Flora - Sweetly Compact - Living Flowers

YOU WILL NEED

3–5 Rosa ‘Buttercup’
3 Clematis stems
3 Eustoma (lisianthus)
5 Hypericum
3 Skimmia japonic

AND

Container – this one is 15cm tall and 10cm wide

HOW TO
1 Prepare the stems by removing the leaves. Cut the stems to about 35cm long so they are easy to arrange in the hand.
2 There’s no need to spiral the stems; it’s much easier to keep them straight and add in stems to give a pleasing balance of color, form and texture.
3 Once you’re happy with the spread, cut 2–5cm off the end of the stems and place in a vase of choice, which is half the height of the stems.

TIPS I always like to include a smooth texture in a design of mixed flowers and here the Hypericum berries do the trick. A few smooth leaves such as Heuchera would have the same effect.

In this compact design there’s little space between the flowers, so you need quite a lot of plant material for what is only a small design. To make the flowers go further, add foliage such as Hedera (ivy), which is easy to find.

Rosa ‘Buttercup’ has the feel of an English garden rose and is reliable. It is one of my favorite roses.