The Flower Book Read online

  The spire-shaped form of the

  ‘Camelot Cream’ foxgloves

  offers a striking contrast to the

  pillowy, round dahlias.

  2PLACE THE

  CONTRASTING

  FOCAL FLOWERS

  Position spire-shaped contrasting

  focal flowers along the lines of

  the framework foliage. The joy

  of working with chicken wire is that

  if you are not happy with where you

  have placed a flower, you can take

  it out and have another go.

  The soft, apricot color of the

  ‘Carolina Wagemans’ dahlia

  harmonizes with the roses perfectly

  and its shape reflects that of the

  larger ‘Cafe au Lait’ dahlias.

  3PLACE THE SMALLER FOCAL FLOWERS

  Use the smal er focal flowers to fill in the gaps around the main players. Place them at varying angles and depths, al owing the viewer’s eye to roam around the arrangement as it would if they were viewing a painting.

  Now move on to Add a Final Flourish

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  20 Designing with Flowers

  Add a Final

  Flourish

  The two-toned flower of

  ‘Tinkerbell’ tobacco plant

  brings together the fresh green of

  the hornbeam and the plum

  color of the red-leaved rose.

  Adding the finishing flourish is the last stage of the arrangement. These wispy, textural

  stems create movement and add an extra

  element of artistry, enhancing the leading

  blooms from a supporting role. I tend to

  select materials that are similar in color

  to the focal flowers, but are a deeper

  or brighter shade.

  I enjoy adding the final

  flourish the most—I find it an

  almost painterly experience.

  The maroon-colored flowers on

  the wiry great burnet stems make

  them appear to hover above the

  arrangement. The color connects well

  with the trailing red-leaved rose.

  1CREATE A SENSE OF MOVEMENT

  Use the finishing flourish stage to create

  direction and movement in a design. Keep

  the stems long so that the flowers extend out beyond the main body of the arrangement.

  Curved, arched, or even kinky stems are more interesting and dynamic than straight ones.

  ‘Creme Brulee’ phlox provides

  a creamy phlox to tie in with the

  foxgloves on the opposite side.

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  Add a Final Flourish 21

  ‘Peachy Keen’ mask flowers

  add a peachy “pop” to enhance

  the colors of the focal flowers.

  ‘Cherokee Sunset’

  rudbeckia is a great color

  match for the berries, as well

  as reflecting the form

  of the zinnias.

  2ADD A “POP”

  OF COLOR

  Add the most colorful

  finishing flourish stems into areas

  of green across the arrangement.

  They will highlight or accent the

  arrangement, helping to connect

  all of the materials and unify

  the composition.

  I love using viburnum

  berries before they have

  ripened to deep red. In

  this arrangement they offer

  a textural contrast to the

  focal flowers, while being

  similar in shade.

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  22 Designing with Flowers

  Conditioning

  & Care

  To get the maximum vase life and

  enjoyment from your flowers, it is worth

  following a few simple steps to prepare the Garden roses have

  stems for arranging. Flowers have varying

  a strong scent, which

  shortens their vase life.

  lengths of vase life. For example, the more fragrant a flower, the shorter its life in the vase will be. One general rule is to keep

  the vase and water as clean as possible.

  1CUTBefore you arrange your flowers, cut the stems at a sharp angle with floral snips. This This entire branch can be

  prevents the bottom of the stem from sitting flush removed as part of the

  against the base of the container and increases stripping process.

  the surface area, al owing more water to be taken up into the plant. For woody stems, use shears and cut about 11/4in (3cm) up the stem as well as across. Keep the blades clean and sharp so they cut wel ; blunt blades crush the stems and the cel s that take up water.

  Cut up the length

  of woody stems

  to maximize

  surface area.

  Cut across

  the bottom of

  the stem for

  2STRIP

  Pull or trim all leaves,

  thorns, or berries that

  will fall below the water

  desired length.

  level in the container. If left

  underwater, these parts of the

  Cut stems at a sharp

  plant will start to decompose,

  angle to increase

  bringing harmful bacteria

  water uptake.

  STANDARD STEMS

  WOODY STEMS

  that will shorten the vase

  life of the flowers.

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  Conditioning & Care 23

  Keep snapdragon stems upright

  when hydrating them to ensure

  that they remain straight.

  This scabious has had

  all of its side shoots and

  foliage removed.

  Hydrangeas require

  searing before they

  can be arranged.

  4HYDRATE

  After being cut, flowers should

  be left to rest in a bucket of water

  overnight (conditioned) before they are

  arranged. This gives each stem time to

  take up enough water for it to be ful y

  hydrated, meaning it will last longer in

  the vase. As the stems are full of water,

  3

  they will also be more rigid and easier

  SEAR

  to arrange.

  Some stems require searing after being

  cut to prevent them from leaking sap or

  latex. This prolongs the flower’s vase life and, Hornbeam has thick,

  woody stems.

  as some of these secretions can be toxic, also protects other flowers in the arrangement. To sear, hold the stems 1in (2–3cm) deep in

  boiling water for up to 30 seconds, protecting the flowers from the steam. Then plunge into REPLENISH

  a deep bucket of water to condition.

  After an arrangement has been displayed for a couple of days, the water may

  become cloudy. This is an indication

  of decomposition and bacterial growth.

  Change the water in the container at least every 2–3 days, using fresh, warm water.

  This will open the cel s in the stem, al owing water to flow up into the flower.

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  24 Designing with Flowers

  Front-Facing Designs

  Front-facing arrangements tend to be quite large in scale and are normally positioned with their back against a wall, such as on a mantlepiece or side table.

  This means the back of the arrangement is not seen.


  PRINCIPLES

  I work at the same height from which the arrangement will be viewed. As only the front of the arrangement can be seen, there is no need to work as much material into the back. However, it will need some flowers and foliage to balance the arrangement aesthetical y, but also practical y—if the front is too heavy, it may tip over. Fill out the back with foliage and place a few flowers, Fewer flowers

  often facing away from the viewer, so that they are partial y visible as you look are placed at

  through the arrangement. This creates a more natural, “grown-in” style, as the back of the

  flowers would not always natural y grow in one direction.

  arrangement.

  Focal flowers facing away

  from the front give a sense

  of natural growth.

  SIDE VIEW

  These branches of

  framework foliage

  provide width and

  a sense of movement.

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  Centrepieces 25

  Centerpieces

  A centerpiece is normally for a table that people will be sitting around for food and entertaining. It is therefore good to make it low enough to see over! It will also need to look interesting and attractive from all sides.

  PRINCIPLES

  I work on centerpieces sitting down with the container on a rotating When the

  wheel so that I can consider my design from all angles. Begin by selecting arrangement is

  rotated, it retains

  a low container so that the flowers will not sit too high once added.

  its overall beauty.

  Remember to rotate the arrangement as you are working.

  ALTERNATE VIEW

  From this viewpoint the

  roses are the focal flower

  within the arrangement.

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  26 Designing with Flowers

  How to Create a

  Hand-Tied Bouquet

  Hand-tied bouquets are popular for weddings and as gifts.

  The aim is to create a full, rounded top with a narrow neck so that it is comfortable to hold. It is also a useful technique for creating an abundant arrangement for a container.

  YOU WILL NEED

  Focal flowers: 1 Peruvian lily stem (Alstroemeria aurea ‘Friendship’ ) • 5 roses of different varieties (Rosa ‘Duchess of Cornwall’ , R. ‘Moody Blue’ , R. ‘Proper Job’ ) 3 nigel a stems (Nigel a hispanica ‘African Bride’ ) Foliage: 3 hornbeam branches (Carpinus betulus) • 3 Chinese forget-me-not stems (Cynoglossum amabile) • 5 apple mint stems (Mentha suaveolens) Flowering stems: 3 astrantia stems (Astrantia major) • 2 milky bel flower stems (Campanula lactiflora) • 3 rosebay wil owherb stems (Epilobium angustifolium ‘Stahl Rose’ ) raffia or twine

  1Before starting to build your hand tie, remove any leaves, side shoots, or thorns from the bottom half to 2Take a focal flower and hold it in your nondominant hand. Add foliage and flowering stems alternately, thinking about how two-thirds of the stems. Lay out all of the prepared their colors and shapes interact. Hold the flowers in place in material on a surface, grouping flowers of the same type your palm using your thumb and forefinger. Do not use the woody so that that they are easy to select.

  hornbeam branches until step 4.

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  How to Create a Hand-Tied Bouquet 27

  3Adjust your grip by sliding your thumb up and down your forefinger. Loosen your grip to insert new stems into 4Use your final stems to fill any gaps in the center, inserting them from the top and nestling them between flowers that the bouquet at an angle. Place each new stem beneath the are already in place. Ensure that the stems are being worked existing flowers so that a dome shape to the bouquet forms.

  in the same direction. Finish with the woodiest stems (in this case, Turn the bouquet counterclockwise after every third stem to the hornbeam), which will support any softer stems, protecting them create the spiral twist to the stems.

  when the bouquet is tied off.

  5To tie the bouquet, loop the piece of raffia or twine around your forefinger. Then wrap it around the bouquet above 6Finish off the bouquet by cutting the stems so that they are uniform and neat. The bouquet should balance if placed your holding hand and pull the ends through the original upright on a table or work surface.

  loop. Separate the two ends, rest the bouquet on the edge of a table, and tie in a double knot.

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  WINTER &

  EARLY SPRING

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  WINTER &

  EARLY SPRING

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  30 Winter & Early Spring

  Anemone

  Anemone

  I love anemones—their jewel-

  bright colors are so welcome

  after a long, dreary winter.

  Anemones’ bold color and shape lend

  themselves perfectly to a simple, single-

  flower-type arrangement. They also have

  a good amount of their own green in the form of a fetching “ruff,” which frames their faces.

  As well as their surprisingly long vase life, anemones also bring an irresistible

  sense of nostalgia.

  STEM HEIGHT

  FROM THE FLORIST Look for clean, tight centers up to 32in (80cm)

  without any powdery pol en. The petals should have a good, solid color and the shape should be cupped.

  FLOWER SIZE

  Check the stems for splitting and snapping.

  up to 3in (8cm)

  LONGEVITY 7–10 days

  IN THE GARDEN Anemones are cool-weather

  flowers, so the corms (bulbs) should be planted in FORM single

  the fall to flower the fol owing spring. They enjoy COLORS blue, purple,

  a consistently moist, wel -drained soil with plenty of pink, red, white

  organic matter, and normal y flower in early spring.

  FRAGRANCE none

  PREPARATION Recut the stems at a sharp angle BEST COMPANIONS

  under water and let them condition overnight with black-leaved cow parsley

  a rubber band at the top and bottom of the stems.

  Anemone coronaria plants produce

  or Japanese painted fern,

  This will set them straight before arranging.

  a succession of up to 20 single,

  ranunculus, bluebel s

  cup-shaped blooms, each with

  DISPLAY

  a central eye of stamens.

  As anemones open in light and heat,

  ensure they are given a bit of room in the vase. They work well as a single-flower-type arrangement, and can also be used as a focal flower in a mixed composition.

  CARE Keep anemones in a cool room out of direct sunlight. They are thirsty flowers, so make sure you top off the vase with water every 2 days.

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  Anemone 31

  Anemones represent

  unfading love—in Greek mythology,

  anemones grew from the spil ed blood

  of Adonis, lover of Aphrodite.

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  Anemone 33

  Nostalgic Spring Vase

  I used coral-colored anemones to create this striking arrangement, adding cow parsley or Japanese painted fern to pick out the flowers’ dark centers. The ornate, cut-glass vase enhances their slightly old-fashioned appearance.

  YOU WILL NEED

  ARRANGE
r />   25 anemones

  1 Fill the vase with water; then cut the anemone (Anemone coronaria)

  stems to around twice the height of the vase.

  10 black-leaved cow parsley

  stems (Anthriscus sylvestris

  2 Place four or five stems in the vase to create the

  ‘Ravenswing’ ), or Japanese

  outline of your soft-dome-shaped arrangement.

  painted ferns

  floral snips

  3 Once you have a basic outline, hold the remaining stems up to the arrangment one at a time so that you medium glass vase

  can judge position and stem length. Then cut and place them appropriately. Create layers of flowers by cutting the stems to different lengths.

  4 Slip the cow parsley or painted ferns between the lower anemones’ stems to connect the flowers to the vase.

  CARE

  Anemones will last 7–10 days in the vase, growing up to 2in (5cm) in that time, so trim the ends and refresh the water every 2 days.

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  34 Winter & Early Spring

  Convallaria majalis is native to Europe, appearing in light woodland and alpine

  meadows. Specific varieties are also found in parts of East Asia and the eastern US.

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  Lily-of-the-valley 35

  Lily-of-the-

  valley

  Convallaria majalis

  Lily-of-the-val ey combines

  a heavenly fragrance and elegant,

  bell-shaped, white flowers.

  The form and scent of these small, delicate flowers have made them a popular wedding

  flower, adorning many a bridal bouquet.

  Their timeless beauty never seems to fall from favor, and their brief flowering period and vase life make them even more precious.

  STEM HEIGHT

  FROM THE FLORIST The best stems to choose

  up to 8in (20cm)

  will have most of their flowers open, but a few closed buds at the top.

  FLOWER SIZE

  ¼–½in (0.5–1cm)

  IN THE GARDEN Choose a shaded position to

  LONGEVITY 3–5 days

  plant the seeds. You will need to be patient as they can take a few years to establish.

  FORM arching stems

  with small flowers

  PREPARATION Before displaying, separate the COLORS white

  leaves from the stems by gently pul ing the two apart; this makes them easier to arrange. Recut and then FRAGRANCE

  place both parts in water overnight to condition.