Crouching tigers

Lily stems are not the easiest flowers to arrange in a natural style because they are quite stiff and unyielding. I decided to make the most of their rigidity by placing them almost horizontally to create a low, wide outline. The softer, more flexible, fr

Inspiration for a spectacular summer flower arrangement with orange lilies and roses, plus sweet peas and gypsophila

Extract from ‘The Flower Book’, by Rachel Siegfried, photographs by Clare West, published by Dorling Kindersley (£30)

You will need

2 lily stems (Lilium Tiger Babies) 5 sweet-pea stems with tendrils (Lathyrus odoratus Spring Sunshine Burgundy) 3 gyposphila stems (Gypsophila Elegans Rosea) 5 roses (Rosa Just Joey) Medium-sized, round, stoneware pot Chicken wire Pot tape Floral snips

Arrange

1 Push a chicken-wire ball into the pot, securing with a cross of pot tape. Then, fill the pot with water.

2 Cut the lily stems to about three times the height of the pot. Position them opposite each other at a sharp, almost horizontal angle—these will define the shape of the arrangement.

3 Nestle the roses in the middle of the arrangement. Hold them up to the pot to judge position and stem length before cutting and placing. The stems will need to be cut relatively short.

4 Cut the sweet-pea stems to a similar length to the lily stems (around three times the height of the pot) and slip them between the lilies and roses.

5 Use the gypsophila to create some frothy fill in between the lily stems, holding up the stems to ther arangement to judge position and length.

Care

Replenish the water every 2 days. The sweet peas, roses, and gypsophila will finish after 3–5 days, but the lilies will continue for another 10 days. Either replace the wilting flowers, or simply remove themt to enjoy the stark beauty of the lilies by themselves.