From the Archives - 26 December 2014 - A Bunch for the Weekend

This post is part of a brand new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another. 

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit. 

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring a bit of an unusual plant as a cut flower and it's called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'.

We have just passed the shortest day of the year and flowers in the garden are in short supply, flowers in the florist shop during the winter season often come from far away and can be expensive.

There are some lovely potted plants around at this time of year - such as Poinsettia, Cyclamen, Paperwhites, Hyacinths and Amaryllis.

All these flowers are lovely and delightful - but I have already used all of them at least once in the last months - so I decided to try something a little bit different this week. 

I'm using a low-growing evergreen shrub called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' and both my local flower stall and greengrocer were selling it as a cut flower.  

It has short stems but has these clusters of little, round, tight flower buds in a deep, dark, red colour and it has thick oval dark green leaves.

You'll need:

- about 7 stems of Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' - they will all have 2-3 flower heads on each stem 

- a medium size vase or container in a neutral colour - I have used a vintage zinc container

- a jam jar to put inside the main container 

- 3 grey and 3 white tissue paper poms poms - in three different sizes

- 3 Kosta Boda glass Snowball votive lanterns with tea-lights

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

As always - you need to condition the flowers - remove all the lower leaves that would end up below the waterline in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement.

With woody stems you also need to make a vertical cut up the stem to increase the area for water absorption. 

The container I have used can not be trusted not to leak and I also don't want it to get any more rust - so I'm using a jam jar filled with water inside.

The Skimmia stems are not very long so the arrangement will be fairly low and wide. The side of the zinc container flares out so the flowers will sit very nicely in a loose and natural arrangement.

The red flowers sits perfectly against the grey zinc and the grey is also picked up in the grey pom poms in the background.    

The grey and white tissue paper pom poms are all piled up in one corner and I have positioned three Snowball candle holders at the other end - both round and a little festive to fit the season.

Have a Happy Floral Friday and a Great Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 101 - Pink Tulips in Zinc Vase

This week I have the pleasure to feature some beautiful pink parrot tulips and as a vase I have used a very worn and a bit rusty vintage zinc container.

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.

The props that I have chosen are all black - in contrast to the grey zinc container and the rich pink colour of the tulips.

You'll find a 2 kg weight from my grandfather's country store back in Sweden, a silver bracelet from Mexico, an ornate vintage button from an old coat and a black jet brooch. 

At Christmas I was given a couple of these lovely Iittala votive candle holders from Finland. The name of them are Kastehelmi - which means dewdrops - referring to the pattern on the outside of the votive candle holder.

A very coarse piece of linen cloth adds an interesting textured contrast to the smooth marble surface and the elegant lines and shape of the flowers.

I always find it interesting how tulips keep growing even after they are cut and put into a vase or container.

I also try to keep as many leaves as I can - they add texture, interest, colour contrast and beauty to the arrangement.

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 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 from my local flower stall in North London.]
[Vase/Container: Vintage zinc container.]

*****

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Flowers and Ribbons - # 6 - Clematis and Sweet Peas

This series of blog posts is called 'Flowers and Ribbons' and is a collaboration I do with the ribbon designer and wrapping expert Jane Means. We are an international team of bloggers who use Jane's ribbons in some of our posts while Jane provides us with her ribbons.

I wanted to show how you in different ways can combine ribbons with flowers and make the whole arrangement that little bit extra special.

The flowers that I have used here are purple clematis and two different sweet peas both similar in colour as well as picking up the purple in the clematis. 

I have used ribbons in two different ways. The first one is just simply tied around the container of the main flower arrangement. In this case a grey metal container and the ribbon I have used is a stitched grosgrain in a dark grey colour. The ribbon is almost black so it still show some contrast with the grey colour of the container. 

The second way is around the stems of a mini posy of sweet peas. I have used a narrower stitched grosgrain ribbon but it's in the same grey colour. I also added a purple luggage tag to the ribbon.

The little glasses, with the floral motif, that I'm using as vases are from Anthropologie. 

The clematis that you can buy from the flower stalls and florist shops is different to the climbing clematis that you might grow in your garden. It's cultivated to grow long straight stems that is easily mixed with other flowers. If you can find this kind of clematis - go for it - it's well worth it and they keep on flowering and I love the bell-shaped flowers.

It's always fun to be able to use flowers that are a little bit unusual - using clematis and sweet peas together has worked out to be a great combination. 

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

I'll be back on Friday with more floral delights from Of Spring and Summer.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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