Flowers of the Month - August/September 2015

8 August - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Hydrangea

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

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.

12 August - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Flowers in August - Pink Dahlia 

26 August - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Late Summer Colours - Hydrangea

18 September - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Autumn Dreams - Dahlia

20 September - Florets - Floral Quote by The Flower Appreciation Society - Pink and White Dahlia

21 September - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Chrysanthemums

23 September - Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - # 8 - Zinnia

25 September - A Bunch for the Weekend - # 59 - Ornamental Cabbage

27 September - Florets - Floral Quote by Lotta Jansdotter - Alchemilla mollis and Agapanthus

28 September - Floral Media - Flower Agenda - Alstroemeria

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

Have a Great Floral Day!

I will be back again at the end of October with another 'Flowers of the Month'. Before that Titti and I will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson - Of Spring and Summer.]
[Images of 1, 6 and 10 are provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

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 - # 25 - Pink Dahlias and Pink Snowberries

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some large pink Dahlias and some branches of pink snowberries. 

I love the subtle pink in both the Dahlias and the snowberries so I wanted to combine the two in an arrangement - as well as making a small arrangement using the cut off lower branches from the snowberries - I also wanted to display some of the heads of the Dahlias in a different way.

You'll need:

- 10 stems of a large Dahlia

- a good bunch of branches of snowberries

- a large quite heavy or sturdy container in a neutral colour

- a small vase in a contrasting colour

- some kind of low container to float the Dahlia heads in -  in a matching colour to the small vase

- florist snippers and a pair of secateurs

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.

You need a large container that is sturdy enough to hold the branches of snowberries - with a lot of berries they become very heavy. Start off by putting the snowberry branches in the container - they will bend and gracefully arch over the sides of the container. They will be hard to restrain so just let them do their thing and let them go wherever they want to go.

You'll probably need to cut off some of the lower, smaller branches - these will make up the second small arrangement of snowberries. 

Next put in the Dahlias - cut them a bit shorter to sit below most of the snowberries - by gently feeding them in-between the branches. 

For the floating arrangement use a low container - a bowl or similar. I have used a vintage cast iron Yorkshire pudding mould. Cut off most of the stems and float them in a little bit of water.

I have then used a matching black mini vase for the lower cut off branches and made a very small arrangement with only snowberries. 

The contrasting black gives the whole arrangement a bit of drama. The Dahlias last for about 4-5 days - but the snowberris lasts for longer. Any berries that might go brown - just gently twist them off and if you re-cut the ends of the stems they will last for about a week or even longer.

Have a lovely Floral Friday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Arrange Your Flowers! - # 1 - Essential Tools for Cut Flowers

This is a new series of blog posts called 'Arrange Your Flowers! and I'll be posting them on a regular basis.

It's all about arranging your own flowers - it will have do-it-yourself flower arranging ideas, tips and advice - and will be very easy to follow - even if you've never done any flower arranging before. 

It will be very basic and very down to earth.

So let's start from the beginning!

These are the most basic but essential tools that you need to start doing your own flower arranging:

1. A couple of different size containers - they can be plastic or metal. Nothing fancy, it's just a container to put the flowers in after you've conditioned them. Traditionally florists flower buckets were metal - mostly zinc but now they tend to be plastic. 

2. A pair of floral snippers or floral scissors - like the black handled scissors and snippers in the image . Buy a pair that is comfortable to use and that will not hurt your hand - if you are using them for a long time. 

It's quite useful to have both a pair of snippers and a pair of scissors. The scissors will be useful to cut elastic bands around the flower stems and for cutting the cellophane that the flowers come wrapped in - it's easier to do that with a pair of scissors. Floral scissors or florists' scissors are a bit more sturdy and have stronger blades than a normal pair of scissors - so are also excellent for cutting flower stems. 

In the end it's a personal choice and what you are the most comfortable using. 

3. You will also need a pair of secateurs or pruners for cutting thicker stems or branches - like the red handled secateurs in the image. If you don't already own a pair - get a good quality one - as they usually last a lifetime. 

I hope all my tips will be useful and easy to follow and that they will help to keep your flowers looking good and last longer.

Have a Creative Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Floral Media: Gatherings Magazine - The White Issue 2013 - is now out!

The Editor in Chief of Gatherings Magazine, Heather Spriggs Thompson introducing the latest issue.

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Dear friends,

Our Winter White Issue is now available! We released our beloved White Issue early this year as a holiday edition to inspire your cooking, crafting, gifting, and decorating this season. You will find fabulous articles inspired by Scandinavian traditions including Clarice Fox-Hughes’ New Nordic Cuisine, Dutch stylist, Louise de Miranda’s tips on setting the holiday table and a Scandinavian inspired cross-stitch project designed by Annetta Bosakova.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together. As our gift to you we have reduced the cover prices of both the digital and printed editions. Just click below to order!

$14.95 for print

&

$3.95 for digital 

1 Year Subscription- $60 

Gatherings makes the perfect gift! And now we offer a 1 year subscription!!

From our home to yours we wish you peace and joy this season.

The Gatherings Team

***********

[Images: 1/2/3 © Ingrid Henningsson, 4/5 © Cristina Colli, 6 © Louise de Miranda, 7 © Maaike van Koert.]

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I really hope you like the magazine!

Have a Happy Floral Day!

See you soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Vases, Vessels and Vintage # 2: Cream Coloured Bottles and Jars

I have a collection of cream coloured bottles and jars that I often use as vases - I also often use them as props - sometimes empty sometimes filled with something interesting. 

The bottle on the left is an old sake bottle that I never had the heart to throw away and I have kept over many years.

A few of them are French honey and mustard jars bought over time and then also used as vases. Others are vintage jars and bottles bought at London antique markets for a few pounds. It's a great feeling to recycle beautiful object of really no monetary value.

Here is an antique Dundee Marmalade jar and some others that I don't know what they were used for. All have that distinctive crazing and beautiful patina that happens to old china.   

What holds the collection together is that they are all of a similar colour and I thought it would be fun to feature them in my series - Vases, Vessels and Vintage.

The cream colour is very easy to combine with all kinds of different coloured flowers. The one that I have used to make the flower arrangement in is one of the old French mustard jars. The flowers I have used are five pink tulips, five pink hyacinths and a few stems of Eucalyptus leaves.

This is the second in the series called Vases, Vessels and Vintage - the first one was called Kähler Vase and Grass.

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

Back soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Styling - Simple Flower Arrangement - # 2 - Ornamental Cabbage

Ornamental cabbage is such a great flower - or maybe we should call it plant - to use in flower arranging. They are easy to handle, lasts for ages, they are also cheep and they are fun because you can do so many things with them. They are only available during the autumn and my local farmers' market here in London has lots of them right now. 

They come in a variety of colours - green, white, pink and purple. But saying that - they are all variegated - meaning they are all multi coloured. Some are prettier then others but they are all interesting.

When you buy them they usually come with long bare stems. Condition them like you do with all flowers by removing any broken or discoloured leaves and cut the stem at an angle before putting them in a container with water. I read in several books where they suggest that you should have as little water as possible in the vase to prevent the stems from rotting. 

You can use them with other flowers - where they will bring a lot of depth and texture in a mixed arrangement. They have lovely crinkly edges and a rustic look to them and they make a great focal point as well - so they are perfect to use like I have done here - mostly as single stems. 

I have put them in all kinds of different shaped laboratory beakers as well as using a vintage Dundee marmalade jar, an old French mustard pot and a green milk jug from the 1930's.

If you use them as single stems cut the length of the stem so that the bottom leaves rest on the rim of the container. That way it looks more pleasing then having bare stem between top of vase and bottom leaf.

Also when any of the lower leaves turn yellow or go discoloured - don't throw the whole stem away - just take off the bad leaves and you can keep on doing that. In the end you will have a bunch of small rosettes of cabbage leaves that almost look like roses - mind you with quite thick stems! 

In some cases I have cut the stem really short and put them as a single stem in a low wide jar - in other cases I have left the stem as long as possible to use in taller vases. 

 Try some out and tell me what you think!

Have a lovely floral day!

See you soon again!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge

"Few things bring a room to life or add that last special something like a beautiful arrangement of flowers. My personal obsession with fresh flowers and potted plants led me to add two floral columns to Design*Sponge and drag several of my editors along to countless flower arranging classes so we could learn more. For some people, flower arrangements can be somewhat daunting, but they can be easy, and exiting to create." 

~ Grace Bonney ~

[Grace Bonney - American, founder of the blog Design*Sponge and author of Design*Sponge at Home.]

[Quote: from Design*Sponge at Home.]

[Foliage: Pittosporum.]

[Containers: Vintage metal milk jugs.]

[Other props: Painted wood panelling, painted wooden cubes and vintage apothecary funnel.]

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

Floral Favourites - # 1 - Gypsophila - Baby's Breath

Latin or Botanical Name of Flower: 

Gypsophila paniculata

Common Name: 

Baby's Breath

Origin and Meaning of Name: 

Gypsos means gypsum; philos means loving - so it's a plant that likes growing in lime or alkaline soil. 

The common name refers to that some people thinks it smells like a baby's breath.

Description: 

Gypsophila has an airy mass of small white flowers that makes pretty arrangements. 

Other varieties available are 'Bristol Fairy' that has long-lasting double flowers and another one has pink flowers.

Availability: 

Gypsophila is available from flower markets or florists all year around. If grown in a garden - it flowers in mid- and late summer.

Gypsophila is reasonably priced and lasts well as a cut flower.

When you buy them make sure at least half the flowers are open as buds might not open once the flowers are cut.

Conditioning and Care: 

Remove all leaves that would end up below the water level in the vase and cut the stems at an angle.

Keep away from any fruit and vegetables - ethylene gas from ripening fruit shortens the life of flowers. 

How to use: 
Gypsophila has lately become a very popular flower to use in flower arranging after having been viewed as old-fashioned for quite a long time. It's a soft and natural looking and mixes well with other flowers but it also looks fabulous on it's own.
It's a perfect flower to almost every occasion and for every room in the house - the possibilities are endless.

It's romantic, sweet and very feminine and can be used in many different ways. Use it en masse in domed-shaped arrangements in large vases or cut the stems short and loosely arranged in a group of jars or bottles - either looks charming.

Gypsophila looks good in a romantic or vintage setting using old cut glass perfume bottles or colourful blue floral patterned china vase. 

I have also made arrangements in hundred year old beer bottles - they all have a date stamped on the bottom of the bottle - the dark colour and outlines of the bottles makes an interesting contrast with the frothy flowers. 

They also look great in a more contemporary setting used in large clear glass tumblers for a more minimalist look or like here in a small hand-blown white glass vase created in the 1980's by the Swedish artist Bertil Vallien.

I hope you liked my new series that I have called Floral Favourites -  where I will be featuring some of my favourite flowers.

Why not have some fun and try some simple arrangements in different containers.

See you soon!

xoxo Ingrid

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

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Roses

I am continuing the theme of 'Unusual Containers' - and this time the flowers are Roses.

I wanted to show a very traditional flower like the rose being arranged in some unusual containers. 

Roses are the world's most popular flowers and there are so many of them that you'll find one for every taste.  

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

"There are roses for every soil and position. There are roses for tropical climates and roses that will flourish in the Arctic Circle. Most roses bloom non-stop until the first frost of winter; in warm climates, they flower for 12 months of the year. They tolerate neglect, but respond generously to extra care. For the lazy gardeners - and busy people with little time to waste - roses cannot be beaten." 

[From The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Roses.]

Image by Jessica Enig at Such Pretty Things

Image by Tricia Breidenthal Photography

Image by Loreta at All the Beautiful Things

Image by Ingrid Jansen at Wool and Wood Stool

Image by Kathryn at Secrets of a Butterfly

Image by Ingrid Jansen at Wool and Wood Stool

Image by Maryam Montague at My Marrakesh

Image by Sabine Wittig at Azurweiss

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

All images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage - and they all link back to Flickr and the photographer's blog or web site. 

If you enjoy taking photographs of flowers in combination with vintage - join Flowers and Vintage over on Flickr.

I'll be back later in the week with another couple of posts.

Ingrid xx