By Special Arrangement

As we throw open the windows to let the fresh summer air surround our space, fresh blooms add a much needed pop of fresh colour to our interiors. Whether you head straight to your local florist for a colourful bunch, or on a nature walk for foraged beauty, it can be tricky to find the perfect balance for arranging your stems in your favourite vessel. We spoke to local floral expert Marie-Claire, of Falmouth based store Love and Honor, about how to how to nurture your blooms.

What are some tips for creating a balanced arrangement?

MC: "For a traditionally balanced look use a limited colour palette, focussing on just one or two main colourful blooms. For example ranunculus and poppies, a few smaller heads like nigella or cornflowers then add in some light and fluffy complimentary flowers such as orlaya and a twiggy element like a couple of branches of blossom to give some structure and contrast. This formula works well in most situations."

What are the best flowers, in your opinion, for each season?

MC: "My absolute home grown favourites are the ranunculus, poppies and anemones in spring, then all the cottage garden heroes like snapdragons, orlaya, sweet peas, canterbury bells and scabious in summer. Dahlias and zinnias appear in late July in the poly-tunnel or August in the garden and keep us going through until late autumn."

"Peonies and roses are fabulous too! There is so much gorgeous variety in British flowers. Choose locally grown when you can, it’s so much better for the environment and you will find more interesting varieties."

How do I choose a colour palette for my arrangement?

MC: "There are various ways to approach this. For a relaxing scheme, you could use a soft pink as your main colour and dot in some peachy tones and a pop of brighter pink, as these colours are close to each other on the colour wheel and will add depth to the arrangement without too much contrast to distract the eye."

"The same technique but with cooler colours could be based on blues and violets, so using lilac (syringa) flowers, sky blue delphiniums and purple sweet peas could work really well."

"Another way is to take inspiration from sources like a piece of art, fashion or interiors look. A colour combination I love to use is burgundy and sky blue which was inspired by Beyonce’s maternity shoot! Everything is inspiration."

What types of greenery should I use?

MC: "Feel free to raid your own garden for this, looking for foliage that will add a nice texture and contrasting shapes. I love fruit vines like gooseberry and raspberry foliage which smells incredible too (bonus points for including baby fruit). Trailing jasmine, herbs like mint, chop a few stems off your eucalyptus are all good. For larger arrangements things like thin curvy branches of beech are lovely. The rich aubergine of copper beech is just stunning against deep pink and orange dahlia blooms in autumn."

How do I keep flowers fresh for longer?

MC: "Treat them like your pets. Flowers like to drink fresh water out of clean dishes/vases so change their drinking water often. This will prevent the build-up of bacteria and make the flowers last longer. You can also add a teeny bit of sugar to their water. Keep them out of direct sunlight as they’ll wilt if they get too hot."

Can you think of any unconventional elements or techniques that yield beautiful results?

MC: "I've recently seen a lot of arrangements that are foliage free. I quite like the simplicity of just focussing on the flowers themselves. It looks fresh and modern."

What are some common flower arranging mistakes to avoid?

MC: "Throwing everything at it and overcrowding. I think a more restrained palette of three or four colours at most and a bit of breathing space (negative space) makes the arrangement more peaceful and enjoyable to look at. That said if you fancy an absolute riot of colour and it makes you feel happy, it’s a successful arrangement."

How can flowers be used to curate an interesting tablescape?

MC: "Choose a selection of bowls and or little bud vases and arrange at different heights. Feel free to go high but don’t create a flowery wall - people need to be able to carry on a conversation without vanishing into the shrubbery. Any vessels you have will work, maybe invest in a few flower frogs and try them out in your breakfast bowls and add in a few cute little vases for variety."

Posted: 18.07.24