Seasons Pickings - A Cut Above |
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It’s no surprise that Mother’s Day is one of the busiest events on a florist’s calendar. It is a celebration of love and appreciation, and a perfect opportunity to get creative by making a gift from the heart.
Flowers are readily accessible year-round and available from the corner dairy and supermarket as well as florists, so making your own posy is a breeze.
Start by selecting flowers you know your mother likes: try daphne, with its sweet scent, mixed with yellow daisies, or chocolate-coloured dahlias and red roses for dramatic effect. Don’t pillage her garden to make this project – ask family and friends for suitable leaves and blooms and source the rest from craft stores or your local florist.
How to make a Mother’s Day posy
You’ll need: A small shaped block of oasis (approximately 12cm tall by 7cm round), one bunch of lamb’s ears or other silver leaves, gold wire, assorted pretty blooms (we used roses and dahlias for contrast), silver pins.
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Step 1. Shape the oasis to the desired size to create the stand/base of the arrangement. Soak only the top third of the foam: this is where you will be pressing in your flower stems. |
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Step 2. Line the outside of the oasis with lamb’s ears, pinning them at each end of a leaf. Continue around the top, overlapping and pinning as you go. You’ll need a second row but trim the overlap to reveal a flat base. |
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Step 3. Insert bloom stems into the wet oasis, starting from the outside edge and working inwards to create a soft dome. Ensure some flowers hang over the edge a little to make a softer, rounder shape, concealing the top of the lamb’s ears.
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Step 4. Bind with gold wire for a decorative trim and to hold the leaves flat. Place on a pretty plate or saucer and serve on a tray with
her favourite breakfast.
Step 5. Spray the posy daily with a fine mist of water to keep it fresh.
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Web Exclusive - How to make a rose dome
You’ll need: Small oasis ball (available from your local florist or craft store), 3 bunches of mini-spray roses, a pretty china bowl or tea cup, a gift box (available from The $2 Shop or similar), tissue paper, ribbon.
Step 1. Soak oasis ball in water
Step 2. Cut all rosebuds to about 1cm in length and tightly pack them into the oasis ball. Use green buds as well as full blooms to create texture and full coverage.
Step 3. Position the finished rose dome on top of your desired china container. Place both the ball and the china into a tissue-filled gift box tied with a pretty ribbon and you’ll have a perfectly presented floral gift for Mother.
Story: Wendy Hart
Photographs: Kelley Eady Loveridge
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