Flowers of the Month - May 2017

Today is the last day of May and it's time for another round-up of what I have been up to this last month. 

In 'Flowers of the Month' I feature all the different flowers and floral arrangements that I styled, photographed and posted exclusively on my blog 'Of Spring and Summer'.

I post about four times a week so by the end of the month I have quite a few images to look back on.

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.

At the end of the post is a little message to all of you! 

3 May - Creative with Flowers - Pink Ranunculus

5 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Bluebells

7 May - Florets -Floral Quote - Sweet Peas and Clematis

10 May - Creative with Flowers - A Flower in a Bottle

12 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - A Few Late Tulips 

14 May - Florets - Floral Quote - Forget-Me-Nots and Grape Hyacinths

17 May - Creative with Flowers - Pale Purple Sweet Peas

19 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Pink Peonies

21 May - Florets - Floral Quote - White Rose and Solomon's Seal

24 May - Creative with Flowers - Purple Stock Flowers

26 May - A Bunch for the Weekend - Pale Pink Anemones

28 May - Florets - Floral Quote - Pink Roses

29 May - Tiny Blooms - Pale Pink Ranunculus

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'.

I also wanted to tell you that I'm now taking a few months off from posting on my blog. It is a little bit longer than usual but a lot of big changes are taking place right now that takes up a lot of my time. All good - just time consuming! 

Have a wonderful summer holiday and I will see you back here in the autumn. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I have around 12 400 followers and I have just over 200 boards all relating to flowers, floral styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and shows how to arrange them. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

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

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.]

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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

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

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 77 - Pink and Purple Stock Flowers

It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for The Weekend, will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.  

I created a trio of pink and purple scented stock flowers in three large vintage pickling jars. All of my jars come from flea markets or charity stores.

I did three handtied bouquets and used some natural twine to tie around the stems. All three bunches are leaning to one side of the jar giving the arrangement a more casual look.

I have placed the three jars in front of some vintage silverplated trays - large and small, round and oval  - and grouped together to give a background to the arrangement.

On one of the smaller trays I have made a little temporary arrangement of three single flowers - one of each colour.

I love stock flowers - they are easy, long lasting and very reasonably priced. On top of that they are pretty, scented and come in beautiful colours. 

What more do you want from a bunch of flowers?

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

I'll be be back on Sunday with another 'Florets' - a quote from a passionate flower lover.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

You can also follow me on:

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 67 - Lisianthus, Stock and Pittosporum

Here is the second installment of my experiment that consists of for a few weeks only buying cut flowers from the supermarkets. Have a look at my last blog post where I talk about and explain what and why I'm doing it. 

This time I went straight to Tesco - it was cold and raining and I didn't fancy getting wet. They had lots of already made up bunches of mixed flowers - but I'm more interested in bunches of just one type of flowers.

I bought two bunches of pink Lisianthus with a few white ones with a pink edge mixed in. They where dated the 10th and were looking fresh with no bruised petals - so I was happy!

All of the pink and white Lisianthus I put in a vintage jug that has a wide band around the middle in a matching pink colour. A few short stems went in a mini bud vase. 

I also bought two bunches of pink and white stock - they did have some Pittosporum foliage mixed in - which I thought would come in useful.

When I came home and unwrapped them I found that some of the flowers were not as nice and fresh as I would have liked. You couldn't see that as they were wrapped in both brown paper and cellophane - and as you can't unwrap the flowers in the store before you buy them it's a bit tricky and you might end up with flowers looking a bit sad and past their best. Shame on you Tesco! 

I made up two bunches - one with white stock and some Pittosporum foliage mixed in and a second similar one using the pink stock. For these two arrangements I also used little vintage jugs - a pink and a white one.

In a few weeks at the end of my experiment I will make a conclusion of my findings! So - stay tuned for more news on the subject!!

Enjoy Your Flower Arranging and 

Have a Fabulous Floral Friday and Weekend!

I'll see you again on Sunday with another Florets - a floral quote from someone passionate about flowers.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

You can also find me on:

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

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

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

Florets - Floral Quote by Cath Kidston

FLOWERS

"I could happily spend a fortune each week buying flowers for the house but quite often get away with buying just the cheapest of the bunch. I try to mix together a few clashing colours - say three shades of pink or a jumble of orange and pink - and simply pile them into a jug or vase. I do think they make the whole difference to making a house feel alive and lived in."

~ Cath Kidston ~

[Cath Kidston MBE: British, Interior and Fashion Designer, business woman, founder of the company Cath Kidston and author of many books.]

[Quote from: Vintage Style by Cath Kidston (1999).]

[Flowers: Purple and white Stock flowers.]

[Vase/Container: Clear glass pickling jar.]

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

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral Sunday!

I'll be back on Monday with another Tiny Blooms - small and easy DIY flower arranging.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

You can also find me on:

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

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

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

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]


You can also find me on:

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

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

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

DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - # 4 - Stock Flowers

Here is another instalment in my new series: 'DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration' - and it's all about Matthiola. The common name for them is Stock or Gillyflower.

• Try to buy the flowers when the top flowers are in bud and the lowest flowers are open.
• Remove most of the leaves - the leaves are lush and fleshy and will take the water needed for the flowers.
• Cut away any white parts at the bottom of the stems - or the flower will not be able to take up water.
• Stock flowers do best in shallow water - so just fill the vase with a little bit of water. Just remember to change water when you need to.
• The individual little flowers are easily broken off - so handle with care! 
• They last in a vase for about 5-7 days.
• Stock is a wonderful sweetly fragrant flower that comes in beautiful colours.
• Buy some and enjoy!

Have a Great Floral Day!

I'll see you later in the week with more DIY flowers from 

'Of Spring and Summer'.

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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


You can also find me on:

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

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

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

Tiny Blooms - # 14 - Stock Flowers

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!

Remove the lower leaves, cut the stems and put in a pretty container with fresh water. 

Stock flowers are so beautiful and look absolutely gorgeous simply arranged on their own.

That is all you need to do!! Simple, quick and easy!

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

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.]