A Bunch for the Weekend - # 24 - Dahlia and Agapanthus

This week on - 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some gorgeous bright pink Dahlias and some huge striking late-flowering Agapanthus - still in bud.

I wanted to make just one dramatic arrangement with these two flowers. They both have huge heads so they need a lot of space. The Dahlias were fully open but the Agapanthus were not. I love the shape and colour of the buds - so I really didn't mind them not being open.

You'll need:

- 7 stems of brightly coloured Dahlias 

- 3 stems of Agapanthus

- a medium sized vase in a neutral colour and with a wide opening - to give the flowers space

- some white fabrics with a lot of texture

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 with positioning the three Agapanthus and then slip in the Dahlias between the three giant heads. The Agapanthus comes without leaves and the Dahlias has very few left once you've removed the the lower ones. Keep any top leaves or buds that you feel suit the arrangement. I have kept a few but you could also make it minimalist and remove them all.

I love vintage fabrics that has a lot of texture to them - like these old grain sacks and the knitted kitchen towel. When I found the towel in the basement at my grandmother's house, it was just a dirty, brown rag and I almost threw it away as I couldn't be bothered to spend the time cleaning it. But what made me keep it was that it was knitted and somebody had spent so much time on a towel, something that was just going to be used on a daily basis to dry your hands on. I don't know how old it is - but I love how much time and effort was spent on it.

The vintage grain sacks are from my grandfathers old country store in the south of Sweden - also amazing that they are still around - as they held the grain or corn shipped to the store from the other side of the world. 

The Dahlias and the Agapanthus are grown by Cel Robertson at her organic flower farm Forever Green Flower Company in Norfolk. I buy her flowers at my local farmers' market where she and her husband Robert have a stall every Saturday morning.  

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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