Flower Arranging

I looked through the site and couldn't see anything on hear about cutting gardens or flower arranging. Have I missed it?
I'm a keen gardener and love growing flowers and foliage that are suitable for cutting and arranging and wondered if anyone else on here does this?

 

Posting to follow, because I'm not aware of such a thread either and would enjoy one. Like you I love being able to pick flowers and foliage for arrangements and though my garden is a small one I like to boast that I can always find something to pick out there whatever the time of year - even if sometimes it's just evergreen leaves and/or the arrangement has to be pretty small!


Hopefully others will join in but meanwhile here are a couple of photos to get the chat started. I have ivy and a variegated holly in the garden, my neighbour has a plain holly, so rather than get a tree in at Christmas (which I would worry that the dog - see my signature - might view as indoor plumbing) I do an arrangement of holly and ivy on the mantelpiece and dress that up instead - sorry, not the best pic.
And my Victorian goat door knocker gets a rather pagan-looking holly crown.


I look forward to hearing about/seeing what you do @alana and others too hopefully!

PS edited because my free Photobucket account no longer permits a link....

 

Hi Clare
Over the last three years I've been growing flowers suitable for arranging and enjoy the whole process. I love to see the flowers growing in my garden so I've grown extra for cutting. This the summer garland I made for my front door. The lysianthus come from the florist but everything else is from the garden.

 

What a lovely thread! Hope it keeps going. Clare, I love what you do at Christmas - really festive. And Alana.... wow! You have a real flair for flowers. I would love your wreath! It reminds me of my mum. She can put two daisies in oasis and make them look sensational.

I have a holly bush which I raid for Christmas decor, and bluebells, white bluebells and marguerite daisies which I pick and put round the house in vases, but that is the limit of my skill.

 

Thanks @Irmemac! And yes @alana's wreath is lovely, isn't it?

Did anyone see the recent James Fox series on BBC4, The Art of Japanese Life? In the last episode, about the Japanese home, he talked to a delightful expert about the history and principles of ikebana - their art of flower arrangement. Very interesting and still available on iplayer:The Art of Japanese Life - BBC Four

 

No, I didn't, but it sounds fascinating. I will have to watch. Thanks for that

 

Assessing the damage after last night's storm, my delphiniums received a battering so they are now in a vase on my kitchen windowsill so I can look at them up close and personal.

 

Like you @alana it's 'Operation Rescue' here this morning after heavy rain last night. Here's a St Swithun rose I picked for the mantelpiece this morning, before it could rot (it's ironic that this rose is named after the patron saint of rain, as it doesn't cope with it at all well!).

 

That's a gorgeous rose Clare - I assessed the damage from yesterday but all is fine. I'm taking part in a flower challenge next week called "scentsational" so I'm hoping that the weather is reasonably kind to the scented flowers in my garden.

 

Here's my scented arrangement - lilies, myrtle, dianthus, jasmine, rosemary and lavendar

 

Lovely @alana! Only a pity the internet doesn't yet have a scent transmission facility!

 

That's a beautiful arrangement, alana
:spring:

 

Thanks Irmemac - I see you have a cat on your avatar. Lilies would be out for you because they're toxic to cats.

 

Oh? Didn't know that. I have an orange lily in a pot on the patio. Thankfully the cat stays clear, however I had thought of buying more and putting them in a flower bed next year as they look so nice, but will definitely not do that any more. Thanks from me and the cat!