Creative with Flowers - # 15 - Pink and Purple Stock Flowers

Stock flowers, also called Matthiola, is a highly fragrant cottage garden favourite. 

We are this time taking a look at how to make a large abundant arrangement using a mix of pink and purple stock.

This series of blog posts - called 'Creative with Flowers' - are about using flowers in creative ways. It could be about how the flowers are combined - maybe in a little bit of an unusual way. It might be the choice of vase - maybe not a vase at all but a container that could be anything from jugs, bottles, jars, tins or teapots - vintage or new it doesn't matter. 

As usual my arrangements will be quick and easy - and there will always be lots and lots of colour!

Oh, all those pretty, pink, and delicate flowers!

Two different purple colours - all from my local farmer's market.

I have used a white vase that I recently found at a charity store for very little money. The outside has a interesting heavily textured surface.

It's not old but I guess someone just didn't want it anymore and handed it in to the charity store. And then I came along and liked it.....! So now I have a fabulous "new" prop vase to use for my flower arrangements.

I wanted to make the arrangement look as big as possible without mixing in any other flowers or foliage. 

What I did was to keep as many of the leaves as I could - to help it look full and generous. 

The flowers are quite delicate and can easily fall off their little stems however careful you are. 

Don't throw them away! Gather them up and do what I have done here. Put them in a small bowl with a little bit of water and let the flowers float on the surface.

One last little bit of practical advice: Cut away any white parts at the bottom of the stems as they will not take up water. 

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Friday with some more floral delights. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 71 - Scented Stock and Spray Carnations

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring some scented stock flowers and spray carnations.

The stock is a mix of three pink and purple colours and when you buy it it has the charming name of Rainbow Stock on the label.

The spray carnations also come as a mixed bunch of three different pink colours. I only used two in this instance - I thought the third pink clashed with the other pink as it had too much orange in it - so I left it out. 

I made the bunch to bring to a dinner party - so I wanted to make a hand-tied and wrapped bouquet.

I bought the flowers the day before  and after conditioning I left them outside during the day. I brought them inside at night as I didn't want to risk any frost damage.

A hand-tied bunch is a way of assembling the flowers into a bunch by holding the flowers in one hand and adding flowers with the other hand - one by one. When adding you add each flower at an angle crossing the other stems - so that the stem create a spiral and the stems at the bottom will splay out. You also need to turn the bunch every so often to make a varied and harmonious bouquet. 

Once you have added all the flowers you need to tie the bunch at the binding point - the point where you crossed the stems. I like to use raffia - it's a natural product and it always looks nice.

Did that sound difficult and complicated? Well, it takes a bit of practice and like riding a bike - once you know how to do it - that's it - you are off!

As I was giving the bouquet away I wanted to wrap the flowers. I used two different coloured tissue paper - close to the colours of the flowers - and some clear cellophane with little white dots. I folded the paper at an angle so that two corners of each piece of paper created two points at the top. Place all the different layers of paper - with the tissue paper inside the cellophane on a table and place the bouquet in the middle. From the binding-point start wrapping all the layers of paper around the bouquet - a bit of scrunching is necessary and secure with adhesive tape. 

As a finishing touch add a pretty ribbon and you are ready to go!

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral Friday and a great weekend!

I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - a floral quote by someone who has a passion for flowers.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Ribbon from Jane Means' Ribbon Collection.]

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

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Flowers of the Month - May 2015

2 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Tulipa 'Orca' - Orange Double Tulip

It's the end of May and I'm back with 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm featuring all the different flowers and floral arrangements I have posted during May.

The title of the post under the image - is also a link to the post - if you would like to see it again or you missed it.

4 May - Floral Media - Houseplant of the Month - Hibiscus

6 May - DIY Tips and Inspiration - Pink Peony

9 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Colourful Tulips

11 May - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Peony

13 May - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Floral Tea Party

16 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Pink Spray Carnations

18 May - DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - Stock Flowers




23 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - More Scented Pink Stock Flowers




25 May - Tiny Blooms - Sweet Peas




27 May - DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - Freesia




29 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Peonies and Alchemilla mollis

I hope you have enjoyed all the flower arrangements from the last month as much as I have enjoyed created them. 

Have a Wonderful Floral Sunday!

See you next week. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Images of Hibiscus and peonies in white bottles provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 53 - More Scented Pink Stock Flowers

I have fallen in love!! Well, with a flower. So for the second time this week I'm featuring scented stock flowers. On 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I have created four arrangements using stock flowers in two different pink colours.

Earlier this week I went to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The show takes place every year in May here in London. I've been going every year for over twenty years now.  

For the third year in a row Marks and Spencer had put on a stunning display of flowers in The Great Pavilion. All the flowers they featured this year were grown in the UK and the display was called 'Blooms of the British Isles'. 

I was so inspired that I a few days later went to my local Marks and Spencer and bought four bunches of stock flowers to use for this weekends little project.

You'll need:

- 24 stems of stock in two different bright pink

- a large clear glass round container - here I have used a big vintage pickling jar

- two small vases and a small bowl 

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.

I wanted to show different ways to display stock flowers in different size vases and containers.

Most of the stems I kept tall and displayed in an old very large, clear glass pickling jar.

A few stems I cut down quite short and put in a small vintage fish-paste glass jar. 

Three of the light pink stems I displayed in an Alvar Alto mini vase that my daughter found for me at a London antique market. In this vase the stems stays quite straight echoing the shape of the vase.

I mentioned earlier this week how fragile stock flowers are and how easy it is to break off individual flowers when you handle them. Here is a link to that post.

Don't throw them away - put them in a small bowl of water and enjoy the flowers in a different way.

I have also just scattered a few on the table - just for fun.

I hope you can find some inspiration from all the different ways I have displayed these beautiful scented stock flowers.

Combining flowers with different containers becomes a way of working and being creative with flowers.

And more then anything else have fun while you are doing it! 

Have a Great Floral Saturday and a Happy Weekend!

I will see you next week with more DIY flowers from 

'Of Spring and Summer'.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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


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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.]

Florets - Floral Quote - # 70 - by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring

" Pastels are versatile, and when paired with edgy brights (like neon) you can turn up the volume, giving them a forward, contemporary feel.Try tying the tops of your stems just under the blooms with long flowing ribbons in fun brights to lend a festive touch.."

~ Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring ~

[Holly Becker: American, based in Germany, interior stylist, teacher and blogger on Decor8, author of three books: Decorate, Decorate Workshop and Decorate with Flowers.] 

[Leslie Shewring: Canadian stylist, photographer, designer; blogger on A Creative Mint and co-author of Decorate with Flower.]

[Quote from: Decorate with Flowers by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring.]

[Flowers: Pink stock flowers.]

[Vase: Vintage milk bottle.]

[Other props: Pink satin ribbon, torn strip of pink and white fabric; marble table.]

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

[Styling inspired by Holly and Leslie's book Decorate with Flowers.]

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Spring Wreath

The theme for this week of FLOWERS is 'Spring Wreath' and making a spring wreath was both a challenge and lots of fun. I wanted a wreath that I could hang on a door or in a window; or one that I could just lean against a wall. 

I also wanted a wreath that would last for more then a day - neither did I want to use oasis or make one using just twigs. 
I didn't make it very easy for myself as I imposed quite a few restrictions.

I had to think long and hard about what was available to buy or what I could find in my own garden - especially at this time of year when plants have a lot of fresh soft growth. I wanted something that would not whither away or drop their leaves but stay green for a while. 

What I ended up using was rosemary and box/Buxus sempervirens from my own garden - I knew both would last for a while without water. I also used a small amount of Alchemilla mollis flowers that lasts out of water for a few days.

I started off with a wire coat hanger that I shaped into a circle. Using the notch for cutting wires on my Felco secateurs I cut off the hook on the hanger. That part is up to you - some of you might like to keep the hook as it could be handy to use if you want to you hang it up. You could paint it or cover it with fabric.

I made little bunches of box and rosemary. Trim the stems to the same length and wrap florist's wire around the bottom of the stems. I then wired the bunches onto the coat hanger. Starting at the top right - overlapping the bunches to hide the ends - winding the wire around as you go along. When you have done the right side you do the same on the left. 

I used a bunch of Alchemilla mollis to hide the gap at the bottom - even though I later turned the wreath around so that the Alchemilla was near the top.

For some added interest I made two little arrangements to go with the wreath - the last of the pretty English bluebells and some lovely stock flowers.

I cut the stems of the bluebells very short and packed them tightly in a vintage enamelled container - that was once used to contain soda crystals.

In a Victorian blue and white floral patterned vase I stuck three stems of stock flowers. 

And I continued the blue theme with some other bits and pieces of knick-knacks - a large oval platter, a pretty mini cup my daughter gave me as a present and a contrasting checked blue and white fabric. 

My collaborator on FLOWERS - Titti Malmberg over on HWIT BLOGG is also posting about spring wreaths today - so make sure to go over and see what she is doing.

Here is also a link to all the previous FLOWERS that Titti and I have done.

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you later in the week.

xoxo Ingrid