Last week I was reading Traci’s post at Hembree House Interiors, Creating an English Garden Bouquet, and it left me uplifted in spirit, and inspired. It made me realize how much I was longing for spring and the color of flowers. Be sure to stop over and check out the beautiful arrangement she made. It is truly a feast for winter weary eyes.
I very much wanted to create my own bouquet to brighten my home, but the expense of that many fresh flowers was more than my budget allows, plus the fact that it doesn’t last more than 4 to 5 days. I made the decision to create my own spring bouquet with faux flowers. Now I must say, that faux flowers are expensive too. Good quality, life-like faux flowers are more expensive than fresh flowers, but they are an investment that you can reuse year after year.
I have lots of forsythia bushes in and around my yard that I could use for a spring arrangement, but their bloom time is still at least 4 weeks away, and I wasn’t willing to wait. I already had a large collection of faux forsythia branches collected over the years that would become the foundation of this arrangement.
I started with my forsythia and an old watering can. To that I added faux pussy willow branches, white tulips, and small yellow pansies. I wanted to make this arrangement in keeping with the true colors and flowers of very early spring.
If you’re planning on using faux flowers, I strongly advise to be very picky about what you buy. My guidelines are they must represent a real flower and it’s true color. They must look as close as possible to the plant they represent. And they must be reasonably priced. Realistic faux flowers come in all prices and the more realistic they are, the more they cost. I can say though, I have never regretted paying a little, or a lot, for a flower stem that looks like the real thing. Remember you are also making an investment for future years.
Between half-off sales, coupons, or a combination of both, you can own a collection of realistic faux flowers. The white tulips were originally $3.99 a stem, and purchased half-off at Hobby Lobby. The pussy willow branches were originally $9.99 a stem, and also half-off at Hobby Lobby. The small yellow pansies were $5.99 for a bush at Michael’s and not on sale. I used a 40% off coupon, plus a 20% off the total purchase to bring the cost down to an equivalent of half-off. And the forsythia branches I bought years ago, and reuse them every spring.
To store this arrangement, I will take it all apart. The forsythia, pansies, and pussy willows will be put away until this time next spring. The tulips will reappear later this spring in another arrangement, and the watering can will be used in future arrangements with live flowers this summer.
To create the arrangement, I used a combination of floral foam and chicken wire.
I put the floral foam in the bottom of the watering can to fill space, and the chicken wire was wrapped into a cylinder, and went on top of the floral foam to hold the stems in place.
The first item I put in were the pussy willow branches. I had to cut off some of the bottom of the stems as they were too tall for the arrangement. That was the hardest part of the whole procedure.
Next, in the center, went the tallest forsythia branches, with the shorter ones around the bottom outside edges.
Once I had the fullness I wanted, in went the 5 white tulips, with the tallest one in the middle.
I felt a need to fill the empty space along the front of the arrangement where the branches meet the watering can. So to draw them together, I filled the area with moss from the yard, and this is where I added the small yellow pansies.
I wanted them to look like little natural clusters of pansies and dangle softly over the edges.
I had intended for the arrangement to set on the dining room table, but the table seemed a little too small in comparison, so I placed it on the credenza, along the wall behind the table.
If you need a spot of color in your home to cure the winter blues, I highly recommend a bouquet of faux flowers. They don’t die or drop petals, they’re reusable, and you don’t have to change the water. But most importantly, they will make you smile.
Linking with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for “In a Vase on Monday”.
You’re a good shopper, Cindy! I’m glad you found a collection to brighten your home while winter persistently holds on outside.
Thanks Kris! I commented 3 times on your post, but none of them are showing. I’m working with WP now and switching my account back to what it was, and hopefully all the problems will go away.
Like a breath of spring! A lovely arrangement and quite realistic-looking. Well done, Cindy!
I really needed a breath of spring to combat the dreariness here. It has cheered up one corner of my house.
You are not alone with the faux flowers this week! Yours are lovely. As you know, I love forsythia! Have a good week. Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2020/02/an-artificial-vase-on-monday.html
I’m glad I am not alone with the faux flowers. The only thing blooming here are a few lonely snow drops, and I desperately needed something to cheer these last few dreary weeks of winter. These should get me through until the real forsythia bloom in about 4 weeks or so. I have so many bushes, and when they bloom with the daffodils, the whole yard smiles and turns yellow.
What a great idea to arrange it in a watering can. It looks very spring-like. Forsythia open up in the warmth of the house even if you pick it in tight bud. I have some out right now that I picked last week.
Thank you Chloris! I took your idea and I did go and cut some real forsythia tonight. I had a few bushes die out last year, leaving a big hole in my forsythia hedge, so if I can root some branches, I can plant them there to help fill in.
Oh that is so effective, Cindy, and so relaistic. Definitely spring-like too and I guess you will keep it for a few weeks before you dismantle it. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I will keep it for probably 4 – 6 weeks, which is how long it will be before the forsythia in my yard actually bloom. I’m hoping it will hold me until spring really arrives. It’s these last weeks that seem to be the hardest.
It will continue to give pleasure until you have the ‘real’ thing, Cindy!
This looks lovely in the beautiful watering can. Longing for spring here too and a bit of colour. I can see a few things on the way.
Thank you Alison! It gets particularly hard this time of year to be patient, but it’s coming, day by day, and will soon burst upon us. Can’t be too soon for me. I’m not usually this impatient, but this winter has been unusually dreary.
Lovely and thanks for the workshop.
Thank you Linda. I know everyone who participates in Cathy’s meme already knows how to put together a flower arrangement. I had posted this earlier and later decided to link to Cathy. I hope no one felt I was trying to tell them how to make an arrangement, when they’ve all been doing it for years.