Fill your home with colour and create beautiful floral displays with these tips from Kitten Grayson and Harriette Tebbutt of the celebrated florists Kitten Grayson Flowers
(LEFT) A TABLESCAPE CREATED BY KITTEN GRAYSON FLOWERS AT SPRING RESTAURANT, FEATURING IRISES, DELPHINIUMS, AMMI AND DIABLOS.; (MIDDLE) HARRIETTE TEBBUTT AND KITTEN GRAYSON; (RIGHT) A VASE OF DELPHINIUMS. IMAGES: KITTEN GRAYSON FLOWERS
For people growing flowers in their garden, which summer flowers have the best vase life and which ones should you leave growing happily in the garden?
Summer is the most amazing time for flowers. Some of our favourites for vases are sunflowers, cornflowers and cosmos. We’ve also found that hollyhocks have a great vase life and can be found growing through cracks in the pavement at this time of the year. However, it is best to leave some flowers like nasturtiums and many wild flowers in the garden as they are happier here and are vital to our wildlife.
If you can only get your hands on shop-bought flowers, what are the best ones to go for in the summer months?
Delphiniums are amazing, just a couple of stems in a tall vase is all you need to create a really dramatic effect. Stocks are also lovely with their fragrant scent and jolly colours to brighten up your home.
Can you recommend some pretty ways of displaying flowers, rather than as a single bouquet?
After enjoying your bunch of flowers for a few days, it is always a great idea to refresh your single bunch into individual bud vases with a few stems in each. Place them around your home either as a single bud vase on your bedside table or grouped as a cluster on the mantelpiece with candles.
Do you have any tips for extending the vase life of cut flowers?
As soon as you get your flowers home, especially in hot weather, you must trim the stems at an angle and place them in deep water- this allows them to drink quicker. Also, keep your flowers out of direct sunlight to keep them dancing for longer!
You’re known for you’re incredible installations: are there ways of creating that wonderful sense of abundance in an achievable way?
Dried flowers are a fantastic way to create abundance! One of our favourites are hydrangeas in mottled autumnal colours which are easy to dry yourself. You just need to cut your hydrangea late August – early September, remove all of the leaf, bunch up and hang in a dark, dry space to dry out. In around 8 weeks the hydrangea will be dry and you can use them to create an everlasting installation to enjoy for months and months!
What are your favourite flowers for this time of year?
We are just adore English roses! Kitten is obsessed!
(LEFT) AN ARRANGEMENT OF ROSES AND HOLLYHOCKS; (MIDDLE) BUD VASES FILLED WITH CORNFLOWERS; (RIGHT) COSMOS MAKES A STRIKING BUT SIMPLE TABLE DISPLAY. IMAGES: KITTEN GRAYSON FLOWERS
If you enjoyed this article, we think you’ll love these simple steps to growing cut flowers in containers and this feature on how to create Anna Potters’ modern floral arrangements. You can also find more gardening and growing inspiration from The Home Page below…
