Over the garden gate

Rushing round grabbing that bunch of flowers, may have seemed a good idea at the time, but these bunches from the supermarket always seem to be a bit of a mixed bag, and never look quite right when just placed into a vase. This is an alternative use of the mixed bunch.

You will need...

2 Fatsia leaves or other large leaves A few sprigs of variegated Euonymus Plain foliage such as Prunus lusitanica 3 Gerbera 5 Carnations 2 sprays of Chrysanthemum A short container any shape as long as it is not too tall Wet floral foam

1. Pack the container with the floral foam with about 2 inches of foam protruding from the top. Place the Fatsia leaves at either end, one for the main height whilst the second one flows over the edge of the container forming the lowest placement. Insert the variegated foliage over and around the large leaves filling in with plain small leaves to disguise the floral foam.
	2. Insert the carnations cascading through the centre of the design with the gerbera forming the main visual weight at the base of the arrangement.
3. Finish off the design by inserting individual breaks off the main stems of the chrysanthemum sprays making sure that you recess some of them down into the arrangement giving depth to the design.

Topical Tip
Make sure you leave a space in the vase to enable easy watering.When buying flowers from the florist or supermarket remember to recut the stems when you get home and place the flowers in a bucket of water a LEAST two hours prior to arranging in floral foam.