Where the wild things are

I have a tendency to like my flowers a little wild. Nothing too orderly or neat for me please, I prefer something a little more wild and free. Rustic and relaxed. Like me I suppose.

This little bouquet is a bit of a wild thing. I was inspired by these white and pinky/purple edged Ranunculus called Cappucino. The Astrantia, a great little flower that lasts really well and seems to be available pretty much year round, is a perfect companion.

Thistle, always looks a a bit wild too, so in it went. And a few magenta carnations. I know carnations, who'd have thought it.  Oh and I foraged a little Apple Blossom and honeysuckle. Ok it was from the garden. So more suburban than rustic.

Then all she needed was a little brown velvet binding and some pink pearl pins to keep everything in place. Pretty. But not for neat freaks.

Me Old China

 We have some new china in the shop. Well, new to us anyhow. Mostly a ramshackle bunch of hand- me-downs that have been sat in box, on a shelf for far too long. (I know how they feel - ha!)

They just needed a little dusting off and are now getting some much needed light in the window, and admiring glances from passers by. Wish I could say the same.

Peachy keen

I've never really thought of myself as a particularly girly girl, but being a florist has really taught me to appreciate the beauty of subtlety.

First there were dusky pinks, then blush and now, I am officially in love with peach. I love it with lime greens, (in fact I love pretty much anything with lime greens) its great with chocolate browns too, gives them a little pep.

This is a twist on a bouquet I made for a wedding fair recently. At the end of the day it was snaffled in exchange for a box of cupcakes before I even had the chance to photograph it!

I wanted to make something with a loose and wild feel. The original had Jasmine too.

Here I've used a combination of Ranunculus, the most dreamy flower, Astrantia, limey green Guelder Rose and Alchemila.

Oh and the rose you see below, is Vendella. I spoke about this in the last post. It looks more peachy here.

I have a new found fondness for ribbons too and bows. God I AM girly! I'm not sure what this one is, its not lace, its sort of cottony, is it crochet? Whatever, I thought it worked.

Classic Wedding Flowers - Roses

With romantic associations dating back to Greek and Roman times, roses have come to symbolise love and passion. So its no wonder then that they are still by far the most popular choice for wedding flowers.

Traditionally white roses were also symbolic of purity, chastity, innocence, and new beginnings. Regardless of whether today's brides have these values at the forefront of their minds when choosing roses, the Rose's beauty remains timeless and they have become a true wedding classic.

Whether its white, ivory, cream, small or large headed roses you seek, there are so many lovely varieties to choose from.

Big and blousey ivory Avalanche roses are still a firm favourite of mine, but Norma Jean is a another new contender for my heart. Large headed and full, it opens to reveal the most amazing scent. If you're looking for a scented rose, you should definitely consider these.

One that I personally am not fond of is Akito. Granted, it is a true pure white, but its mean little head is so delicate you barely have to look at it and it bruises. Wish the growers would bring out a new pure white large headed rose because so many brides request them to match their gowns. Maybe I should just stop being such a clutz!

If warm tones are more your thing, Vendella is a real gem of rose that holds up well and works with vintage shades, chocolate browns, peaches and creams. Its worth taking the time to compare your roses with other flowers that are in your theme.  You'll be amazed how much they can appear to change when alongside different colours.

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The full head-to-head rose hand tie is still much in demand (yawn!). Why not make it your own with these touches:

 Add a little soft foliage edging - silvery grey dusty miller is a popular choice now and complements soft muted tones and pastels.

Ask your florist to add a little rustic collar of vines, jasmine or twigs, they look great with some berried Eucalyptus leaves.

Create textural interest by using a mix of different sizes and shades of roses. And don't forget sweet spray roses. 

 Add tufts of leafy greens to soften the effect. Try mint and honeysuckle for fragrance. 

Ask your florist to finish your bouquet with vintage lace, satin or an antique brooch. If its special to you, even better.

Instead of binding the length of the stems, try a bow and leave your ribbon tails long so they trail and flow.

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Are you thinking about Roses for your wedding? Which ones are you opting for, and how will you have them arranged? I'd love to know. Call me nosy if you will.

I'll feature more classic wedding flowers in the coming weeks with ideas for bouquets and arrangements. Next time, Calla Lillies.

Photos: apart from first which is my own, images from here, here, & here Last 2 images source unknown. Please get in touch if you know so that I can credit. 

Pretty giftwrap

I love wrapping presents as much as giving them, and squirrel away papers, ribbons, boxes and bags ready to decorate for when birthdays come around.

This time, the lucky lady had two vintage bird salt and pepper pots to roost on her dresser. Nestled in tissue paper, they were tucked into in a little box that I'd covered in a spriggy rosebud wrapping. A lime green crepe paper bow and little pink sparkley button were the cherry on the cake, so to speak.

For the other package I used a narrow piece of the floral paper over the crepe paper and bound with red paper twine. A great way to use up odds and ends.

Spring Cheer

Spring has well and truly sprung in the parks and gardens of Caversham. Spring blossom is out everywhere, magnolia is looking magnificent, but the daffies are already coming to an end. Boo! I couldn't let them go without a little mention because they really cheered me up this side of winter. 

This is how I like them best, just a big bunch in a vase. Oh and now and then I chuck in some some Pussy Willow for good measure.

We also had these deep magenta Hyacinths in the shop the other day. Such a great colour. Ever noticed how how some flowers, like Hyacinths and Tulips are really squeaky? As a florist, I think I'm a bit of a sensualist (if thats the right word) - as well as appreciating a flower's fragrance and beauty, I enjoy noticing all the different textures and sounds that flowers and foliage make. Yeah, I'm a bit strange like that!

So next time you find yourself playing with flowers, don't forget to listen to them too.

Spring Flower Workshop Part II

This weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a floristry workshop at Make and Do in Caversham.  The idea for the workshop was to demonstrate some spring flower arrangements in upcycled vases. 

I decided to use containers that we all have lying around at home - such as tin cans, jam jars and glass ramekins (if you enjoy a posh pud now and again as I do, you are bound to have a few of these lurking in your recycling bin). But rather than recycle them, we were going to reuse and upcycle them by looking at different ways we could add some pretty. 

We started the session with a small hand tie of Tulips and Genista, spiralling the stems and tying lightly so as not to crush the delicate stems, and cutting to size to suit the proportions of the tin cans.

Then I demonstrated how to make a little front facing tied posy suitable for a jam jar - using groups of Hyacinths, Muscari, Feverfew, Tete a Tete and Paperwhites.

Before moving on to work on a petite oasis arrangement in a ramekin. These sort of arrangements are great for using odd stems from larger bouquets, or a few cuttings from the garden - be sure to condition the flowers and foliage well before using them in oasis.

We used Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Waxflower and a few heads of limey green button Chrysanthemums. Roses would work equally well.

Lastly we looked at ways to decorate the containers. I'd brought along tin cans painted with tester pots from Farrow & Ball, and wrapped jam jars with wool in aqua shades. Hannah from Make & Do had used Enamel paint to give her jam jars a tint of pink.

The class then decorated their vases with fabric trimmings and ribbons from Make and Do's well stocked shelves.  At the end of the afternoon, they had 3 little spring arrangements to take home and hopefully picked up a few tips on how to recreate them at leisure.

It was such a lovely afternoon, hopefully we'll do it all again soon, but with a summer theme. 

Perhaps in time to inspire your Jubilee tea party decorations?..

Gypsy Wedding

Gypsophila is having a bit of a moment. Images of Baby's Breath have been cropping up all over the net for the last year or so. This hand tied bouquet is really sweet and stunningly simple, but I have to admit this trend has been a real slow burn for me.

Its got a lot to do with the 80's, when fluff and frill and flounce were everywhere, from the ra-ra skirts and frilly blouses to austrian blinds and ruffled bedding.

Flowers followed suit and were frilly and fluffy, and Gypsophila (or Gyp as I have always referred to it rather dismissively) was used to excess (this was the 80's after all) with masses of carnations or sold with a few straggly roses in your local boozer!

Now I'm slowly coming round to the idea.  Used on its own, its almost cottagey, it looks like it could be grown in a typical english country garden, and cottagey is most definitely a little country, and country is definitely a lotta rustic....so.. yeah I'm warming to it. 

Used simply, on its own in vintage tumblers or mix and match glassware its sweet and subtle.

Used en masse in tall vases it floats like lofty clouds of pretty floral fizz. One thing to note though, and this may be the design stickler in me coming out, in tall table arrangements it looks best in opaque vases as the stems can look a bit straggly in clear glass. 

Its light and airy and yes unashamedly fluffy, but somehow very now.   

photos from here, here, here, and here

Spring Flower Workshop

Its a gloomy January day, but I've been having fun trying out a few ideas for an upcoming Floristry workshop at Make and Do in Caversham.

Spring flowers never fail to cheer me up. I just love the simplicity of Tulips, the heady scent of Hyacinths and the plump and heavily petalled perfection of pretty Ranunculus.

For this workshop I'm going to be giving tips on how to turn everyday containers like jam jars and tin cans into pretty vases, and demonstrating how to make petite tied arrangements - perfect for your kitchen window, bedside table, for budget weddings and thank you gifts.

The workshop costs £35 (which includes tuition, all flowers and containers) and takes place Sunday 1st April 2 - 4.30pm, at Make and Do, Prospect Street, Caversham. Check out their website at Make and Do, and phone 0118 3276717 to book.