How to make an Easter garden gathered arrangement

A cardboard box or bin placed on the floor to throw your discarded leaves into

Head out for a leisurely bank holiday walk with the family and be sure to take your secateurs with you.  Try and find 3 different types of foliage and you’ll probably want about 3 stems of each.  In this arrangement I purposely chose branches that had a nice arcing quality to them to soften the look of the arrangement while adding a bit of grandeur.

You can make this arrangement with shop bought tulips but there is something about the movement of garden grown stems that adds that touch of romance and a little bit of quirkiness.  Plus you’d be lucky to find the varieties I’ve used here in your local florist and if you did you’d be paying through the nose for them!

Start by scrubbing your vase with hot water and bleach (don your marigolds to protect your hands). Rinse it well with hot water and then fill it with lukewarm water.

Starting with your foliage cut the stem at a 45 degree angle and remove any leaves that fall below the waterline when in the vase.

Add the stems one at a time crossing them over in the vase to form a framework to give the flowers support.

As you add your foliage, keep turning the vase to make sure it looks good from all angles.  This is especially important if it is going on the lunch table.

If you managed to find any blossom on your foraging walk or you’re lucky enough to have a suitable tree in your garden then add that next, making sure its evenly spread throughout the arrangement.

Now for the flowers!  Be sure to remove any lower leaves so your water stays crystal clear and bacteria free.  Everyone does this differently but I like to add my showstoppers first so I make sure they get the best spots.  In this one I’m using Apricot parrot tulips which have very large heavy heads so I’ve made sure to take that into account in my placement of them. Either I’ve placed them so they can drape lazily over the edge of the vase or I’ve put them next to some foliage branches to give them a little bit of support.

Tulips are one of the few flowers that keep growing once cut so be mindful of this when deciding when to put them in your display.  I quite like the fact that your display is ever changing though.

Then add your second type of tulips, mine are tulip spring green.  These have much straighter stems and their heads are far lighter so I’ve used them to add some height.

Lastly, fill the gaps with your daffodils.  The orange centres of these Narcissus Sophie Girl  tie in with the orange of the parrot tulips to give a cohesive overall theme.