DANCING SNOWDROPS
& recycled fragrance bottles
The most delicate of winter bloomS
It is very easy to simply walk/drive past dense clumps of snowdrops at the edge of hedgerows and woodlands, and not give them a second thought … but if you take time to stop and study an individual stem, you will notice their magic. Impossibly delicate, yet somehow they grow in the harshest of conditions. They thrive in winter storms, snow blizzards, torrential rain and freezing temperatures, seemingly not giving the severe winter weather a second thought.
Snowdrops, for me, mark the change from mid to late winter, and with them, bring the hope of spring ahead - not that I wish for time to pass too quickly, but it helps, knowing the longer, warmer days of spring are not too far away.
We have a mass of snowdrops in our garden, expanding in their gentle flows year on year. They are tucked under trees and neatly outline our surrounding woodland and hedgerows. I recently brought just a few into the outdoor studio, to enjoy for a few days as cut flowers. True to their surprisingly robust nature, they withstood well to being cut, lasting for nearly a week (albeit in a cool space).
HARVESTING & CONDITIONING
Only pick snowdrops from your own garden, leave the wild ones for everyone to enjoy.
Select stems when the flower heads are near to fully open. Place your fingers towards the base of the stem and with a gentle, firm tug, pull the stem from the planted bulb. By pulling the stems, you can gain a really good length. I also cut a few of their leaves, for added texture in the small designs. Only take a small number of the flowers and leaves, from each clump, so it’s virtually unnoticeable.
There is no need to cut the stems during conditioning; simply gather all your stems into a neat, supportive bunch and place gently into a small vase. Leave to drink for a few hours, or overnight.
arranging
As you come to arrange your stems, you may decide to cut the lower white section of the stem away - the stem becomes more rigid as you reach into the upper, darker green section - which helps them to stand a little more upright in their bottles/vases.
I love placing them into a mixture of different sized fragrance bottles, and a few petite pumpkin bud vases. Recycled fragrance bottles usually have very narrow necks, with the narrowness of the neck supporting the stems beautifully.
As the bottles are designed to be elegant in their own right, they only need one to three stems per bottle, with the bud vases benefiting from a few more, so you needn’t worry about over cutting from their outdoor clumps.
They have sappy stems, so they are best arranged on their own - the sap in the water can decrease the longevity of other flowers. They also look perfect by themselves, as you see them in nature.
I hope this gives you a few ideas and helpful points to create miniature displays of your own - keep scrolling to watch a video of the snowdrops dancing …
we have much more to share with you!
PROFESSIONAL WEDDING FLOWERS
LAUNCHING MARCH 25th
This course will give you everything you need to work in wedding floristry, including how to design, create and execute sustainable designs and significant installations. This unique course is a full practical guide, taking you behind the scenes and explaining in detail how to create breathtaking and technically challenging, sustainable designs, looking at design and mechanics in detail, modules from Design & Communication, Flowers & Props, Profitability & Timing to Managing People, plus a private community group and Live Q&As with Philippa.
CREATE YOUR OWN WEDDING FLOWERS
AVAILABLE NOW
We also host an incredible online Masterclass if you are planning to create wedding flowers, either for yourself, family or friends. At a gentle pace, this Masterclass gives you everything you need, from imagining the breathtaking wedding flowers to being surrounded by them on the big day.
Creating with a small team, friends and family, and with Philippa as your personal guide.
