Slow Flowers. Debra Prinzing

grown by Peterkort Roses

      9 stems Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans), grown by Choice Bulb Farms

      6 stems Verbascum ‘Caribbean Crush’, grown by Jello Mold Farm

      Vase:

      7½-inch tall x 7-inch diameter woven basket with a 6-inch tall x 6½ inch wide glass insert

      Eco-technique

      Vase in an instant: Any container can double as a flower vase as long as you can hide a watertight vessel inside of it. This simple, budget-conscious technique instantly expands your design choices. I frequently pick up glass vases for 50-cents to a few dollars at the thrift store, which means I always have extras on hand to tuck inside boxes, baskets, tins – and even leaky watering cans.

      SPRING | WEEK 11

       PITCHERS OF POPPIES

      WHENEVER ICELAND POPPIES SHOW UP at the farm stand they are quickly snatched up. Why do we love them so? Perhaps it’s because of their pure, vibrant petal colors with the charming button-like centers. Or it’s their uncomplicated forms – they remind me a lot of the way I drew flowers as a child.

      And then there are their buds, encased in a fuzzy shell that pops open to reveal the crinkled bright petals inside, ready to bloom.

      Poppies need little competition to dazzle in the vase, so I chose only a few additional ingredients to fill my favorite pitchers. Since red and green are perfect complements on the color wheel, I thought the orange-red poppies would look beautiful in my old-fashioned mint-green pitcher. I added the blue-green Cerinthe major, an almost iridescent perennial that cascades over the container’s rim. The delicate rattlesnake grass has a hazy effect, its tiny seed heads shimmering as if in a breezy meadow.

      For the arrangement in my clear glass pitcher, I chose two types of variegated cream-and-green leaves to offset the egg-yolk-yellow poppies. The bold Astrantia foliage came from my garden, while the smaller leaves are from a variegated mint. These flowers gave me days of happiness, all the more enjoyable because they were a gift from the farmer who grew them.

      Ingredients:

      (Green pitcher)

      10 stems coral-red Icelandic poppies (Papaver nudicaule), grown by Jello Mold Farm

      6 stems Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’, grown by Jello Mold Farm

      7 stems rattlesnake grass (Briza media), grown by Jello Mold Farm

      (Glass pitcher)

      10 stems bright yellow Icelandic poppies (Papaver nudicaule), grown by Jello Mold Farm

      10 stems Astrantia major ‘Sunningdale Variegated’ foliage, harvested from my garden

      7 stems golden apple mint (Mentha x gracilis), grown by Charles Little & Co.

      Vase:

      8-inch tall x 5½-inch wide glazed ceramic pitcher

      9-inch tall x 5½-inch wide Mexican glass pitcher

      From the Farmer

      Poppy care: Many garden books recommend that you sear the cut tips of these poppies in a flame or submerge them in a beaker of boiling water in order to extend their vase life. It has been thought that the extreme heat will soften the tougher outer stem and increase the surface area for absorbing moisture in the vase. But in fact, according to Diane Szukovathy of Jello Mold Farm, the poppy’s hairy stem collects more foreign matter that contributes to bacterial build-up in the vase than with smoother-stemmed flowers. Because of this, she says, “heating the stems ‘cooks’ them, making the flower more susceptible to colonization by bacteria.” Diane’s best tip: “Every few days, re-cut the stems and change the water.”

      SPRING | WEEK 12

       JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE

      I CREATED THIS BOUQUET as a birthday gift for my friend Carrie Krueger. The soft and feminine gathering of blooms, paired with a vintage butter-yellow Wedgwood Jasperware trumpet vase, makes a complete package. When you give a gift bouquet, it’s nice to branch out from ordinary clear glass and choose a vessel that will be used again and again by the recipient.

      I started with several ingredients I inherited when we moved into our new home. Witnessing the garden’s first spring and summer seasons was a thrill, including the peonies’ unfurling. I like using the same flower in various stages of growth, so here I added several marshmallow-soft buds to the one large open peony. Across the garden, a mauve-colored lilac beckoned from under the mature cherry tree. And nearby, a mound of bachelor’s buttons provided the essential indigo-blue floral accents.

      Next, I added ingredients grown by local flower farmers. The trio of unusual ‘Supergreen’ hybrid tea roses sparkles as companions to the peonies. Lustrous and velvety, the Dusty Miller and lamb’s ears foliage provide subtle touches of silver-green. And the final accent is the Star of Bethlehem, with dainty bell-shaped, green-and-white variegated flowers.

      Ingredients:

      5 stems hot-pink peonies (variety unknown), harvested from my garden

      5 stems late-blooming lilac (Syringa x prestoniae), harvested from my garden

      5 stems bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus), harvested from my garden

      3 stems ‘Supergreen’ hybrid tea roses, grown by Peterkort Roses

      6 stems each Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria) and lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina), grown by Charles Little & Co.

      6 stems variegated Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans), grown by Choice Bulb Farms

      Vase:

      9½ inch tall x 5⅞ inch diameter Wedgwood Jasperware trumpet vase

      Design 101

      Unity and variety: In design theory, “unity” and “variety” are interrelated principles. Unifying features tie a composition together; in this arrangement the silvery-green foliage suggests a sparkly embroidery thread embellishing a shawl. Variety lends interest to a design, eliminating the ordinary. Here, the pleasing mix of ingredients from the cooler side of the color wheel does the trick, with a range of floral hues from pale green and lavender to deep fuchsia and indigo.

      SPRING | WEEK 13

       A BIT OF PURPLE HEAVEN

      WHEN MY FRIEND DEE NASH saw this bouquet she proclaimed “this is a bit of purple heaven!”

      The wistful arrangement of blue, purple and plum flowers looks quite awesome against the chartreuse vase. It includes ingredients gathered on a weekend in early June when I traversed the state of Washington with Lorene Edwards Forkner, a friend and fellow writer. We left Seattle to drive to Pullman, where Suzanne St. Pierre and Scotty Thompson hosted us as speakers at Living in the Garden, one of the most charming country nurseries you’ll ever find.

      Suzanne sent us to visit Jane Stratton of Sunshine Crafts and Flowers on Old Moscow Road, just a few miles away. Jane’s cut-flower farm and bouquet subscription service is a hit with her local customers and florists.