A Bunch for the Weekend - # 102 - Rustic Country

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring pink waxflowers, purple Limonium with some good old parrot tulips that you might recognise.  

Here is a little "statement" that I add - to briefly explaining my thinking behind these particular posts:

"It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for the Weekend, I will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will last longer and they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible."

After conditioning the flowers let them rest for a few hours or overnight just to give them time to absorb as much water as possible. If you are able to keep them in a cool place even better.

I have covered the table with a length of hessian fabric - leaving the cut edges 'raw' to give that overall feel of rustic country.

The two rustic terracotta jars are from Turkey. I bought them from a shop selling terracotta pots in all shapes and sizes right around the corner from my house. The shop was closing down and selling everything very cheap.

One has handles and the other one is a bit shorter and rounder and they are both perfect for flower arrangements. 

I bought the little green watering can at Chelsea Flower Show last year - but had not tried to use it for flowers yet. I put it under the tap to fill it with water and instead of filling up it started within seconds to leaking like a sieve. It just made me laugh as it was totally unexpected.  

The Limonium and the waxflowers are usually used as fillers for mixed flower arrangements. I thought they looked lovely together and mixed two bunches of each in the tall terracotta jar.

Filler flowers are usually sold for a lower price so perfect if you are on a budget. Lots of flowers and lots of colour for very little money. A perfect combination and a win, win situation!

Here is another image of the notorious watering can!

The deep pink parrot tulips I had used before in a previous blog post. They lasted for ages and I decided to use them again for this post. 

Here I simply swapped the container and put them instead in a matching terracotta jar. They looked perfect sitting in the background  of my 'Rustic Country' scene.

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Sunday morning with another 'Florets - a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you back here then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Flowers: Rich pink parrot tulips, purple Limonium and pink waxflowers.]
[Vase/Container: Vintage rustic terracotta jars.]

*****

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3 Simple Ways to Arrange a Bunch of Hyacinths

Today I like to feature three ways of arranging the same small bunch of hyacinths by simply using three different containers.

In the first arrangement I have used a vintage blue and white floral patterned jug. It's a great colour contrast with the purple-pink flowers. I also played around by adding some additional floral china plates and platters - not just for fun but also to add colour and give the whole arrangement some more impact.

In the second arrangement I have used a terracotta jug that my son brought back from Cyprus for me as a present.

The handmade shape and texture to the jug is such an interesting contrast to the little pretty individual flowers and all the black jars gives it all a sophisticated feel and tone.

In the last arrangement I have used a vase that I picked up in one of my local charity stores - it's pale grey with faint white stripes. The vase is also much smaller so I could only use three of the ten hyacinth stems.

Unlike the first two arrangements this one is pale and soft in colour and feel. I like how the addition of the darker grey in the fabric gives the arrangement a warmer feel.

I'm hoping you have enjoyed my three different ways of arranging a bunch of hyacinths.

Have a fabulous floral Saturday!

I'll see you again next week.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

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Take 3 Flowers! - # 1 - Chrysanthemums x 2 and Soft Ruscus Foliage

I'm starting a new series of blog posts called 'Take 3 Flowers' - I will show you how to make easy but beautiful and stylish flower arrangements - just using three different flowers. Sometimes one of the three will be some kind of foliage.

Using just three flowers will sometimes be a challenge - but it will also keep the cost down. Cut flowers can be expensive and foliage on the other hand tends to be cheep. You can use lots of it to help fill out the arrangement and to provide support for the other flowers. If you have a garden or access to one you can probably find some foliage to use from there.

In this first one - I'm using two different Chrysanthemums - they are both what's called 'spray' - that means that towards the top are several smaller stems with one flower on each stem. 

The light orange one has single daisy type flowers with a lighter centre. 

The other one has a light maroon colour and picks up the lighter colour on the back of its petals.

The green foliage that I've used is called soft Ruscus. Used a lot by florists and quite easy to find. But really any small- leaved green foliage would do. 

If you are in luck the Ruscus might have some of its bright orange berries - as an extra little bonus. 

You'll need: 

- 10 stems of Chrysanthemums in two different colours

- 5 stems of soft Ruscus or similar green foliage

- a fairly large vase or container - in this case I have used a large vintage terracotta jar

- a small vase or container - in this case an old small brown glass milk bottle

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

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.

Sorry, about always repeating this last bit - but it's probably the most important thing you can do to make your flowers last longer! So I'm afraid you have to put up with me always going on about it.

Start with the foliage and place it all around the edge of the vase. Then add the two different flowers - shorter around the edges and a bit longer in the middle - to make a soft domed shape. You don't want it too even - it looks more natural when the flowers are different heights. But this will probably happen naturally as the flowers are at different heights on the spray stems.

Make up a small arrangement with all the little off-cuts in the second little vase. 

I love all these orange, maroon and terracotta colours especially at this time of year. I have also played around with placing the arrangement next to a 1930's Lloyd Loom chair in similar colour - that has an ethnic weaving hanging over the back of it. I also found a small bowl and some beads in the same orange and maroon colours. 

I hope you will enjoy my new 'Take 3 Flowers' series - I'm looking forward to the challenge and it will be lots of fun! 

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

See you later in the week!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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