amazed how a few stems of flowers can bring life to even the most unprepossessing space. A breath of fresh air in every sense of the word. And often it IS just a few stems that are needed.

Just a single flower can remind me of a whole garden or a few papery leaves, an autumn wood."

~  Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly - florist and event designer; he designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.] 

[Quote from A Year in Flowers by Shane Connolly.]

Flowers: One stem of purple hydrangea.]

[Vase: Vintage jar from Kew's seed bank with the original handwritten labels.]

[Other vintage props: flower painting, fabric ribbon, Victorian metal grate, bone necklaces, book, fabric covered jewellery box, 1940's belt buckle, Art Nouveau ashtray, round miniature black wooden box and kilim rug.]

"Colour is the most important element in any flower arrangement because it sets the mood of the display - the colour can be vibrant and arresting or calm and soothing. The technical skills involved in arranging flowers can be learned but I believe we are born with our own personal response to colour. The way we 'see' colour can be very different from the next person and what one person may consider to be bright and colourful, another may consider garish."

~ Paula Pryke ~

[Paula Pryke - British, London based florist, founder of Paula Pryke Flower School and author of fifteen books.]

[Quote: from Living Colour by Paula Pryke.]

[Flowers: Orange Chrysanthemums.]

[Vase: Vintage clear glass apothecary jar.]

[Other Props: Rag weaving from Anthropologie.]

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

" One of the quickest ways to make a living room feel special is to use flowers. They remind us of the natural world, the changing seasons and the planet that we live on. We often choose to accessorize with cushions, lamps or other bits and pieces, but I believe that it's flowers that truly bring a living room to life."

~ Jane Packer ~

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

[Quote from Jane Packer at Home with Flowers.]

[Flowers: purple stock flowers.]

[Vintage props: Light green Art Nouveau glass vase, French window shutters and book by Dante.]

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

Have a wonderful Floral Sunday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 77 - by Shane Connolly

"I also learnt that exuberance is not autumn's only attribute. It can be subdued, with the calm, gentle colours of fading hydrangeas; the milky white and blush pink of snowberries; the parchment shades of mushrooms or the papery browns and buffs of hornbeam and beech." 

~ Shane Connolly ~ 

[Shane Connolly: florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of three books - A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote from: A Year in Flowers.]

[Flowers: Hydrangea and pink Snowberries.]

[Vases: Swedish vintage Gustavsberg jar.]

[Vintage props: Vintage handwoven rag rug from Sweden.]

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

Have a Wonderful Floral Sunday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid 

Florets - Floral Quote - # 67 - by Shane Connolly

" I can never decide if peonies are a spring finale or a precursor to summer. Perhaps it's because they appear in the flower markets long before they open in the cooler climate of the garden. Either way they gently blur the seasonal edges and i quite like that. 

Luckily they look wonderful; with the last tulips of spring or with the first flowers of summer. Or, and this is my favourite way, completely on their own.

There are few flowers so completely sumptuous, and quite frankly, as buxom, as a fully open double peony. A wide range of beautiful colours gives them very different characters but these exquisite shell pink specimens are without doubt the refined, couture-clad princesses of the peony world."

~ Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly: florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of three books - A year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote from: A Year in Flowers.]

[Flowers: Pink Peony 'Sarah Bernhardt'.]

[Vase: Clear glass laboratory bottles.]

[Painted wooden board and marble table.]

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

Have a Wonderful Floral Sunday!

See you again next week!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote - # 51 - by Shane Connolly

"Spring, as it gathers pace, releases wave after wave of sensory delights and combines them with an innocent natural prettiness. I always try to capture that pure, unsophisticated charm when I use spring flowers and plants at home. But, above all, I relish the sense of excitement and anticipation that spring's growing bulbs and opening blossoms give me at the start of each year."

~ Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly: Florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of A year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Langauge of Flowers.]

[Quote: from A Year in Flowers by Shane Connolly.]

[Flowers: Snowdrops.]

[Vase: Vintage garden urn.]

[Vintage props: Watering can, wall plaque, garden tools and terracotta pots.]

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

Have a Great Floral Sunday!

See you back here soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote # 43 by Shane Connolly

"Cyclamen are incredibly popular winter houseplants. They deserve to be as they are so easy to grow and have a broad colour range. Large trays of flowery cyclamen plants seem irresistible, but a few lonely pots seldom look as good when you get them home. Then I discovered a new way of enjoying them: I harvest the flowers and use them for cut arrangements instead. They last very well; the plant keeps producing flowers on the windowsill out of sight; and I can have little vases to enjoy around the house. Somehow these small but intense clusters of flowers capture the enticing vibrancy of the potted version en masse."

~ Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly: Florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]
[Quote: From A Year in Flowers.]
[Flowers: White Cyclamens with some white heather in the background.]
[Container: Vintage cream coloured wash bowl.]
[Other Props: Vintage French louvre doors.]
[Styling and photography: Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Have A Wonderful Floral Day!

See you soon.

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Shane Connolly

"Watching nature and being aware of the seasons also makes flower choice so much simpler. 
After many years in the business, I am still amazed how a few stems of flowers can bring life to even the most unprepossessing space. A breath of fresh air in every sense of the word. And often it IS just a few stems that are needed.
Just a single flower can remind me of a whole garden or a few papery leaves, an autumn wood."

~  Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly - florist and event designer; he designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.] 

[Quote from A Year in Flowers by Shane Connolly.]
Flowers: One stem of purple hydrangea.]
[Vase: Vintage jar from Kew's seed bank with the original handwritten labels.]
[Other vintage props: flower painting, fabric ribbon, Victorian metal grate, bone necklaces, book, fabric covered jewellery box, 1940's belt buckle, Art Nouveau ashtray, round miniature black wooden box and kilim rug.]
[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer] 

Florets - Floral Quote by Shane Connolly

"Fact: you can never have too many containers. The containers you choose for plants or flowers are almost as important as the plants or flowers themselves. A container can emphasise peculiar natural qualities by holding the stem in a particular way; or intensify a flower's subtle hues with its own lustre. 
Containers also link the flowers to their environment and help them look like part of a particular décor. They can also help create a mood or theme for special events."

~ Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly - florist, designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal wedding in 2011 and author of A Year in Flowers.]

[Quote from A Year in Flowers.]

[Phlox in vintage clear glass jars.]

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