“Flowers make a room come alive and are small in size yet big in beauty,” says Janet Coon of Shabbyfufu. “There is nothing as elegant as a bare table with a large bouquet of flowers simply placed randomly to please the eye in a vessel.”
This simple aesthetic is unfussy and allows natural elements to speak for themselves, as demonstrated so eloquently in this bouquet arranged by Janet, and featured in the February 2017 issue of Romantic Homes.
The floral elements in this bouquet of the month include:
- Seeded eucalyptus
- Baby blue eucalyptus
- Pink peonies
- White ranunculus
- Sword fern
- Agonis
- Queen Anne’s lace
- Kale variety
To make the bouquet of the month, fill a pitcher or other tall vase 2/3rds full of fresh water and add plant food. Trim the ends of the floral stems at an angle, but don’t cut them short.
No floral foam is necessary for this arrangement. Start by adding bunches of eucalyptus and argonis, allowing them to drape over the side of the container. Then fill in with additional flowers as desired.
Forcing Peonies to Open:
If you buy your peonies from a flower market or grocery store, they will probably arrive with the buds in tight balls. If you’d like to enjoy the lush, full blooms now instead of waiting, follow these steps to force them to open up:
- Cut off all the excess leaves from the stem.
- Hold the stem under warm water and make a 45-degree cut.
- Keep the flowers in a warm room and replace the water with warm water at least 3 times a day.
- (Optional) Put the flowers in your car for a few hours – it will function as a hothouse.
- (Optional) Put a plastic bag over the heads of the flowers and seal it, trapping in ethylene gas and encouraging them to open faster.
- (Optional) Submerge the flowers face down in warm water for about five minutes.
Flowers provided by Miami Flower Market
May