Читать книгу Slow Flowers - Debra Prinzing - Страница 11

WHENEVER I USE Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ in a floral arrangement, it prompts the inevitable question: “What is that dark fern?”

An ornamental cousin of the herb chervil, Anthriscus is actually a purple-black perennial or biennial that’s inclined to self-sow a little too aggressively in the garden (unless you remember to deadhead the dill-like flowers before they go to seed). As a sultry ingredient that contrasts beautifully with a white vase and white blooms, it’s a favorite of mine.

The distinct leaves do have a fern-like appearance, and they lend a graphic pop to my white-footed dish and the fluffy white flowers from my friend Charlotte Behnke’s Viburnum tinus hedge.

While this design could be top-heavy in such a shallow vessel, it works because I filled the square dish with a loosely formed piece of chicken wire. Shaped like a mushroom cap, the wire can be secured inside the vase with reusable florist clay or floral tape. It acts like a large, malleable flower frog to hold the woody branches and herbaceous stems in place.

Insert the chicken wire so the rounded top emerges a few inches above the rim of the container. Here, I placed the white flowers so they billowed out over the vase’s edge. Next, I draped the dark Anthriscus foliage over each side of the square vase, tips pointing down. Two types of flowering branches give this arrangement some height: White-flowering bridal wreath spirea and dogwood with green button-like flowers. Together, these common garden ingredients make a sophisticated statement in chocolate and vanilla.

Ingredients:

8-11 Viburnum tinus blooms, harvested from Charlotte Behnke’s Seattle garden

6 stems Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, grown by Jello Mold Farm

6 stems bridal wreath spirea (Spiraea cantoniensis ‘Flore Pleno’), grown by Charles Little & Co.

3 stems green dogwood (Cornus sp.), harvested by Oregon Coastal Flowers

Vase:

6-inch square x 3-inch deep white ceramic nut dish (overall height is 8 inches)

Design 101

Elevate for importance: There’s something appealing about lifting a floral arrangement with a footed vase or dish. It’s like giving your bouquet a little stage or platform to help it rise above its environment. This is especially noticeable with an arrangement designed to be viewed on all sides, such as a centerpiece. If you don’t have a footed dish or urn, you can use a cake plate to elevate your flowers!