Tiny Blooms - # 35 - Blue Agapanthus

Hi everyone! I'm back after having taken a few weeks off from blogging and social media over the summer. What some people call a "digital detox". It's been a lovely time to completely switch off, charge up the 'batteries' and do some forward planning for the autumn. 

My first floral blog post after the break is a 'Tiny Blooms' and we are taking a look at some gorgeous blue Agapanthus.

This series of blog posts - called 'Tiny Blooms' - are about small flower arrangements. Small - might be the size of the container or it could be the size of the flowers or the amount of stems. 

It can also be that the arrangement is minimal both in presentation and that it's simple, quick and easy to do. Apart from that there are no other strict rules - I'm allowing myself a lot of creative freedom!

Agapanthus, also called African lily, is a remarkably good cut flower - easy to work with and longlasting.

I found these stunning blue Agapanthus at my local farmers market and they were so cheap I bought three bunches.

The flowers sit on top of strong sturdy stems and can be used in tall arrangements as well as cut down and and used in different low arrangements.

When you buy the flowers they don't come with any leaves so they are very quick and easy to condition. Try not to leave them out of water for too long as the dry out easily. 

I have used a oversized glass jar combined with the long stems of the Agapanthus the whole arrangement is quite tall. 

Agapanthus come in white, blue and purple. I have some white ones growing in my garden and you can see some of those in the last two images.

It's a flower you can use on their own but also mix with other tall, bold flowers such as lilies or gladioli. The flowers are elegant but can be styled in many different ways to suit different occasions.

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back later in the week with more floral delights.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Images and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

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Florets - Floral Quote by Lotta Jansdotter

"I like to use everyday vessels rather than traditional vases in my flower displays. Many wine bottles have nice shapes and colours that work well in a groupings, for example.Or, why not use a mixture of drinking glasses, served up on a tray, and display them in the living room?
Placing a single branch or a stalk in a vessel gives a nice, clean look. 
Placing a few flowers in a bowl of water is another lovely way to make a simple arrangement."

~ Lotta Jansdotter ~ 

[Lotta Jansdotter: Scandinavian born and now based in Brooklyn, New York, designer and author.]

[Quote from: Handmade Living by Lotta Jansdotter.]

[Flowers: Alchemilla mollis and blue Agapanthus flowers.]

[Vase: Vintage pressed glass sugar bowl.]

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

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral Sunday!

I'll be back on Monday with another Flower Agenda which will be all about Alstroemeria.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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Flowers of the Month - October 2014

I'm back again with 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm highlighting all the different flowers I have used during the month of October.

The name of the flower - under the image - is also a link to the post where I featured the flower.

Chrysanthemums, Stock and Snapdragons

White Snowberries

Dahlias and Agapanthus

Crab Apples

Dahlias

Pink Snowberries

Dahlias

Sedum, Ferns and Ivy

Sunflowers, Chinese Lanterns and Crab Apples

Ornamental Cabbage and Chrysanthemums

Dahlia, Hydrangea and Vitis Grapes

Hydrangea

Sedum, Chrysanthemums, Heuchera Flowers and Grasses

Chrysanthemums x 2 and Soft Ruscus




Gerbera, Roses, Cornus and Crab Apples

I hope you have enjoyed the month of October in all its autumn floral glory!

Here is a link to the month of August flowers.

Here is a link to the month of September flowers.

Have a wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

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.]

Flowers of the Month - August 2014

Here is another new series of blog posts - called 'Flowers of the Month'. I thought it would be nice to highlight all the flowers that I have used during the previous month. So at the end of every month I will do a post featuring that month's flowers.

It's quite nice to be able to see what each month and season has had on offer and if you are interested in reading some more about the flowers each flower name is a link to the post. Enjoy!   

Hydrangea

Echinops

Scabiosa

Sunflowers and Assorted Vegetables

Agapanthus Seed Pods

Alstroemeria

Dahlia, Helenium and Alchemilla mollis

Red and Orange Dahlia

Pink Dahlia and Alchemilla mollis

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid 

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 18 - Agapanthus Seed Pods

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring Agapanthus Seed Pods.

Maybe a bit of an unusual flower arrangement - but when I came back to my garden after my summer break all the Agapanthus flowers were over and done with. All that was left was a whole lot of wonderful seed pods and I just had to use them!
  

For the main arrangement - you'll need:
- 10-12 stems of Agapanthus with the seed pods intact
- a 25-30 cm tall vase with a not too wide opening

For the second small arrangement - you'll need:
- one stem of Agapanthus - where you'll remove all the seed pods
- a small vase with a narrow opening

I treated them as normal flowers and conditioned them as usual. The flower stems have no leaves attached so I didn't have to remove any - but as always I cut the stems at an angle and put them in a clean container with cool water for at least a few hours.

The arrangement lasts for over a week and you can also dry the stems and/or collect the seeds for propagation.

With one stem I went even further and removed all the seed pods leaving a head that looks a bit like a 'bottle brush' - giving an interesting silhouette as a single stem in a contemporary vase.

The vase is from Paradisverkstaden on the island of Öland. 

Two little props - a toy washboard that I had as a child and a candlestick carved in stone from the island of Gotland in Sweden. The stone is polished to an almost silky smooth finish to the touch.

A close-up of the single seed pods on a piece of fabric designed by Lotta Jansdotter - one of my favourite contemporary fabric designers. Lotta was born in Sweden but now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. 

Have a Great Floral Friday and a Lovely Weekend!

xoxo Ingrid