Florets - Floral Quote - # 141 - by Vic Brotherson

'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 the most important is that they are all passionate about flowers.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both helpful and useful for everybody who is arranging and styling flowers.

" A collection of small glass bottles (condiments or perfume bottles are perfect) is an indispensable quick -fix for a table decoration or an awkward narrow shelf and the best part is they are economical to fill. Top them up with water and arrange on the table to ensure you get different heights and then fill them with a mix of roses.

When filling the bottles make sure all the stems touch the base of the vases, otherwise they can become top heavy (one of my pet hates). Also, try to ensure the stems run cleanly and simply beneath the flowerheads, as this is much more pleasing to the eye."

~ Vic Brotherson ~  

[Vic Brotherson: Top London florist, founder of the flower shop Scarlet and Violet in North West London and author of two books Vintage Flowers (2011) and Vintage Wedding Flowers (2014).]

[Quote: From Vic's first book Vintage Flowers.]

[Flowers: I have used a mix of two different pink tulips - the stems are cut very short. All flowers from my local flower stall in North London.]

[Vases/Containers: A collection of vintage blue ink bottles bought from various London antique markets over the years.]

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

*****

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back tomorrow morning with another Floral Media - a brand new video showing how to make a simple floral arrangement. 

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

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.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have just over 12 000 followers and around 200 boards all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and shows how to arrange them. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

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

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 Quote - # 65 - by Vic Brotherson

" In the shop, if a vase with yellow roses is accidentally sat alongside a jug of white stock and a jar of pinks my heart will sink. On the other hand, if a bucket of lilacs is sat beside a bunch of magnolias the day will surely be good. When buying flowers it is easiest to set a palette and carry it through the house, this way you can always change your mind on what goes where. In many homes the backdrop is neutral, with accents of colour coming from fabric, art or flowers, and this makes the job of sticking to a colour theme much easier. Of course, colour is subjective (I struggle with red) but ultimately colour is there to be explored."

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Vic Brotherson: Florist and founder of the flower shop Scarlet and Violet; author of two books Vintage Flowers and Vintage Wedding Flowers.]

[Quote from: Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]

[Flowers: Allium 'Purple Sensation', Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant', cornflowers and Nigella.]

[All flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.]

[Vase: Swedish vintage ceramic vase from 1930's.]

[Other props: Painted wooden board, vintage French linen sheet and purple table place mat.]

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

Have a Lovely Floral Sunday!

See you next week!

oxox Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote - # 60 - by Vic Brotherson

"Buying Fresh Flowers. Buy from a busy, bustly (sic) shop that have a high flower turnover (it's the old adage, never go into an empty restaurant). Alternatively, special order your flowers to ensure you get exactly what you want and when. Supermarkets carry a basic range of flowers and some do good seasonal specials, so for things like daffodils you can't go wrong. When trying to get the longest life from cut flowers, ask your florist the following questions: 'when did these come in?' and 'how long will they last?' There are obviously no guarantees but most flowers will last between five and seven days."

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Vic Brotherson: Florist and founder of the London flower shop Scarlet and Violet, author of two books Vintage Flowers and Vintage Wedding Flowers.]

[Quote from: Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]

[Flowers: Pink and white tulips.]

[Vase: Swedish vintage Upsala-Ekeby vase from 1930's.]

[Other props: Painted wooden boards.]

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

Have a Very Happy Floral Easter Sunday!

Back here next week!

xoxo Ingrid

   

Florets - Floral Quote by Vic Brotherson

When I first started out, I used to dream of having a cupboard full of vases, jugs, bottles and pots to display my flowers. Now I am lucky enough to have a shop stuffed from floor to ceiling with every conceivable shape and size of container; and yet there are still days when we need one just a bit wider or lower. My advice would be to keep as many different styles of container as possible, then your choice will be easier. My personal style is for the vintage, classic shapes of container with traditional lines that really allow the flowers to work their magic.

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Vic Brotherson - florist and founder of her London flower shop Scarlet and Violet, author of Vintage Flowers.]

[Quote from Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]

[Flowers: Purple and pink Gladioli.

[Vintage Props: White china apothecary jar, lavender metal cake tin.]

[Other Props: Purple scarf, tissue paper and necklace.]

[Styling and Photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and summer.] 

Florets - Floral Quote by Vic Brotherson

" Buy vases that are easy to use. Never buy tall and wide as they will be impossible and expensive to fill, unless you have a garden to cut from. A classic in-and-out shape gives a narrow neck to hold the flowers in place easily. I frequently use pickle jars or Victorian vases. The perfect container will work in its setting even if it has no flowers in it. This basic principle should encourage you to choose vases that are a bit more interesting than a plain glass tank."

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Vic Brotherson - florist and founder of the London flower shop Scarlet and Violet; and author of Vintage Flowers.] 

[Quote from Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]

[Statice and Alchemilla mollis in Victorian blue and white floral vase.]

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

Floral Fusion - Blue Hyacinths and Anemones

In the April issue of House & Garden - the one published in the UK - I was delighted when I found an article that featured the London florist Vic Brotherson. 

I featured a floral quote by her here on my blog last Sunday - in the series that I call Florets. 

So you will already kow that she owns the charming florist shop Scarlet & Violet in Kensal Rise in North West London.

Her work and her book is inspiring and her shop is like a treasure trove full of flowers and vintage. 

Here is my version of mixing flowers and vintage treasures.

The theme I came up with after finding some blue Hyacinths and dark blue Anemone - was you've guessed it - Blue!

The lovely blue floral fabric that I have used as the base is a Liberty fabric. 

Going through mine and my daughters collections of jewellery I found lots of wonderful blue bead necklaces. Some ethnic others just M&S. 

Walking on Hampstead Heath in North London I found over the years a lot of broken china that was just laying on the paths. For a long time I wondered why that was and the explanation is that during the Second World War they filled bags with sand from the Heath and after the war they filled the holes with rubble from bomb sites. There is a bit of odd history for you!

So the broken china is from Hampstead Heath and the crystals are vintage chandelier crystals.

As you probably know by now I love vases and other odd containers. Here are three blue ones.

The very old jug has a very pretty blue and white floral pattern and underneath it still has a label saying: "Swansea, Woodbine, sheet pattern jug". I bought it many years ago at an antique fair and I still think it's so much fun to use it as a vase.

The solid blue container is a vintage French polishers jar bought last year at the Country Living Fair - it works great as a vase and I love the blue colour.

The small light blue vintage ink bottle is great for using as bud vase for just one single flower cut very short.

At the moment you see a lot of globes in interior magazines. I bought a few of them some years ago from different car-boot sales around London, for very little money. This one was made by a toy company called Chad Valley in the late 1940's and 1950's. 

The two flowers I've used are dark blue Hyacinths and very dark Anemone.

I have used odd numbers - nine Hyacinths in the jug with just a few leaves and five Anemone in the jar and obviously just one single stem in the ink bottle.

The Hyacinths are still in quite tight bud so I will be able to enjoy them for some time. 

If you use old containers like I have done her - don't put them straight on a wooden surface - old china often leaks so make sure to protect the surface. 

Thanks for stopping by and for making lovely comments.

I'll be back very soon with more floral delights!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Vic Brotherson

"One of the luxuries of working with fresh flowers is that they are already beautiful, making it hard to go wrong when it comes to displaying them. I know I am lucky to have a shop full of flowers, but even if your budget is tiny and your flower choices are limited it is always possible to create something beautiful, especially if you have the right container."

~ Vic Brotherson ~ 

[Quote by Vic Brotherson - florist and founder of the London flower shop Scarlet and Violet and author of Vintage Flowers.]
[Quote from Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]
[Parrot tulips in blue and green, some new,some vintage, ink and apothecary glass bottles.]
[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]