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.
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.
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.
The gerberas were then cut to very short stems and placed across the top of the wreath to represent the icing on the cake.
Finally I added four candles and the arrangement was finished.
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.
Insert your profile info here, by going to Users -> Your Profile -> Biographical Info. Profile image (avatar) comes from gravatar.com. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam faucibus ornare lectus nec cursus.
Nice idea to take an arrangement already done. I’ve just bought 3 pots of gerberas to plant in my cutting bed, hoping they will supply a good amount of blooms during the summer, thanks for the tip about the wires.
Thank you Christina – I grew gerberas quite successfully in my last garden but haven’t planted any here yet – you have prompted me to put them on my list for new plants this year.
That’s good to know. Did they need shade?
I think that I had them planted in quite a sunny spot.
You are so talented! I love orange and white together. The orange is a lovely shade not fall orange, but spring orange!:-)
I hadn’t thought of it like that but you are right – there is such a thing as spring orange. I am glad you liked them and thank you for commenting Robbie.
What a lovely arrangement – I will be trying this technique for Easter gifts! Thanks so much for the inspiration. Love the colors you chose!
Thank you Elizabeth – I am glad you are inspired and hope you will show the results on your blog!
So quick and simple! I was trying to work out what container the arrangement was in as it was so cleverly disguised. Interesting tip about the wires – would you use it for anything else too? Looking forward to your Monday vase 😉
Thank you Cathy – wires should work with any flower that is a bit floppy – they come in different widths so a very delicate flower like Nigella needs a very thin wire whereas the gerberas can take something bigger. Amaryillis have such a wide stem that something like a pea stick works well to support their heavy heads.
Crikey! And I would never have thought of sticking wires up the – erm, well, it sounds like a medical procedure. I shall have to experiment 🙂
Really nice design Julie. I can see how the anemones would work but you found a gorgeous substitute in the gerbera with their cream and peach hues.
Thank you Susie – I was initially disappointed that I couldn’t do what I had planned, but I think the end result was just as good.
Looks lovely, may use this design for my Easter table. Thank you so much for the lovely blogs. Really enjoy reading them.
Thank you Debra – I am really pleased you are enjoying them.