JULY SELECTION Here Comes the Sun!
Let the sunshine in! JULY S STORY STAR FLOWER Our Star flower this month is the beautiful Helianthus, more commonly know as the Sunflower. This month s flowers have been selected with sunshine in mind. The heatwave may well continue, so we have chosen stems that are by no means shrinking violets! We have collaborated with award-winning interiors blogger Rachel from The Ordinary Lovely. Have a look at how Rachel got creative with July s flowers and her tips on how she uses colour to bring sunshine into her own home. W H A T S I N S I D E? Selection Your Flowers Arrange Learn Home Styling
OUR JULY SELECTIONS TALL SHORT MARKET This month we have chosen classic summer blooms with a long vase life. These will hold up better in the heat than more delicate varieties.
LIMONIUM MAINE BLUE (TALL) Filler HELIANTHUS SUNRICH ORANGE (TALL) Star ALLIUM GLADIATOR (TALL) Support SIERGRAS SETARIA (ALL SELECTIONS) Foliage LEUCANTHEMUM RHINE VIEW (TALL) Filler
LILLIUM TREBBIANO CRÈME (TALL) Support OXYPETALUM (SHORT) Support HELIANTHUS SONJA (SHORT) Star CHAMELAUCIUM CHRYSTAL PEARL (SHORT) AGAPANTHUS DR BROUWER (SHORT) Support Filler
QUICK REFERENCE TO YOUR ARRANGING Each month we give names to your stems, such as Star, Support, Filler and Foliage. Hopefully this will be useful when you come to your Arrangement Guides on pages 12-14. How you display your stems in your own home is very much up to you, but if you choose to use the guide, here are a few insights. STAR The focal stem in the arrangement. This will be linked to our monthly story and will either be an unusual stem that you might not recognise or a seasonal special. SUPPORT Additional floral stems that could be Stars in their own right but are there to add visual interest to the complete arrangement.
FILLER These are usually multistemmed branches with smaller flower heads. We use these to fill gaps between single stems and bring your design together. CUT An angled cut is vital to a longer vase life. Flat cuts will sit at the base of the vase and hinder the uptake of water. FOLIAGE Greenery is one of the most important visual elements in a design, usually softening the outer edges or filling final gaps. CARE We ve sent you two sachets of flower food with your flowers. Refreshing your water and recutting stems after four days is essential for a longer vase life.
Get Creative WITH RACHEL FROM T H E OR DI NA RY L OV E LY This month, FlowerBe has collaborated with lifestyle blogger, Rachel from The Ordinary Lovely for our Get Creative series. We sat down with Rachel to find our what creativity means to her and how she styles her home. Having spent most of my career working in finance and communications in a structured corporate environment, I never used to consider myself to be particularly creative. I never really had to be. After having children, I quickly realised that true happiness (for me, anyway) wasn t to be found in spreadsheets. I started writing, taking photographs and working on little craft projects with the children, and felt so much more fulfilled.
I love colour. Being surrounded by colourful things makes me so happy. So while the walls in my home are painted white, all of the accessories the cushions, the prints, the paintings, even the children s toys are a rainbow of colours. The white walls serve as a perfect backdrop for all of our brighter items. Walking in to a room and very quickly finding something to smile about is so important to me and fun for my little boys, too.
I m not a huge fan of a standout bouquet of flowers and much prefer to have little posies or single stems dotted around the rooms. It s surprising how far one FlowerBe box stretches. I ve collected lots of little vases, jars and even water jugs over the years and I use FlowerBe s stems as an excuse to bring them all out and pop them in lots of different corners.
Single stems can brighten any corner of the home. Bud vases simplify flower arranging!
TALL Selection IDEAL VASE Milk jug, urn or tall cylinder. VASE LIFE Add water and food. Change water after 4 days. PREPARATION The design is height staggered so cut the length of the stems accordingly. Allium tallest, Helianthus the shortest. STEP ONE Criss-cross your Helianthus to create an outline structure. STEP TWO Slot the Lily stems in next in between the Helianthus. STEP THREE Add your Alliums to the design. STEP FOUR Fill the gaps in your design with the Limonium. STEP FIVE Add touches of Leucanthemum in the remaining gaps. STEP SIX Finish with your Siergras at the outer edges of the design. ADJUST Step back and adjust your design. You can gently pull stems into place now as the design is self-supporting. SPECIAL NOTES If you decide to use a container that isn t glass, set yourself a reminder to change and top up your water. Out of sight out of mind can be fatal!
SHORT Selection IDEAL VASE Wide brimmed pickle jar or flared vase. STEP TWO Slot your Helinathus into place evenly throughout the vase. VASE LIFE Add water and food. Change water every 3 days it s very important to re-cut all stems at this time. PREPARATION Angle cut 5cm off the end of stems. Remove all leaves beneath the water line. STEP ONE Create a loose scaffold by crisscrossing your Chamelaucium. * See Special Notes STEP THREE Place the Agapanthus on opposite sides of the vase. STEP FOUR Place the Oxypetalis evenly on the outer edges of the design. STEP FIVE Dot the Leucanthemum in the centre of the design. STEP SIX Finish with Siergras on the outer edges. SPECIAL NOTES If you would like to create this design, cut down stems to suit your chosen vase. * Chamelaucium can come as a large branched stem. Cut this to create multiple stems.
MARKET Special IDEAL VASE You will need to choose a vase that will support your heavier stems. Ideally with about a 10-15cm diameter. VASE LIFE Add water and food. Change water after 4 days. PREPARATION Angle cut 5cm off the base of each stem. Remove all leaves beneath the water line. STEP ONE Criss-cross your foliage and filler stems first to create a scaffold at the base of your vase. STEP TWO Spiral your stronger structural stems next. STEP THREE Place your Helianthus. STEP FOUR Add your filler stems into the remaining gaps. STEP FIVE Finish with stems of foliage around the outer edges of the design. ADJUST Gently pull stems into place and complete your overall outline shape.
SHOP THE LOOK Pickle Jars & Bud Vases We love the unique and dainty vases Rachel used around her home to display this month s flowers you ll be amazed at what you might find in your own home! Start collecting artisan gin and tequila bottles or nicely-shaped pickle and jam jars for eclectic single stem displays. We ve had a look around for similar vases for you to recreate the look. Wildflower jar 5.00 Woof & Wilson Pink Borosilicate Glass Vase 9.99 Zara Home For more interiors and floral inspiration find us online. @flowerbepeople Keep your eyes peeled for our July competition and don t forget to follow Rachel on Instagram & Facebook. @theordinarylovely Vintage Preserve Jar 5.00 Kilner Wildflower jar 2.99 H&M Home Familia Wiss Terrines 5.25+ Le Parfait Mini Bud Vase 6.00 The White Company
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