Sophie Hancock from Wild for Flowers talks us through how to put together a gorgeous flower arrangement that fits perfectly with Easter, but can also be adjusted for any time of the year.
Floral Easter Planted Basket
Using spring blooms that burst with colour and Easter bulbs that fill the room with the scent of spring, this design is perfect for a seasonal table centrepiece, or to make and take as a gift. As fresh spring flowers don’t last long here in the tropics, Sophie mixes good quality silk flowers with the fresh plant materials and spring bulbs to create this Easter-themed look.
What you’ll need
- Rustic basket: available from Far East Orchid, most garden centres or Daiso.
- Cellophane (or a large thin plastic bag): for lining the basket to make it waterproof.
- Quarter of a block of floral wet foam: found at most garden centres and flower shops, costing around $4.
- Bowl: to hold the wet floral foam when soaked.
- Yellow forsythia stems (silk or fresh), silk tulips, narcissus or daffodils: all can be found at the Verge Mall, from $5.
- Potted fresh spring bulbs such as narcissus (used here; hyacinths or grape hyacinths work just as well): available from IKEA and garden centres, $4.
- Fresh or dried moss: available from Daiso or Spotlight, $2.
- Decorative eggs.
- Contorted willow stems (optional).
- Two to three primrose or campanula plants (depending on size of basket), small trailing ivy plant, fresh mixed leaves and foliage, three to five yellow mini gerberas or roses: available in supermarkets or Far East Orchid.
- Scissors.
Step 1
- Start by lining the basket with the cellophane or plastic to ensure it’s waterproof.
- Soak the floral foam thoroughly by dropping (not pushing) it into a bowl of water. If you push it, it won’t soak through to the middle. Wait one to two minutes until it’s changed to a dark green colour and is heavy.
- Put the foam into the watertight bowl and place into your basket towards one side.
Step 2
- Start placing the potted plants and bulbs into the basket, place the trailing ivy plant opposite the floral foam bowl. Some of the hyacinth bulbs can be placed behind the primulas as they will grow taller when opening.
Step 3
- Once you’ve arranged your plants, start by adding some fresh leaves and foliage to cover the floral foam and achieve a good shape for the flowers, making sure it’s in proportion with the basket.
- Add in the forsythia and willow, keeping it tall and towards the back of the foam. Continue to add in the other fresh and silk flowers, making sure all the leaves are removed from the stems before pushing into the foam.
Step 4
- Spread the moss in a loose natural style around the bulbs and plants to cover any plastic pots and cellophane from the basket liner.
- Hang your decorative eggs on the contorted willow.
Tip: Keep the finished design cool and out of the sun. Add water into the floral foam dish every few days to maximise the life of the fresh flowers.
To find out more about Wild for Flowers, including the workshops Sophie runs, call 9733 0534 or go to facebook.com/sophieatwildforflowers.
