MOTHER’S DAY SPRING FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

You will need: flowers, herbs and branches (from your garden or local shop) • scissors/secateurs • vase • plant food (optional)

1

Gather or buy early blooming flowers, such as daffodils, hellebores and tulips, keeping the stems long. Pine, bay, blossoming blackthorn and rosemary stems can also be cut to add volume to your arrangement.

2

Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stems. Measure them against your vase and clip to size (cutting diagonally keeps them alive longer). Half-fill your vase with water, adding plant food if desired.

3

Start by crisscrossing your green foliage to create a base. Rosemary, conifer and bay shoots work well and add fragrance. Turn the vase as you go to make sure the arrangement is symmetrical.

4

Add your focal flowers – these are usually the most vibrant or the largest flowers. Burgundy hellebores or sunny, yellow daffodils (from your garden or local shop) are a good choice for early spring.

5

Now it’s time to add your secondary flowers. These tend to be smaller than the focal flowers and will provide further interest. Try willow or hazel catkins and long blossoming blackthorn stems.