This arrangement began with one single Heuchera leaf - soft yellow with a bleeding raspberry pink outline. I took this with me around the garden searching for materials that either matched or closely complemented these two colours.
When creating a distinctly sculptural shape like this I really assess my branches - laying them out on the table or floor, appraising their shapes and natural bent - which way do they want to lean?
I use the hand-vase technique (covered in detail in our forthcoming online course ‘Bouquets’), arranging the stems into my hand as if it were a vessel and allowing the ingredients space to breath and show off their individual curves and quirks.
I choose two types of branch - one blossoming (Prunus spinosa), one leafy (Carpinus), two ‘filler’ foliages (Luzula & Epimedium), a spire flower (Fritillaria), a focal flower (Narcissus) and a gestural flower (Leucojum).
The diminutive flowers that emerge as spring unfolds appear almost impossibly fragile and are somehow all the more precious for it. Arranging these tiny stems is a meditative process - very specific, very gentle.
We cannot sing the praises of Epimedium enough! We grow many different varieties in the cutting garden and they are low-maintenance, tough, excellent ground cover.
The flowers are all blue-pinks, purple and lilac and with the white cherry the effect is predominantly cool, however the yellow-green and lime foliage adds an uplifting splash of warmth that keeps it interesting.
A very simple, easy arrangement to make at home - take any bowl, jar or low dish, pop a kenzan and/or chicken wire in the bottom and you only need 20-odd stems to make a pretty centrepiece.