Floral Interior Design
Issue 4 Mar / Apr 2004
Do you prefer flowers in a vase, in your garden, fresh or artificial? Do you know how to bring out the best in them and keep those wonders of nature fresh a little bit longer? Sylvie Do Nascimento decides that learning the art of flower arranging could be the perfect way to bring a little nature into the home.
Flower arranging is nearly as fulfilling a task as drawing a masterpiece. It requires patience, passion and commitment. Not only do you have to take the colour, type of flowers and distinct aroma into consideration, you also need ideas on how to present your magnificent bouquet. Remember, you want your flower arrangement to look fresh and beautiful for as long as possible. There are some simple and basic tips and advice that you could follow to make the best of your work.
How to keep your flowers longer
1. When you receive a bouquet, buy your favourite blooms or cut your flowers from your garden always make sure to use a sharp pair of scissors or secateurs and cut at least 3cm off all stems making a slanted cut at an angle.
2. The best time of day to cut flowers from the garden is in the early morning when they are still full of water.
3. When displaying flowers in a vase make sure the vase is clean.
4. Flowers need to be fed in order for them to remain alive longer. When buying flowers from a florist, they usually come with a little bag of flower food. You can make flower food yourself by preparing a solution of lukewarm water to the same amount of lemon soda and a couple teaspoons of bleach (the sugar in the soda provides nutrient to the flower and the citric acid in the solution allows the nutrient to be taken up more efficiently and the bleach keeps the water clean).
5. The cooler the location, the longer your flowers will last. Keeping flowers away from direct sunlight, large lights, heating vents, heaters, active fireplaces, stoves, and even appliances will help them last longer.
6. Try to keep flowers away from fruit and remove faded flowers as they appear.
7. Remember to change the water. Clear water is a sign of a healthy environment for the flowers.
8. Don’t forget to nourish your flowers when changing the water.
9. Start with marbles or small pebbles in your vase for extra stem support, or simply to give your favourite vase a new look.
Flower arranging
Did you know that flower arrangement is a fast changing business that is usually compared to fashion. Trends come and go. However not everybody follows trends and therefore flower arrangements can still keep their originality. Just as a “fashion” tip, the flavour of the season is tulips arranged elegantly in a vase on their own.
1. When creating your arrangement, keep in mind the flower’s scent. It is important to not regroup all scented blooms in one bouquet. Strong scents of gardenias or lilies in a small or hot room can actually make people ill.
2. Criss-cross the stems as you insert them in your vase. This will create a grid that will help hold the other flowers in place.
3. Complementing the vase with the flowers is very important. The colour, form and height of the vase will determine the type of flowers you can use in it. To avoid indecision, determine what vase you will be using prior to purchasing the flowers.
4. When choosing the flowers for your arrangement, make sure not to mix too many different colours. It could be too vivid for the eyes. Opt for a mix of bright yellow with the more subtle purple, or red with white or pink for example. Try choosing monochromatic themes, contrasting or complimentary colours.
5. Select colours that will suit the room or table setting where the arrangement will be placed.
6. When putting flowers into a vase or a container, start with marbles or small pebbles for extra stem support.
7. Many tools are available to create a beautiful arrangement: Oasis or floral foam, floral tape (or bowl tape), floral frogs.
8. Flower arrangement should remain a personal joy. The result will astonish and entertain your friends and family.
Where to get stunning flowers
Visiting the numerous garden centres or flower markets around the country eg London’s Columbia Road Flower Market would be fruitful. However, many florists and big shopping centres such as Tesco (www.tesco.com), Sainsbury (www.sainsbury.co.uk), Waitrose (www.waitrose.com/flowers) can provide good quality flowers.
Thanks to technology, you can order flowers from your living room using the Internet.
Try:
or even to buy flower arrangements:
www.designerflowers.fsnet.co.uk
Where to get the inspiration:
www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk
Bookmark this |
|
 |
Add to DIGG |
 |
Add to del.icio.us |
 |
Stumble this |
 |
Share on Facebook |
Share this |
|
Send to a Friend |
|
Link to this |
|
Printer Friendly |
|
 |
Print in plain text |
Comments
0 Comments