Farmhouse Florals

One of my favorite things about this time of year is being able to walk outside into my garden and put together a beautiful, fresh floral arrangement at a moments notice. Whether I want to drop a bouquet of flowers off to a friend, or simply bring a bundle inside to make it entertaining-ready, I know I can always pull together something special.

Farmhouse Florals

Today I’m sharing a little “how-to” on creating a Farmhouse Floral arrangement of your own.

THE VESSEL

When creating a great arrangement I always start with the base. I love mixing and matching tones and textures when it comes to vases, like pewter, glass, crystal, ceramics, stonewares and enamelware.  In keeping with the farmhouse approach, using a slightly unexpected vessel like a pitcher or an urn makes a great home for your florals.

And, truth-be-told, vases are some of my favorite things to find at thrift and antique stores because they are always something people have multiples of and tend to get rid of, and they are almost always such a great price compared to buying new. Not to mention finding something truly unique.

In choosing the vessel I also consider what greens and florals will be going inside to ensure the structure and size of the arrangement is properly displayed and can withhold the balance.

THE GARDEN

The next step in creating a Farmhouse Arrangement is actually creating the garden to support it. When we built our house over two years ago I knew I wanted to do something special with our yard that didn’t feel neighborhood landscaped but instead felt thoughtful and cottage-inspired.

I like to call the approach a “Farmhouse Garden.” We have edible elements, like blueberry bushes, a fig tree and and a huge abundance of herbs (like, everywhere) that I use in the kitchen almost daily.  Because of my love of neutrals, I tried to stick to mostly whites + greens as a palette with a variety of hydrangeas being the hero. We pulled in some traditional elements, like boxwoods, and finally mixed in some sentimental picks that I remembered from my Mom, Grandma + Great Grandmother’s gardens, like camellia, tea olives + roses.

Crafting just the right garden to pull from at a moments notice also meant I had to have things in my garden that practically grew themselves. Native plants and those that grow like weeds, like the mint or rosemary in our garden, was key to ensuring I didn’t kill everything before I got the chance to take clippings. After just two years we have a plentiful enough supply to cut anytime I need to.

I absolutely love using herbs in my floral arrangements. I think it’s unexpected, has an amazing aroma in your home and who can resist the beauty of a large bundle of rosemary or lavender anyways?

THE ARRANGEMENT

Once you’ve gathered your vessels and taken your clippings from the garden it’s time to start getting your arrangement together. Now the thing I like most about a farmhouse approach is that it doesn’t have to perfect to come together. By definition it means simplicity, from the fields, unstructured and has a utilitarian nature to it. You’re pulling together what you have and making it work beautifully together. I pretty much take that approach to life.

I like to start by taking a quick overview of what I’ve cut and make piles of the flowers and greens based on which will go together in a vase. For each arrangement I begin with the largest, hero pieces of my arrangements and in this case it’s always my Limelight Hydrangeas. I cut them longer than needed because you can always take away, and because I kind of like them when they’re just slightly “too” long as they droop over the sides of the edges.

I then layer in the taller elements to give it a little height if needed, and for me that is greenery 95% of the time. I think it serves a great base and gives your bouquet the density it needs to be substantial.

Finally, I’ll scatter in the specials. These are often smaller florals like white coneflowers or sprigs of echinacea to give it a little accent, variety and texture, and to appropriately fill in the low to medium height area of the arrangement.

Keeping it simple often means using a lot of one thing, so even just a huge vase full of one thing can make the most gorgeous, dramatic statement. Just keep adding, clipping, fluffing and admiring until you love it. Like most things, it’s all about the layers.

Another trick to perfecting your Farmhouse Florals is in bouquet form. It makes a special story and more meaningful gift when the recipient knows you not only dropped off the flowers but took the time to plant and grow them too.

I love gathering the bundle and wrapping it in a swath of Kraft paper, tied with a few simple rounds of white bakers twine and adding a quick handwritten note. Nothing makes me more proud than delivering an armful to a friend.

Love to know some of your favorite tips + tricks to your arrangements, or other plants and flowers you love to use from your own garden #HEIRLOOMED

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