I have always loved Valentine's Day. Ever since I was small and a mystery pink envelope would appear on the doorstep each year. Charlie asked me to be his girlfriend and five years later to marry him, both on February 14th which only made the love run deeper!
I adore the tradition of people giving flowers but don't enjoy how expensive flowers become around this time. Red roses for me are a no-go. Not only because I simply don't like them but the fact that they are so unseasonal. And unimaginative. We can do better. Whoever you're giving flowers to; your husband / wife / friends / children- it really is the thought that counts. It doesn’t need to break the bank.
A Luminarc glass jar with either a potted dwarf iris (Mrs Hodgkin or Pauline) or delicate pink-tipped ‘Album’ cyclamen inside, topped off with a velvety duvet of moss and a pink velvet ribbon couldn't be easier to put together or more joy-inducing if it tried.
If you're feeling a
little more creative, a
Kilner preserve jar (they go in nicely at the neck to give you a good shape) filled with seasonal flowers and topped off with the same pink/red velvet ribbon is equally as dreamy.
My favourite combination at the moment is pink picotee ranunculus, paperwhites, snowdrops and masses of British-grown tulips. (Have a look at
Smith and Munson for beautiful tubes of British-grown tulips)
Remember to think about proportion when you're cutting the stems, we want the length of the stem to be about one and a half times the height of the vase.
Happy Valentines Day!
Love Willow
