Books, Magazines and Videos

I'm back with two short little videos showing some fun floral styling.

Style director Vanessa Colyer Tay, from the Australian htf. magazine, is using bottles and jars with some very simple added craft elements and wonderful big Dahlias.

They would look great as a floral centerpiece on a dining table, grouped on small table or chest of drawers, in a windowsill or along a mantelpiece. 

I hope you'll enjoy the videos and after a wonderful summer and up until today a warm and sunny early autumn - I'm back with lots of exciting floral styling, flower arranging tips, new books and magazines and other little surprises.

I have a new computer and a new camera is on the way - they both bit the dust over the summer. I also have an updated Photoshop Elements program loaded on the new computer - wish me luck as it's a lot to get to grips with all at the same time!

I'll be back soon with more beautiful flowers.

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Feast

It's Friday and it's time for a Floral Feast post.

I want to use seasonal plants as much as possible and at this time of year there are a lot of green foliage plants and berried branches & twigs. 

I love the grey-green colour of the Eucalyptus leaves and the orange-red colour of the rose hips made an interesting contrast and picks up the orange in the painting that I have used as in the background.

My local florist Achillea has several different types of Eucalyptus and I particularly liked one with oval leaves and little berries.

Before arranging remember to condition the flowers and foliage by removing any leaves that will end up below the water level in the container as well as trimming the end of the stems at an angle.  

I used two vases or containers - one large vintage pewter jug and one small glass vase with a narrow waist.

I also used three round purple Christmas decorations and some narrow double sided tape. 

As background I used a painting by the painter Cecilia Vargas. She is a London based artist who paints abstract, very colourful paintings. We bought this one, called Avalanche, from her in 1991 when she had an Open Studio day.

The Eucalyptus has very interesting almost lime-green clusters of berries. 

The leaves are a beautiful blue-grey green with very faint veins. 

I used two stems of rose hips in the larger of the two arrangement and I put them quite low so they showed up just above the Eucalyptus leaves.

I used the double-sided tape to stick down the hanging loop on the Christmas decorations - I just wanted them as three round objects without the long loops.

At the end of the day, or really it was just the middle of the afternoon as it gets dark so early, I added three little tea-lights to add some seasonal spirit. 

Have a lovely Floral Feast Friday!

Thanks for visiting and I'll see you soon.

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Feast

Inspired by the season and the fact that I wanted to use some red berries I came up with this very easy and very quick arrangement. 

My local florist, Achillea, always has inspiring displays outside as well as inside their shop and this time was no exception. I picked some Ilex with red berries and some berried ivy. I also said that they didn't need to wrap it up, but as I turned my back for thirty seconds she had it all wrapped up in brown paper and matched the berries with red raffia!

The Ilex verticillata that I chose is a holly that is also called Black alder or Winterberry. At this time of year there are some other twigs with fruit or berries that you can use, like crab apples or rose hips. 

The berried ivy is just normal ivy, but it's only mature ivy that has berries. I have plenty of ivy in my garden but it is clipped every year so it never reaches a mature state and therefore no berries. I love the colour and texture of the berries combined with the glossy pointed leaves.

Just like with all cut flowers you need to condition both the Ilex and the ivy. Remove any branches and leaves that will sit below the waterline and cut the stems at an angle. You will need a pair of secateurs to cut any woody stems and you should also split the stem at the bottom to increase the surface area, to help the plant absorb water. 

I have used a large clear glass vintage apothecary bottle, a small glass container, a red and white enamelled candle holder, red raffia, some small mostly red vintage Christmas baubles and a torn strip of black & white fabric with a pattern of snow crystals. 

I put the Ilex in the big bottle and tied the piece of fabric around the neck.

I arranged the ivy in the little bottle and twisted the raffia around the top.

The vintage enamelled candle holder is made by the Swedish company Kockums. I put a partly burnt candle in the holder, I didn't want it to be too tall, and arranged the little vintage baubles around it.

I am hoping to be able to inspire you with more seasonal and very easy floral arrangements every Friday for the next few months.  

Have a lovely Floral Friday!

Thank you for visiting and I will see you back here soon.

xoxo Ingrid

How To - Choosing and Buying Cut Flowers

• When you buy cut flowers, look at them carefully to ensure they are in good condition.

• If you choose your flowers with care and look after them well, they will give you pleasure for longer.

• There are many different places to buy flowers - from your local super market or grocery store to upmarket florist shops.

• You might have access to a wholesale flower market. They are large and busy places and can be a bit overwhelming if you are not used to them but it is worth persevering.

• My favourite are all the local farmers markets. They are more likely to sell flowers that are in season and are usually very reasonably priced.

• Make sure the flowers have their stems in clean water.

• Avoid flowers with wilted, yellow or brown leaves or flowers that are shedding their leaves.

• Avoid flowers with floppy heads or petals that are starting to brown at the edges.

• Flowers that are being sold at a reduced price may not be a bargain as they might not last for very long.

• Look for flowers with fresh green leaves.

• Look for flowers with pert heads and some stems that are still in bud.

• The buds should show the colour of their petals just breaking through.

• There are some flowers that you should avoid buying when only tight green buds are showing such as peonies, poppies, roses and irises as they will probably never open.

• Ensure the flowers are well wrapped for the journey home. It will protect them from any fluctuating temperatures.

• Remove the wrapping as soon as you get home to prevent any build-up of condensation. Also remove any ties or elastic bands.

• Condition the flowers as soon as possible. They have been out of water for a while and the stems will have started to dry out.

• Conditioning your flowers will make them last longer and here is how to do it.



Have a wonderful Flower Day!

xoxo Ingrid

Living With Flowers

A life full of colourful flowers is a delight and something to treasure.

Here are a few easy tips on how to look after your cut flowers prior to arranging them, so that they last as long as possible. It is called 'conditioning the flowers'.

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• Fill a clean container with tepid, not cold water. Tepid water is absorbed better by the plant.  
• Dissolve a packet of flower food into the water. Flower food helps the flowers last longer and will also keep the water fresh.
• If you have store bought flowers, unwrap them and remove any elastic bands or twine.
• Strip off any leaves which will sit below the water line and as well as any damage leaves or broken stems. Any leaves below the water line will soon decay and shorten the life of the arrangement.
• If you have any broken stems with healthy flowers, you can make a small seperate arrangement with these.
• Cut at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) off the bottom of each stem with a sharp knife or pair of scissors.
• Cut the stems at a sharp angle to expose the largest possible surface area to the water. Cutting the stems will also remove any dried out cell tissues and more water will be absorbed by the plant.
• After cutting the stems, put the flowers immediately in the container with the prepared water.
• The flowers can now be left in a cool place for a few hours or overnight. It will give them time to recover and absorb water.
• If time is short and you are in a hurry make the arrangement straight in a vase following the above steps. 

Have a lovely Floral Day!

xoxo Ingrid