Florets - Floral Quote - # 130 - by Jane Packer

"You don't need tons of flowers to dress a kitchen, and you certainly don't need showstopping arrangements. Instead, fill the kitchen with simple, unpretentious flowers that you can enjoy every day. The best thing about flowers in the kitchen is that they can be relaxed and informal; this is not a traditional spot for floral displays, so no-one has any expectations. This gives you lots of leeway to play with fruit and berries as well as flowers - think rosehips and chilli peppers, or a huge bowl of artichokes with their intriguing furry textures. You don't need to buy flowers - if you have a garden, bring in flowers, foliage or blossom-strewn boughs. Trailing lengths of ivy can be used to decorate a long table, while branches of apple blossom look striking in a tall vase."

~ Jane Packer ~

[Jane Packer: (1959-2011) British florist and founder of Jane Packer Flowers and flower school and author of thirteen books.]

[Quote from: At Home with Flowers by Jane Packer (2011).]

[Plants: Trailing ivy from my garden in London, picked in the month of November and pinecones.]

[Container: Vintage pressed glass compote bowl.]

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

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back tomorrow Monday with another 'Floral Media'. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

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Tiny Blooms - # 11 - Spring Snowflakes - Leucojum

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

Today I'm featuring a little white flower called Spring Snowflake. The Latin or botanical name for it is Leucojum.

It's often mistaken for a snowdrop but this one has stems that are much taller and all the petals are the same size. 

It grows quite happily in my garden and every spring around this time I cut some to take into the house. They don't last very long - each individual flower only lasts for a few days. 

But the flowers are so charming that it doesn't matter that they last for such a short time.

I didn't use any of the long green sword like leaves so all I had to do was to cut them down to suit the vase.  I chose an almost translucent light green little vase - the flowers are so delicate I just wanted a vase that would blend in.

Put the vase on a mantelpiece or similar - somewhere a little bit higher than a coffee table - so you can enjoy this gorgeous little flower close-up.

   

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

I'll see you later in the week with more flowers from 
'Of Spring and Summer'. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid 

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

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Late Summer Colour

This time on 'FLOWERS by ingrid and titti' - we are doing 'Late Summer Colour'. 

I can hear you say: "What is she talking about - all I can see is white and green - not much colour there!"

Well, I went out with the best intentions - imagining coming back home with brightly coloured Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, Asters and Hydrangeas.

It was not to be - at one of my local Wednesday farmers' market - all the Dahlias were already gone when I got there - even though I was really early. 

At the next stop - a flower stall a few streets away - I didn't I see any Dahlias or Chrysanthemums and when I asked - I was told that they don't stock them because nobody buys them. And the Hydrangea was so expensive my jaw dropped open. 

It's a crazy world out there - all I was asking for was seasonal flowers!!

But I was not going to give up so easily - I quickly had to re-think my strategy and as there was plenty of white flowers to be had - I went back and could happily pick and choose from both places - all kinds of different white flowers.  

I picked out some lovely white medium-sized Chrysanthemums, some white snapdragons also called Antirrhinum - that the bees love, and the last ones were some stock flowers that are also called Matthiola. 

White flowers often have a lot of light green coming through - in this case all the flowers I used have some green either in the buds or the centre of the flower.

I also bought some lovely snowberries - these white berries has quickly become a favourite with a lot of designers and stylists - and I'm not surprised as they are just lovely. They also come with stunning pink berries - you can use them with or without leaves - mixed in with other flowers or by themselves.

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.

I added a few little green vases - among them this amazing hand-blown vase - that is more like a piece of art - a beauty with or without flowers. 

I arranged the flowers directly in the vase - I wanted the shorter flowers to sit just above the edge of the container. It's a very large vintage preserving jar that I picked up in Sweden at a 'loppis'.

I then cut the stems longer in the centre of the arrangement to make a nice domed shape. 

When I work with flowers I use both a pair of snippers and a sturdy pair of scissors. It's often quite handy to have both. I also often wear a thin pair of garden gloves - just to give my hands some protection. 

Here is a little close-up of the three white flowers and the white snowberries.

My collaborator on FLOWERS - Titti Malmberg over on her blog HWIT BLOGG - is also posting about late summer flowers - so pop over and see what she is up to.

If you are interested - you can see all our FLOWERS posts HERE or on Pinterest.

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid 

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 5 - White and Green Flowers

The bunch for this weekend is a mixed arrangement of white Ranunculus, white and green 'Spring Green' tulips and green Guelder roses. 

For vases I have used some green vintage ink bottles. Mixed in are some vintage green and white hand towels, green buttons, a broach and two kinds of ivy washi tape on brown wrapping paper. 

Have a lovely Floral Friday and a Creative Weekend!

I'll be back on Sunday with another floral quote from another flower lover!

xoxo Ingrid