For In a Vase on Monday.
For a modern floral arrangement, four small bottles in a wood and metal holder make life very easy indeed.
These bottles remind me of the ones we used to get at primary school containing milk. Every day we had rich, creamy milk which we sipped through a straw. I loved it! Our teacher, ever ready to put science into action, got us to pour the cream, the top of the milk, into a jam jar. A lid would be added and we each had to shake the jar for as long as we could. The resulting butter was spread on crumpets warmed on the woodburner in the corner of the classroom. We all took it in turn to be ‘wood monitor’ and had to fetch the logs from outdoors. We also had a pencil, paper and skipping rope monitor. It taught us duty and responsibility at a young age. I can’t remember anyone complaining about their tasks. Probably the only thing I didn’t like about school was the outside toilets. They were freezing in the winter and full of dust and spiders. You had to run from the classroom right round the other side of the playground to reach the little row of toilets. And you had to dash there in all weathers, even if it was snowing or raining. Just before I moved schools, a new indoor cloakroom was built and I can distinctly remember everyone being very excited about the new, posh indoor loos! No more spiders or slip-sliding about in the snow. Happy days!
My pretty little floral arrangement was a gift from Jonathan Moseley after we worked together at the Belvoir Castle Flower and Garden Show. Jonathan was the celebrity speaker giving talks and demonstrations on floristry, and I was running planting sessions for children. I loved Jonathan’s green and white selection for the little bottles. He chose English anemones and Italian ranunculus. Aren’t they beautiful!
Jonathan is well known for using flowers grown in his own garden and weaving them into arrangements using British tulips and lilies. Here’s some Lily of the Valley from his Derbyshire garden. The scent was glorious!
He added cow parsley from his own garden too. He mentioned that you can use cow parsley even when flowers are going over, as the little green seed heads are just as pretty.
Scent is essential in flower arrangements and Jonathan added white hyacinths into the mix. I grow Carnegie White for my flower posies.
I think my favourite flowers are these frilly white ones. They lasted at least two weeks, as I changed the water daily and snipped a tiny amount off the bottom of each stem.
I’m growing white anemone coronaria ‘Mount Everest’ in a large pot in the greenhouse. These have provided a few blooms each week since February. Farmer Gracy and Taylors sell corms for planting in autumn or spring. Soak the corms in water for a few hours before planting and space them 10cm apart and 5cm deep. They can be grown outdoors, but I find the rain spoils the flowers, if you want to use them for floristry.
I’m particularly fond of green flowers, so this one fitted in nicely.
Aren’t flowers just amazing! This one is a white and green ‘Pon Pon’ ranunculus. They remind me of a flamenco-ruffled dress!
Jonathan is a writer, broadcaster and demonstrator as well as an ambassador for British flowers, and regularly appears on television programmes such as Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Weekend.
Why not go over to Cathy’s blog to see what others are writing about this week for Cathy’s In a Vase on Monday meme.
https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2024/06/03/in-a-vase-on-monday-dining-out/
Are you growing any flowers for home floristry this year? Get in touch and let me know how you are getting on with your growing plans. Please leave a comment in the box below. Have a happy gardening week! And thank you for reading my blog.
Bramble Garden 