Take 3 Flowers! - # 5 - Tulips and Hypericum

I'm back with another blog post in the series 'Take 3 Flowers!'

Where I will show you how to make easy but beautiful and stylish flower arrangements - just using three different flowers. Often 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 but 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 and structure for the other flowers.

I'm using three different red tulips - all within the red colour spectrum - and to that I have added Hypericum - that will supply both foliage and berries.

I know - I'm breaking the rules a little bit - it's 4 rather than just 3 flowers.  

To tell you the truth it was a special deal on the tulips - three bunches for the price of two and who can resist a special deal? I just thought: "The more the merrier...."

You'll need: 

- 10 stems of dark red tulips

- 10 stems of red and orange tulips

- 10 stems of dark red parrot tulips

- 5 stems of Hypericum

- a vase or container in a contrasting or matching colour - in my case I have used a brown vintage pickling jar from the company Höganäs in Sweden

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

Condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. This is to reduce any growth of bacteria from deteriorating leaves.

Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption.  

Put in a clean container with tepid water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours before making the final arrangement.

You might also have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the vase or container.

Start by arranging the Hypericum around the edge of the container - they will kind of embrace the tulips and make a nice edging. Then mix the three different tulips evenly in the middle - keep as many leaves as you possibly can on the tulips to make the arrangement look fuller.

The container I have used is a vintage pickling jar from my grandmother in Sweden. The dark shiny brown is a great contrast to all the red. I have surrounded the arrangement with some hessian fabric, some raffia, natural twine, pieces of wrinkly brown paper and a vintage wooden measuring stick. The red is picked up in some toy spades and a small garden fork. 

Most tulips don't have very long stems - so if you want some height don't cut too much off the bottom. Keep them pretty even in height and make a nice slightly domed shape. 

Tulips do continue to grow in the vase - some more than others - so if you want the arrangement to continue looking the same you will have to trim the stems at the same time as you change the water in the vase. Or you can leave the tulips to do their own thing - both ways works - tulips are always beautiful whatever you do.

Tulips are looking really fresh right now and they are also very cheep - if it's the same where you live - just grab the opportunity to get some fabulous looking tulips and start making your own arrangements.

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

See you later in the week!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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