Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

A satisfactory arrangement

I'm lucky enough to be able to participate in an informal flower-arranging group that meets a few times a year to have fun with flowers and foliage.

To keep the costs down and give ourselves more of a challenge, we make a point of never buying flowers from the florist, but try to make do with what we have in our gardens, or what we find growing by the side of the road.

An initial inspection of my seasonally wind-blown and desiccated back yard last week revealed very little in the way of flowers, but I was able to pick some branches of ardisia laden with scarlet berries, and a fabulous variety of foliage from which to design a pleasing arrangement.

Leaves that last in a vase or a container filled with oasis include those of the umbrella tree, which are large and glossy and conceal the base of the oasis nicely. Other good filler foliage includes Murraya paniculata and ice cream bean (Inga edulis).

At this time of the year Melaleuca 'Revolution Gold' is an absolute winner, as its vivid limey-yellow new foliage tones in so well with the cheery orange and lemon hues of early spring flowering plants such as nasturtiums, calendulas and jonquils.

Height is always important in an arrangement and this can be achieved with papyrus, grass tree leaves, flax or bare twigs. Don't forget that vines are useful for twining around the container to give the arrangement fluidity.

Cordyline and draceaena leaves are useful for adding bulk towards the bottom of an arrangement, and to anchor the whole design in place. By contrast, fern and asparagus leaves give a heavy arrangement dimension and delicacy.

Practise is the key to confident floristry and it's amazing the results one can achieve by thinking outside the square. Using materials that have cost nothing is a good way to develop skills.