How to put together a seasonal flower arrangement

I had a special request for a post on using seasonal flowers from my dearest friend Kate. I confess it was a little while ago. I went to the market, bought the flowers and made the arrangement. Richard took the pictures. I did everything apart from writing the blog post! So the pictures in this seasonal post may look a little more autumnal than you might expect at this time of year. However, the rules are much the same for each season. And come next autumn, you’ll be so far ahead of the curve if you follow these easy steps!

I began with a trip to Columbia Road market for the flowers. I selected a mixture of autumnal pinks, red and purples.

It’s important to condition the stems, removing the leaves which might be in the water, cutting the stems cleanly and resting them in clean water while you make the arrangement.

These blue thistles are eryngium.

I decided to arrange the flowers in a classically shaped urn. This type of container works really well with a fuller arrangement. I placed a ceramic pot within the urn to hold the water and made a globe from chicken wire to wedge inside the pot. This will hold the flower stems in place. You could use florists’ oasis, but the wire is easier to use, I find, and less rigid. I’m going for a natural look here.

I used foliage from my garden to give structure to the arrangement. A really good way to add volume to your flower displays is to supplement your shop-bought bouquets with branches from the trees and shrubs in your garden. It’s also a brilliant way to ensure you’ve got seasonal interest too.

I selected purple cotinus, oak-leaf hydrangea, silver birch, cherry blossom and lots of ivy with its juvenile berries.

Now, it’s time to add the flowers. Some lovely dark hydrangea flower heads.

Ornamental cabbage

You can see that the colour palette is harmonious.

In bringing the arrangement together, you should aim for a broad symmetry (but with a few stems breaking the symmetry, otherwise it looks unnatural). It’s important to view the arrangement from all sides to keep it balanced. Radiate the stems from the centre.

The lilac roses will really draw the eye in the arrangement and should be dotted about the display.

They are the same colour as the roses we chose for Kate’s wedding bouquet. So delicate and beautiful.

You can see how helpful Ivana was while I  was putting together the flowers..

I used the ivy to plug any gaps and reinforce the sense of abundance in the arrangement.

Amaranthus (Love-lies-bleeding) with its long racemes adds both drama and downward movement

Et voilà!

Complete with some figs from the garden

I hope you feel inspired to try your hand at a seasonal display. Remember to water daily, especially with a large number of stems in a small pot.

Let me know how you get on with your arrangements. I’d love to hear your ideas on bringing the seasons inside.

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