in a Blue & White Vase

What you need:

• 1 large fuchsia tea rose (cut long)

• 1 dozen white Iceberg roses (cut long)

• 2 stems of Nandina or “Heavenly Bamboo” with leaves and white buds (cut 17 inches long)

• 2 stems Camellia leaves (cut long)

• a vase 10 inches H with a 3 inch opening (this one has a 3 inch Diam. lip)

• A 10" blue & white dinner plate Here's a similar one: (Blue Italian Spode 10 inch dinner plate)

Supplies Used:

• rose gloves (99 cent store

• pruning shears (purchase here)

• packet of floral food (purchase here)

• one piece 18 gauge floral wire cut into thirds

Steps: 6

Flower Cost:  Zero dollars

Rated: Easy Arrangement

I know. You may not want to go to the store right now. Well the flowers in this arrangement are all cut from the garden and the cost is a big Zero dollars! They are featured in a faux cloisonne vase. In other words the vase looks like it has brass cells filled with an enamel and fired, but really the “brass” is just painted on the vase. Nonetheless, I love blue and white vases. For more about cloisonne, see: https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/4452-cloisonne-vases/

Now for the flowers…The fuchsia rose is a Hybrid Tea called “Grand Dame”. This bloom is a whopping 5 inches in diameter! It came from one of the bareroot roses that I planted which were featured in the following post: https://www.floristinyou.com/planting-bareroot-roses

The white roses are Iceberg Roses, which are classified as Florabundas. Now if you’re trying to keep the difference straight in your head, Florabundas are a cross between Hybrid Teas and Polyantha Roses. (This cross was made to achieve a rose with clusters of blooms, that would bloom year round but with larger and more beautiful blooms than the Polyantha Roses.) So, Florabundas (like the white Iceberg that you so often see) bloom non stop, hence the name flora (floral) bunda (abundance) or abundance of blooms. They have clusters of smaller blooms (2.5 - 3.5 inches) instead of a single bloom, where as Hybrid Teas have large beautiful blooms between 3.5 - 5.5 inches in diameter, but only bloom from late spring to early fall. Since the Tea’s blooms are so large you need to wire the bloom to support the weight. See: https://www.floristinyou.com/prep

The Nandina cuttings (the green lacy 3 leaved green with tiny white buds is a common landscape plant, but originated from an area ranging from the Himalayas to Japan. They have foliage that turns red in the cool months and green in the warm months. However, watch that your cat doesn’t munch on the white buds. They are toxic to birds and animals. The Camellia leaves at the sides of the arrangement are a good choice to ‘green’ a vase. Just wash and dry the leaves with a paper towel and you are set. Now these cuttings are all from the garden, so enjoy.