Yesterday morning I set off for the market with a plan in mind to make a flower arrangement for a party that we were attending last night.

As I wanted to make something celebratory my plan was to make what I call a ‘flower cake’. For this design I use a round oasis pad which I put on a cake stand. The flowers are placed flat across the top and I fill in down the sides with ivy or some other greenery. A few candles on the top and the ‘cake’ is ready.

Yesterday I had in mind an arrangement using anemones, as these flowers work very well as a flat cake top and are lovely and seasonal. Sadly when I got to the flower stall the choice of anemones was very limited, so I had to rethink my plan. There were a lot of very fresh looking gerbera available in a variety of colours, so gerberas I decided it would have to be. I did not want anything overly feminine so avoided pinks and picked shades of peach and cream.

Gerbera Flower Wreath

Gerberas are apparently the fifth most popular cut flower (after roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and tulips) and are part of the sunflower family. When using gerberas in a bouquet or vase it is best to insert a thin wire up the hollow stem to stop the heavy head from drooping. As I was working with such short stems this was not a problem with this arrangement.

Ivy

When I went to check my floristry supplies I realised that I had used all of my posy pads, so I had to adapt my plan again and make a flower wreath. I edged the sides of the wreath in ivy. I must make a note to order some more supplies from Easy Florist.

Gerbera Flower Wreath

The gerberas were then cut to very short stems and placed across the top of the wreath to represent the icing on the cake.

Gerbera Flower Wreath

Finally I added four candles and the arrangement was finished.

Gerbera Flower Wreath Gerbera Flower Wreath

Despite all the adaptations to my original plan I was pleased with the final result.

When buying flowers from the market I have no idea from one week to the next what will be available, so I always plan to buy what looks the best and work with that. Yesterday there was a surplus of gerberas. Spring flowers were in short supply and availability may be even more limited over the next couple of weeks with the approach of Mother’s Day.

I hope you have had a lovely weekend and I am looking forward to being back tomorrow with In A Vase On Monday, when I will be using flowers from my garden. I have also nearly finished writing up my day with Emily Quinton, so that should be with you very soon.