A Bunch for the Weekend - # 60 - Colourful Dahlias

This weeks 'A Bunch for the Weekend' is very colourful! Well why not, we all need a bit of colour at this time of year.

HOW TO:

You'll need:

- 7-9 stems of brightly coloured Dahlias.

- colour coordinate with a few vases and containers in contrasting or matching colours. In this case I have used some vintage green bottles, vases and containers in different sizes in contrasting colours. 

- I have also picked a painting as background showing bottles in similar colours and a vintage rag rug - also picking up the same colours.

- a handful of painted clothes pegs

- a gingham green and white ribbon

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:

Dahlias usually has very few leaves - leave them on if you like the look of them or take off some or all of the leaves. 

I have taken off all leaves as well as any buds - I feel it makes you focus on the big beautiful flowers - but I also sometimes leave them on - it all depends on what kind of look I want. It's only on the flower in the tall bottle where I have kept the two side buds - where the stems makes some interesting angles.

Fill the containers one third with fresh, clean water. Trim the stems so that the lower leaves rests on the edge of the vase. The flowers in the bottles need to be in proportion with the bottle.

Change the water every 2-3 days and if possible re-cut the stems. The flowers lasts for about 5-7 days. 

For a very temporary but fun little arrangement I have filled a vintage flower pot with loose Dahlia petals.

Also for a different effect I have scattered some petals around on the Swedish rag rug.

The pretty little gingham ribbon in sage and white is from Jane Means collection of ribbons. I have tied it on a painted clothes peg - something you can do to fix place cards in place for a dinner party.  

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral day!

I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - floral quotes by people passionate about flowers!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

You can also find me on:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

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

Take 3 Flowers! - # 6 - Red and Pink Roses with Green Foliage

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

In this blog series 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 two different roses - a dark red one and a light pink one. Normally roses are not cheep - but these were being sold in big bunches of 10 and 20 roses in each for very little money. I was working on another project where I also needed roses so I went for it.

The foliage is light green variegated Pittosporum that grows in my garden - so all I had to do was to go out and cut a few branches. I use it all the time because it has a lovely green colour that goes well with a lot of different coloured flowers. 

You'll need: 

- 7 stems of dark red roses

- 5 stems of light pink roses

- 5 stems of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Queen'

- a re-cycled tin/can - washed and with the label removed

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.

I often find the roses you buy at this time of year a bit stiff and formal - I don't want to say that I don't like them - because I like most flowers - but I wanted to use them in a little bit of a different way.

So - I choose to use a regular old re-cycled tin or can as the Americans call them. I have left it plain but you could decorate it by painting it, using washi tape or tying ribbons, twine or raffia around it.  

Start off by putting in all the stems of the foliage evenly throughout the container. Measure the roses against the side of the tin before making the final cut and leave them just long enough to rest on the edge of the tin. 

Make a nice dome shaped arrangement with some of the flowers in the middle a bit longer and have the foliage weave their way between the roses and show above the roses to give some texture and height.  

I find the contrast fun and interesting - formal stiff roses and a bit of re-cycling or re-using something that most people throw away.

This could also be an early inspiration for Valentine's Day - because despite using an old tin - the arrangement has everything you want from a Valentine's arrangement - with its sweet and romantic red and pink roses and beautiful foliage.

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

See you later in the week!

~ 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.]

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 19 - Red and Orange Dahlia

There are so many wonderful Dahlias around at the moment - so this will be a week of Dahlias. It's that time of year and I'm not complaining - I love Dahlias. I wished they would last longer in the vase - but you cant't have everything.

So here we go again with some more - so on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' this week I'm featuring some striking red and orange Dahlias.

I chose a clear glass container to use as a vase. It's a vintage pickling jar that I bought at a 'loppis' in Sweden for not a lot of money. 'Loppis is the Swedish equivalent to flea-market or car-boot sale.

I love the dark colour of the stems on these Dahlias - they are such an interesting contrast to the red and orange. And I also love how you can see the stems criss-crossing through the clear glass - making a pattern all on their own. 

I find that you often never know if a Dahlia bud is going to open up or not. The tighter the bud the less likely it is to open up and develop into a flower. Sometimes they open just a little bit - like the ones in the picture - it's all very unpredictable. But mostly you'll get the advice that once cut the Dahlia buds will not open.

Buds are decorative in their own right and there is no need to discard them completely. It all depends what look you are after. A mass of just big Dahlia heads of flowers or an arrangement dotted with buds - breaking up the sea of colour. Buds or no buds - both are worth trying.

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.

Have a Wonderful Floral Friday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid