given their due

I have to admit I was feeling a little guilty after posting my last floral creation of roses and sunflowers. The arrangement in which I pulled all of those yellow petals off to reveal the chocolate brown seed pods so that the terra cotta roses would have their "day in the sun" so to speak.

So when I was at the farmer's market this week, there they were, just staring at me. It's like they were saying "What did we ever do to you?" So, here you are my shining yellow beauties, take the stage. It is all about you this time.

When shopping for flowers at the farmer's market or at the grocery store, look for the least expensive, strongest flower and buy an armload. Abundant amounts of just a few varieties can be most successful. I would skip roses at these venues, since they are generally of a lower grade and may not open. Stick with sunflowers, irises, daffodils, snapdragons, and dahlias. They can be as good as those in any expensive floral shop.

The beauty of a simple arrangement begins with the selection of an appropriate vase. The color and shape of the vase is as important as the choice of flowers. This large milk pitcher works well for these large flowers, they are heavy and need a sturdy foundation.

Nice one.

Shannon



Ingredients

• cold water
• flower freshener or bleach
• 1 pitcher
• 10-12 sunflowers
• 12 stems solidaster

Recipe

1. Fill the vase with cold water and add the flower freshener.
2. Remove all the leaves from the flowers.
3. When working with thick heavy flowers such as sunflowers, begin the arrangement by cutting the stems down so their heads rest on and droop over the edge of the vase. Closely pack the flowers for a sumptuous display and add the thinner stems of the solidaster last.

Change the water and cut the stems a full inch every three day and this arrangement will last ten days.

taken down a notch

There is just something about warm hues, the colors of the sunset that I am drawn to. So it should not be a surprise that my favorite rose is the Leonotis rose. With it's burnt orange petals that turn to a warm golden hue as it opens fully. They are beautiful in many different types of arrangements.

For this bouquet I wanted to use sunflowers with the roses, but more specifically I wanted the texture of the beautiful center and not the yellow petals. This is not to say that I don't love the happy look of sunflowers. Those bright yellow petals that surround deep, saturated brown center of the sunflower. But for this arrangement I wanted the burnt orange hued roses to take center stage and not be overshadowed by the sunflowers. So, I removed the yellow sunflower petals, leaving only the dark centers. So now instead of competing with the subtle hues of the roses, they become a supporting role, adding texture that almost give the roses a surreal look. The only greens I used to fill in were some peppermint geranium that I have growing in the garden. I love the softness it provides as well as a slight fragrance.

One of my favorite inexpensive and versatile vases is a low terra cotta pot. Of course, it is porous and usually comes with a hole in the bottom, so it won't hold water. To make it watertight another container needs to be placed inside.

Ingredients

1 galvanized pail to hold water
1 terra cotta pot
cold water
flower freshener or bleach
24 burnt orange roses (Leonotis preferred)
5-8 sunflowers
8 stems geranium or other greens


Directions

1. Place the pail in the terra cotta pot and fill it with cold water and flower freshener.

2. Begin arrangement by filling the pot with roses cut short enough that no stem will show over the edge of the pot.
3. Arrange all the roses before moving on to the sunflowers.
4. Remove all leaves and petals from the sunflower.
5. Cut stems low.
6. Place the head of the sunflowers randomly through-out the arrangement, allowing some to droop over the edges of the pot.
7. Fill in with the geranium or other greens.

Change the water every two days and the arrangement will last one week.