Using blooms from her garden, a floral designer has created a stunning summer arrangement featuring colorful dahlias and plume poppies. Their vibrant apricot and peach hues blend beautifully with the unique shades of the 'Amazing Grey' poppy.
'I found a delightful coreopsis 'Starlight' that echoed those colors,' she shares, adding excitement to her garden gathering.
You will need:
Materials
Chicken wire, a small bowl, and pot tape – these can be sourced from local hobby shops or florists.
Flower ingredients
Perennials: medium-headed dahlias 'Cornel Brons', 'Sylvia', 'Linda's Baby', and 'Nicholas'; garden roses 'Lark Ascending' and 'Just Joey'; Achillea 'Apricot Delight'; Macleaya cordata; plume poppy; Coreopsis 'Starlight'; Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies'.
Hardy annuals: Papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey'; Calendula 'Touch of Red Buff'; Eschscholzia californica, 'Thai Silk' Series, 'Apricot Chiffon', and 'Pink Champagne'.
Half Hardy Annuals: Cosmos bipinnatus 'Purity' and 'Apricot Lemonade'.
The flowers are grown in a wildlife-friendly, chemical-free environment, ensuring sustainability. For ideas on enhancing your garden, check out our country garden ideas.
1. Get Your Vessel Ready
Loosely scrunch the chicken wire inside a bowl (a cereal bowl works well) and secure it with pot tape. This will support your stems effectively.
Fill the bowl with fresh water.
2. Position the Plume Poppies
Start by outlining the shape with the plume poppies.
Place stems into the chicken wire around the bowl's perimeter. Initially, they may seem a bit wobbly, but as you add more stems, they will secure the arrangement.
3. Add the Roses and Dahlias
Next, introduce the heavier blooms like roses and dahlias, trimming any thorns and excess leaves first.
Cluster similar flowers together to mimic a garden setting within your bowl.
If you're interested in growing your own flowers for arrangements, refer to our guide on cultivating dahlias.
4. Vary Heights in the Arrangement
Ensure flowers are at varying heights and angles, avoiding a uniform look. Remember, the back of the flower can be just as attractive as the front.
5. Top Off with Delicate Blooms
Finish with the lightest blooms that float above the arrangement. These delicate flowers are often the most fragile, so add them last to avoid damage.
In this display, the annual poppies are the most delicate. Check out our tips below for keeping them fresh longer.
Expert Tip: Keeping Poppies Fresh
Annual poppies have a short vase life of about three to four days and can droop quickly. Here's a helpful method to maintain their upright posture.
By treating them with boiling water, you can seal the stem ends and eliminate air bubbles that cause drooping.
