Winning Ways With Little Winter Flowers

‘There’s no colour in my garden!’ It’s a common winter cry from those who grow their own picking flowers. However, when you look carefully, and know how to make the most of even the smallest bloom in the garden, you may change your mind! Here are 5 ways to make the most of the tiniest, shortest-stemmed, and hardiest flowers available:

Floral rings

There’s nothing like a mini wreath of flowers to brighten the spirits, especially when it takes centre stage on a low coffee table. To achieve the look, purchase an inexpensive block of Oasis Wet Floral Foam. Use a craft knife to craft a wreath shape (it doesn’t matter if it is in two or more sections). Look in the garden for demure violets, primrose, winter jasmine, daphne, winter sweet, and other tiny treasures. Collect some delicate foliage, as well. Soak the foam wreath in water and place it on dish. Use a kitchen skewer to make holes in the wreath to accommodate your little flowers and foliage. Once you have completed your arrangement, surround the wreath with fairy lights to bring an extra dimension to your living creation.

Moss to the rescue!

Moss is such a moisture-retentive plant, it happily holds life-giving water, even in the warmest of rooms. Which makes it the perfect base for a floral arrangement of delicate, short-stemmed flowers. Source a quantity of sustainably harvested dry moss, soak it in fresh water, and place it in a small container (a pretty cream jug for a delicate look, or a rusted can – be sure to tape the sharp edges – for a rustic look). Gather small flowers such as cyclamen, polyanthus, witch hazel, or sprigs of winter hydrangea, along with small pieces of foliage. Use a sharpened pencil to create holes in the moss into which you can insert your treasures. Remember to keep the moisture topped up, and to replace the flowers as they wither.

Grid reference!

Trying to arrange small, short-stemmed flowers in a regular vase (even a small one) is frustrating – to say the least! Make the job easier for yourself with the help of a roll of invisible tape. Ensure your vase is completely dry, then create a grid of tape by criss-crossing narrow strips of it across the mouth of the vase. Carefully fill the vase, right to the top, with water. Insert your little flowers through the gaps in the grid. The tape will hold them in place. Tip: place some foliage through the grid first, it will help prevent the entire stem of each flower from sinking right down on top of the grid. Keep the water topped up so the stems of flowers and foliage always have access to moisture.

Creative vessels

Display your smallest winter flowers, sprigs of foliage, and berries to advantage in novel, narrow-necked, glass household containers. These may include empty, label-less, and well-rinsed perfume, medicine, and sauce bottles, and caper and mustard jars. Fill the containers with water to the very top, and arrange them together where the light is sure to show them off to advantage. Pop in your gathered treasures. The different heights and different coloured glass will display your arrangements to perfection.

Never frown at brown!

Brown foliage is never far away in a winter garden. Whether it’s the spent heads on a sedum or the crisp, bronze leaves of a common beech tree. Bring the browns to life with just a pinch of orange in the form of hardy calendula, or with the arresting blue-pink combo of Pulmonaria or forget-me-not. A single stem of yellow polyanthus will shine out like a beacon with a brown background.

‘Never say never,’ in the winter garden – because there is almost always a dash of colour if you look, and are clever with how you display it!