Funny how flowers do that

CHRISTMAS BLOOMS WITH FLOWERS

Being present is the greatest present you could give this Christmas. It doesn’t matter where you celebrate, as long as you’re present and enjoying each moment to the absolute fullest. Whether you’re with your beloved, going solo, with strangers or with friends, make sure that this year you dance a Christmas waltz in your creative studio, turn your garden into a Christmas tree farm, hang garlands in the shared house or turn your flexible workspace in Bali into a kitsch Christmas feast. Wherever you are, you’ll bring the Christmas spirit with flowers and with your presence. This year Christmas is the time to reflect and to love. Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS IS WHERE YOU ARE

Christmas deserves a touch of magic to celebrate it. Introduce the season with an enchanting bouquet recipe, dazzling garlands and a Christmas tree to add to your wish list. You can also get started with making a colourful Christmas wreath or a mono-bouquet in an artistic wrapping.

FLORAL FLAVOURS

An updated Christmas requires a deliciously updated menu. How about red velvet cake and cocktails with edible flowers? Make them for your loved ones and you’ll win both their hearts and their stomachs. You also shouldn’t miss these Christmas cookies with a floral twist.

A HOUSE FULL OF CHRISTMAS

Once the Christmas menu has been decided on, the only thing left to do is deck the halls with festive decorations. Set the tone with an amaryllis pendant for above the table or on the wall. Give your Christmas tree a boost with homemade floral Christmas ornaments, and make your house smell like Christmas with this seasonal room spray.

MAKE IT EXTRA SPECIAL WITH FLOWERS

If you have enough to spare, why not gift your friends and neighbours with a Christmas goodie bag full of fun treats and a mini version of this richly coloured Christmas bouquet? For gifts that go the extra mile, try wrapping your Christmas presents using flowers this year. Most importantly, it’s the time of year when you should be sending Christmas greetings to your loved ones. In this way, every moment of giving, whether it’s large or small, becomes a moment to remember.

GET INSPIRED

Immerse yourself in a world of flowers, delicacies, conviviality and above all Christmas! Can’t get enough? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more floral inspiration.

Autumn

Autumn is the season when nature’s colours change from fresh green to flaming orange and scarlet. The wind is blowing and a cool breeze stirs the house and lifts our spirits. It’s the most magnificent feeling when we curl up indoors, switch on the heating, and perhaps even light the fire for the first time in months. At this time of year, the smell of wet paths evokes wonderfully nostalgic memories. Even the rain pattering on the window panes can’t dampen our spirits. Instead, it succeeds in making us smile. When the clouds finally part, golden rays of sunshine creep across the kitchen floor and fill the shortening days with warm, glowing light. Let’s be honest here: autumn isn’t a season, it’s a state of mind.

It’s time to settle down into autumn. To make it easy for you, we’ve curated a selection of floral tips to help you feel, smell and taste all the best bits of the season.

CLASSIC AUTUMN FLOWERS

Some flowers are synonymous with autumn: think chrysanthemums, asters and rosehips. But you should also take a closer look at Veronica, Hypericum, Crocosmia and Scabiosa — they’re the unsung stars of the season. Discover all the flowers linked with this time of year in guide to classic autumn flowers.

FLORAL CRAFT PROJECTS

Now that we are slowly moving from outside to inside, it’s important to make the home a little cosier. For example, by making an autumn wreath with fresh and dried flowers for the door or usher in the Halloween season with chic pumpkins wrapped in flowers. Or upgrade the bathroom and bedroom with flowers in delicate vases and fill the bathtub full of bloomers. The home aroma gets a boost with a homemade home spray. A bouquet of flowers hangs to dry on a door frame in order to preserve the season.

AUTUMN IN THE VASE
The season is only really complete with a beautiful bouquet on the kitchen table. Bring the warmth into your home with the harvest bouquet, make a statement with a large dried bouquet or put a smile on every face with the mood booster bouquet. But those are by no means all the bouquet recipes we have in store for you. So many colours in the fall, so many fresh options for your vase. And of course, you can make all those beautiful bouquets yourself. How? Check out our how-to-biedermeier article or have your favorite florist put together a bouquet.

Summer

Summer arrives with a twirl of a floral teadress, wriggling painted toenails and sipping ice-cold lavender lemonade. Three whole months of bumblebees, butterflies, freckles and summer flowers. Is it any wonder that it’s our favourite time of the year?

Summer is finally here! We’ve put together a huge bunch of sunny floral tips with which you can feel, smell and taste the summer.

Seasonal flowers

Some flowers are the embodiment of summer, such as sunflowers and gladioli. Yet there are many other sunny blooms that announce the arrival of the hottest season, from delphinium and flame lily to gerbera, allium and sweet peas. Learn all about them in our list of classic summer flowers.

A HOLIDAY FEELING WITH FLOWERS

SUMMER IN A VASE AND ON THE CLOTHESLINE

Forget the unwritten rules of crafting bouquets this summer. Buy cut flowers from your florist, pick wildflowers from the garden and combine them with indoor flowering plants and outdoor annual plants. In this way, you can create a lavish bouquet with flowers and plants that immediately puts you in a sunny mood. Are you a fan of dried flowers or do you want to enjoy your flowers for even longer? Then dry your flowers yourself. You can do that this summer, with the help of our ingenious clothesline drying method.

delicious summer recipes

Ideas elsewhere

Our summer Pinterest board is blooming with flowers. Save some pins and start dreaming of floral ideas for this warm season. Got your own board of summer inspo? Let us know, we’d love to see it!

Pressing Flowers

Bring flowers into your home in a new way by pressing and preserving them. Not only is this a great way to extend the life of your blooms, but produces lovely decorations for your home.

Pressing flowers is an ancient art form, with flowers having been reportedly discovered in a 3,000 year old coffin of Tutankhamun’s mother in Egypt! Botanists from both the Greek and Roman periods were known to preserve plants using techniques that continue today.

Prepare for pressing

Choosing the right flowers is essential. Opt for blooms that are naturally flat in structure, such as pansies, daisies and violets.

Your flowers should be clean and dry and for best results, choose flowers not yet in full bloom.

To maintain the vibrancy of colour once pressed, condition your flowers first. To do this:

Pollen has a tendency to get everywhere and stain your petals, so if you’re pressing pollen-heavy flowers, such as lilies, snip the stamens first.

Pressing techniques

Book pressing: The traditional way to press flowers is also the simplest as you don’t need any specialised equipment. Place flowers directly between the pages or between two pieces of absorbent paper with a pile of books placed on top.

Choose a book with absorbent pages, such as the phone book, as glossy pages won’t be able to absorb the moisture. Place more books, or a heavy object, on top for extra weight and leave the flowers for seven to ten days.

Using a flower press: There are hundreds of different types of flower presses available online. Alternatively, you could create your own using ceramic tiles or wooden boards lined with absorbent paper and held together with rubber bands.

Ironing: For a speedier approach to pressing, place your flowers between two sheets of absorbent paper and lie flat on an ironing board. Empty your iron of water and set on a low setting without steam. Press the iron on top of the paper, without moving it, for 10 seconds. Allow to cool for 10 seconds. Repeat this until the flowers are dry.

Microwave pressing: Another fast-track way to press your flowers is by placing them inside a specially-designed microwave flower press and placing it in the microwave for 30-60 second bursts, allowing to cool down in between each one.

3 ways to display your flowers

1. Photographer and blogger, Gwen McMullin demonstrates how to display your pressed flowers in simple white frames in this beautifully illustrated blog post.

2. Display your flowers in mismatching frames of varying shapes and sizes (you can source these cheaply from charity shops) – then hang together in a cluster. See a great example of this at DIY & Crafts blog.

3. Glue your flowers onto glass bottles and jars. These look beautiful lined up on a kitchen windowsill. And it’s so simple to do, it’s explained as a children’s craft on the Red Ted Art blog.

You may already have seen it on this website: our fashion advice for the festive season is stunning natural, comfortable and with a flower here and there. And that doesn’t just apply to the ladies. We’ve thought of you too, guys.

Floral pocket handkerchief

It’s all in the details. Do you wear a suit, or at least a jacket? An attractive pocket handkerchief shows off your refined taste. A floral one lends a subtle twist to your outfit and makes it extra-festive. All you need to do is add a real flower to be the King of Compliments. For example, a lisianthus is not only handsome, but also symbolises appreciation, gratitude and charisma. That’s a welcome addition to any party.

Tied up

If you’re not fond of jackets, but think a simple jumper is also just so-so, make an impression with a bow tie. Like the pocket handkerchief above, this bit of fabric will do wonders for your favourite sweater. Naturally you’ll choose a strong print to match your floral shirt. Allow the cuffs of this shirt to peep out from the sleeves of your jumper, and you’re sure to get admiring glances. So that somewhere between the main course and dessert you’ll think to yourself: I really must do this more often.

Robbert is wearing a jacket, pocket handkerchief and trousers from Topshop.
Niek is wearing trousers and a bowtie from Zara, shirt from Selected Homme, sweater from Scotch & Soda.