Many people prefer to use a minimal amount of foliage in bouquets and arrangements, but I think the foliage is just as important as the flowers and provides the green, grey or autumnal colours that act as a foil for the tones of the flowers. This bunch uses flowering privet and Lonicera purpusii, the latter having leaves of a clear lime green which works well with the intense pink of the roses and the strong blue of the iris.
The centre of the table can also be the centre of attraction at a dinner party if you can find a new moment earlier in the day to prepare a small flower arrangement. Candles are always successful, and remember to include plenty of foliage as it makes a lovely background to the lowers. Given the choice I would leave out the flowers rather than the foliage!
Spring flowers are always beautiful, whether they are artistically arranged or just a bunch of
daffodils abandoned in a jam jar. The strong colours of the yellow miniature daffodils in this
arrangement would brighten any corner of the house.
Simple arrangements are often the prettiest and time is precious to us all. An arrangement like this can be made in a very short time and appreciated for at least a week. Using marbles or nuggets as a flower arranging aid is a relatively new idea and is now becoming very popular.
If you have access to flowers from your garden, even a large arrangement such as this can cost very little to put together. The copper container can double as a coal scuttle or log container when it is not in use as a vase! Foliage is very important to help fill an arrangement like this one; a design made with flowers on their own would use many more blooms than I have included here. If you enjoy having fresh flowers in the house, a good selection of foliage plants and shrubs in the garden is invaluable.
A simple breakfast or teatime snack still deserves some flowers such as this clutch of ranunculus to cheer the table even if they are in the simplest container.
Wide, shallow containers can be quickly and effectively filled by slotting flower heads into crumpled wire netting inside the bowl. The wire holds the flowers safely in place and makes a framework to help you create a pattern of texture and color.
Crisp white table linen and gilt-edged china demand a formal and sophisticated arrangement which is neat and controlled but richly colored and textured for plenty of impact.
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