CHAIR DECORATION

Decorated chairs are most often used for the happy couple at a wedding or for birthday or anniversary celebrations, but they also look great as a finishing touch to a dinner-party table.

The arrangement pictured here features a collection of summer ingredients, including fresh geranium leaves, which have an unusual shape that adds texture to the display and complements the bright colour of the dahlias and roses. Vines winding down chair legs or looping through framework accentuate the decoration, making it look as if it’s actually growing on the chair. For a similar outdoor chair try Ikea (ikea.com).

While this arrangement is made using fresh flowers that will last all day, you can make simple decorations with hardy flowers and foliage such as rosemary and waxflowers that don’t need foam soaked in water and can be wired straight on to the chair. Place your base foliage to create the overall shape. Make sure each stem is securely held in the foam and isn’t sticking out through the other side, or it won’t get a drink and will quickly start to droop. Now add your selection of flowers (avoid delicate varieties that will get squashed easily or berries that will stain clothes when someone sits on the chair). There are no rules about which size or texture of flower to place first, just use a bit of everything, building up the arrangement gradually and getting an idea of the character and shape of the display as you go. Make sure you can’t see any foam. Fill any gaps with flowers or foliage. This is an edited extract from Florence’s book Flowers Every Day, published by Pavilion Books, price £18.99. To order a copy for £14.24 until 20 August, visit you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over £15 See what’s coming up and be the first to know. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @YouMagSocial