Archive | wreaths

Stretching the Seasons

We were pleased to be asked to provide arrangements for two photo shoots this month. The first was for Pretty Nostalgic Magazine, out the beginning of November. The brief was 'an incredibly creative winter wreath using seasonal British ingredients.' I wanted to create a wreath without being too traditional in style. I started with a moss base wrapped around a copper wreath frame. I then added Dusty Miller leaves. I was very tempted to stop there because they looked so much like antlers! The soft velvety texture of them is just fabulous. Next I inserted dried lavender, mainly for scent. All of the berries I have used are easily gathered at this time of the year in the hedgerow. I had already decided to avoid green and red, so used black privet berries, pink spindle and white snowberries. I particularly enjoyed using the bright pink spindle, it seems incredible it is a native bush, as they look almost tropical. My final touches were individually wired damsons, clematis heads, feathers and a vintage brooch. I thought the damson picked up the blue in the peacock feathers and the clematis heads reflected their texture. The feathers and brooch added some Victorian elegance. Here it is: 



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The second shoot was more challenging. It was for Wedding Flowers magazine. We have wanted to feature in it for some time as it is the only wedding magazine dedicated to flowers. Although we were excited to be included and offered two full pages, we would have loved the shoot to have been in peak season when we could really showcase our flowers. The edition will come out in January/February. The challenge was to use seasonal flowers for October, but not look too autumnal. Here are the results of our labours, pictured by me in our studio at 6.30am just before we left to deliver them.



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Above is our table centre, button hole and flower ring containing roses, craspedia, hypericum, aster, gomphrena, clary sage, nerines and geranium leaf. We also created a hand tie bouquet, but I ran out of time to photograph that one!

Jo Wise

 
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Gardener’s World Christmas Special

Exciting news! Green and Gorgeous is going to be featured in the Gardener's World Christmas Special this  Friday 9thDecember at 9.00pm. Last month Rachel de Thame and film crew spent a day with us filming a piece on how to make a Christmas wreath from natural ingredients foraged from the garden and hedgerow. Jo pulled out all the stops in the flower studio bedecking with it all the things we like to use on our wreaths. I gathered myself for appearing in front of the camera, not something I am used to.  Rachel was great, very friendly and a real professional …. she made a pretty good wreath too, you will see it at Monty's garden. We spent the morning picking seedheads, berries and old man's beard from the farm and in the afternoon I showed Rachel how to construct a wreath from a whole range of natural ingredients.

Rachel's is a moss base on a wire frame with larch twigs, privet berries, old man's beard and chinese lanterns (physalis).

Mine has the same moss and twig base with the addition of chillis, crab apples, snowberry and viburnum.

 

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Here are some more wreaths we have made this week, now available at Pierreponts cafe in Goring.

 

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