No Rain, No Flowers!
WORDS : CHYKA KEEBAUGH
PHOTOS: LISA ATKINSON
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, WHERE DO I START….?
One of my dreams cam true this past week - I attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London! What an amazing experience - the sights, the bouquets, the smell of flowers coming from everywhere - I don’t know how to explain it! Just make sure you are following me @chykak on instagram because I have been sharing so much on my stories! There has been some seriously inspirational floral arrangements and I am bursting with inspiration, so excited in fact, I thought it would be a perfect week to share with you a collection of floral gorgeousness. From flowers in the home to planting in the garden, tips on keeping them fresh and a few styling ideas thrown in as well. Let’s fill our homes with colour - starting now!
Want a cheap and easy way to make your garden come alive again? Consider creating a little planter box. All you need is a few punnets of pansies (or any other seasonal bloom), a fun planter box, a garbage bag to line the planter box and pot away! I love gardening that is as cheap and simple as that. So simple, so stunning!
CARNATIONS ARE SUCH AN UNDERRATED FLOWER! JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE AND AVAILABLE ALMOST ANYWHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN AS AN 'UNINSPIRED' OPTION. HOWEVER, EN MASSE IN A PRESENTATION LIKE THIS DEFINITELY ADDS A WOW FACTOR.
Let’s make some floral pom pom balls, shall we? These gorgeous balls are so easy to make and remind me of big floral pom poms, so I thought they would be perfect to share. We have created these for past functions and yes, I did spend an afternoon hand making nearly 60 of these so I am confident to say I am an expert at them now!
HOW TO : Cut the flower stem short, about 15cm from the head of the flower and stick it firmly in the oasis ball, slowly work your way around the ball. It doesn’t matter where you start just to make sure you have fun with it. It is such a straightforward and fun arrangement to make; you really can’t go wrong just make sure you are turning it all the time making sure you are mixing in all the colours evenly.
Artificial flowers are great in Winter…
However, I think it's best that you choose artificial flowers where their 'real life' counterparts are actually in season. For example, in Winter you wouldn't have peonies and in Summer you don’t have hyacinths! Keep to the seasons and you won’t run into any ‘are you faking it?’ questions. In Winter real flowers will wilt in the heat if you have your heaters on, but artificial won’t, and that in itself will save you a lot of money! Artificial flowers are a decorators dream, as long as you take good care of them, they will give you years of styling around the home. There are a few little tips and tricks I can share with you to keep your artificial flowers in peak condition, and you only need to do it a couple of times a year.
METHOD
Pour water and detergent in the bowl
Dip flower in the water then shake off the excess water, leave it out to dry on a tea towel. Don't be too rough!
Dip your washcloth in the water and wipe down your flowers, making sure you get all the dust out of the crevices and from the stem.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Warm Water
Dishwashing Detergent
Tea towel
Wash Cloth
Bowl
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FLOWERS…
Get those flowers into a warm water vase as soon as you get them, and try to not to overcrowd them in the vase. We all thrive when given a little space to do so!
Change water regularly, it's good for the flowers and looks neater.
Add a little apple cider vinegar and sugar to your vase to keep water fresh longer, don't ask me how it works; it just does!
When you change the water in your vase, trim the stems a little. You can also trim the leaves off the stems, this saves them from dying off and discolouring the water.
Once one flower in the bunch is starting to look a little sad, get rid of it.
Is your room too hot? Flowers will wilt in winter so keep them in a space that doesn't get too hot.
