A Bunch for the Weekend - # 58 - Mixed Bouquet of British Summer Flowers

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring a large mixed bouquet of British grown summer flowers.

All the flowers are from - Yes, you've guessed it! - Forever Green Flower Company. Cel has expanded her range of flowers this season and doubled her production with exiting new varieties.

And - no, she's not paying me to feature her flowers or provide me with free flowers - I just love what she does.

HOW TO:

You'll need:

- a mixed bunch of all kinds of different summer flowers - here are some of the flowers I have used - dark almost black Cornflowers, small white Gladiolus, purple Nepeta, lime-green Alchemilla mollis, bright pink Corn Cockle and white double Feverfew. 

- a very large clear glass vase or jar - in this case I have used an oversized vintage pickling jar. 

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- a pair of florists scissors

- a florist bucket filled with fresh water

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. Also remove any broken or bruised leaves.

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

Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours, to let the flowers absorb the maximum of water, before making the final arrangement.

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

Method:

I arranged this bunch straight in the vase - so I didn't use any fancy handtied or spiralled arrangements.

All the stems were quite long so I chose a container that was in proportion to the length of the stems and amount of flowers - as I wanted a tall, open arrangement that looked a little 'wild'. 

I started with the bigger flowers and then filled in with the Alchemilla mollis and the Feverfew - using them a little bit like foliage.

I feel summer is finally here with all it's delightful flowers and life feels just that little bit easier. 

Enjoy your flower arranging! 

Have a Great Floral Saturday and a Happy Weekend!

I will see you next week with a 'Flowers of the Month' - after that I'm taking the month of July off to work on our house and garden - but I will be back in August with more Do-It-Yourself flowers from 'Of Spring and Summer'.

In the meantime I would like to wish you a wonderful summer holiday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson - Of Spring and Summer]
[Flowers from Forever Green Flower Company.]

You can also find me on:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Flowers of the Month - September 2014

This is the second month I'm featuring 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm highlighting all the different flowers I have used during the month of September.

Here is a link to the month of August flowers.

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

Gladiolus

Callistephus

Alostroemeria, Scabiosa and Snapdragons

Zinnia

Feverfew/Tanacetum

Hydrangea

Ornamental Cabbage

Dahlia

Hydrangea and Snowberries

Chrysanthemum

Aster

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

Have a wonderful Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 76 - by Ngoc Minh Ngo

"The most profound legacy that Constance Spry left on the art of floral design is her emphasis on understanding the nature of plants and flower. A keen gardener, she had a deep appreciation of the intrinsic beauty of plants and flowers, which she sought to emphasize in her arrangements. In one of her last lectures, given in Australia in 1959, she said, "Let the flowers remind you of how they looked when growing." This is sensible advice. To show flowers to their best advantage, it makes perfect sense to appreciate their natural attributes, like the scalloped edges of a geranium leaf or the wavy bend of a poppy stem."

~ Ngoc Minh Ngo ~

[Ngoc Minh Ngo: New York based photographer, landscape designer and author of Bringing Nature Home.]

[Quote from: Bringing Nature Home by Ngoc Minh Ngo.]

[Flowers: Seven stems of double white Tanacetum - feverfew.]

[Vase: Vintage milk bottle.]

[Other props: Four zinc saucers, three little round stones and ribbons from Jane Means' ribbon collection.

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

Have a Lovely Floral Sunday!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid