MAPLE QUEEN
MARCH
U
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica 'Obsessed')
Ivy (Hedera helix 'Maple Queen')
Japanese meadowsweet (Spiraea japonica 'Autumn Princess)
Lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Single Apricot')
Majorcan hellebore (Helleborus lividus)
Radde's fritillary (Fritillaria raddeana)
Ceramic bowl from Made in Cley, Norfolk
Small kenzan and chicken wire
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. For a table I tend to use a lazy Susan to remind me to the spin the bowl and ensure it’s beautiful from 360 degrees and that the flowers are positioned at varying angles and heights - nestled low, reaching upwards and outwards and dangling over the lip of the vessel.
Colour-wise, this arrangement incorporates several varieties that have what we call ‘in-between’ colours. The Majorcan hellebore is blue-grey with a pinkish stem, the azalea is a grey-green, also with a blushing undertone, the Nandina leaves are speckled and the ivy a nuanced watercolour swirl of caramel, peach and lime. This makes for a soft, muted palette that would flatter most settings and crucially it can be brightened up with the addition of an accent colour. I chose to use lemon yellow cowslips but a pale blue muscari or a sprinkle of lilac crocus would be equally effective.