Cornflower Plaid

Cornflower Plaid

There is nothing so delightful than welcoming your guests with flowers; and if it's a special occasion, you have the excuse to be extravagant. In a room full of people a subdued arrangement will get lost but a huge pedestal arrangement of roses and ferns will delight them and put them into the right mood for a party.

THEME PARTIES

If your party has a theme, use it in your choice of flowers. Select red roses for a ruby wedding, or, if you wish to create a traditional display, choose blue anemones, freesias, cornflower and larkspur for the christening of a baby boy. Throw a white party in a white room - ask all your guests to wear white, serve white wine and white food and fill the room with white or cream flowers: pale roses, snowy gypsophila, cool carnations, sweet stephanotis and chrysanthemum 'Esther Read'.

FORMAL OCCASIONS

Flowers add the finishing touch to a grand dinner party where you want everything to be perfect. In a large, old house or formal hotel function room with classic white, cream and gilt decor, choose a tall and densely massed arrangement in an urn positioned on a sideboard, preferably reflected in a large ornate mirror. Choosing only white and cream flowers and teaming them with variegated foliage creates a look of unrestrained elegance, a dignified complement to both the room and occasion. For such a display select agapanthus, tuberoses, lilies, bouvardia, stephanotis and gerberas. Use the same flowers in a twin display on the mantelpiece and for pedestal arrangements that could flank the door to the room where the party will be held. Although the colours of white and green may be discreet, you can be sure that the grandeur of these bouquet arrangements will not he lost on your guests. Such displays can impress because of their sheer size, and because of the contrast they provide with the strict lines of symmetry of a classical interior. Table arrangements of variegated laurel and white roses ornamented with white candles would complete the magnificent picture. Mechanics will impress your guests more than an intricate arrangement. Dramatic flowers look particularly good teamed with a white dinner service.

THOUGHTFUL EXTRAS

When entertaining don't neglect the small token that shows your guests that you really care. When they go to the cloakroom they can be greeted by more subdued arrangements of flowers. Place a small arrangement on a table or on the windowsill of scented tuberoses and freesias framed in a lace doily in a bowl. If you have friends and relations staying overnight; small bunches of flowers in their bedrooms will be appreciated. Try to avoid elaborate arrangements, hectic colours and heavy scents. Confine flowers to the dressing table - hands reaching out in the middle of the night for water may knock over a bedside table display. Little baskets of flowers in shades of cream and white would be ideal.

MODERN SURROUNDINGS

In an ultra-modern setting, such traditional arrangements would look fussy and out of place. If your room has stark geometric furniture, flowers are still able to complement your decor if you plan an arrangement which is extremely simple and striking. For a formal occasion, you can choose one type of the most exotic and luxurious flower that you can find. These might include white calla lilies, orchids, Anthurium or strelitza.

Flickering candles and a cluster of deep blue tumblers filled with different flowers make an enchanting display, ideal for an informal dinner party. The warm glow of light adds a romantic touch. This floral display is foolproof, takes only minutes to arrange and is bound to be a conversation piece. When arranging flowers, it's always satisfying to produce an effect that is both interesting and different. Most flowers are suitable, so the choice depends on your taste, budget and colour scheme. Even huge flower spikes, such as gladioli or delphinium, which initially seem too big, can be separated and the individual florets used. The green, flowerlike bracts of fresh bells of Ireland (Molucella laevis) used here, have been cut into sections with the bracts forming a ruffle around the base of a group of candles.

MIXING SIZES AND SHAPES

Try to have a mixture of delicate, medium-sized and large flowers, with some foliage for contrast. Ideally, the medium-sized flowers should be suitable for tight clusters - like the small rosebuds and spray chrysanthemums here. The large flowers should be sculptural trumpets and outsized daisies such as the lilies and gerberas pictured here. Any colour scheme can be adapted to this display, but it is sensible to choose one relating to your china and table linen or whole room scheme. Here, irises and blue-dyed gypsophila repeat the blue of the glasses and the plaid tablecloth. For total elegance, alternate large orchids, such as cattleyas, with medium-sized orchids, like cymbidiums, and small spray orchids, such as Singapore orchids. For an informal summer lunch, alternate wild flowers - buttercups, cow parsley and wild daisies - for a pretty country feel.

Foliage plays a minor role in this display, but still needs careful selection. Some flowers, such as the irises and lilies shown here, come complete with foliage. Bear grass is featured in one of the miniatures. A member of the lily family, its narrow graceful leaves can be up to Im (3ft) long. Bear grass is sold in single bunches or in mixed foliage bouquets with ferns. The quantity of foliage needed is only small, so you may be able to find what you are after in your own or a friend's garden, or take a leaf from a house plant, such as a spider plant.

John Reeves runs an on-line florist shop. With the help of his experienced team they have put together a series of articles to assist you with selecting the best flower arrangements for all occasions. You can view the vast range of Quality Cheap Flowers at Just Flowers.

Cornflower $10 Cornflower

Perennial Cornflower $19.99 Frank Krahmer Perennial Cornflower - Photographic Print

Cornflower Water $20.22 Cornflower Water by Caswell Massey for Unisex - 6 oz Flower Water

17 Inch Low Rise Boardshort in Cornflower Plaid - designed by Sundek $129 Just in time for summer, these low-rise boardshorts are a must-have. 8" inseam. 100% Polyester.

Blue Bottle, Cornflower $39.99 Blue Bottle, Cornflower - Giclee Print

A Scarlet Poppy and a Cornflower $34.99 Thomas Holland A Scarlet Poppy and a Cornflower - Giclee Print

Study of Heather Cornflower and Blossom $34.99 Madeleine Lemaire Study of Heather Cornflower and Blossom - Giclee Print

Cornflower Blue Swatch by Elite - Blue Silk $5 This is a 100% silk swatch in cornflower blue.

Cornflower Blue Sample Swatch by Elite - Blue Silk $1.5 This is a 100% silk swatch in cornflower blue.

18th Century French Print of Cornflower $34.99 Stapleton Collection 18th Century French Print of Cornflower - Giclee Print

Eminence Cornflower Recovery Serum $58 Recover from skin sensitivity. Eminence Cornflower Recovery Serum is a gentle, antioxidant, skinsoothing treatment that leaves the skin calm and healthy looking. It uses ingredients like Chamomile and Cornflower to calm redness and irritation, while Seabuckthorn fights free radical damage....

Cornflower, Close up of Flower Petals, Scotland $24.99 Mark Hamblin Cornflower, Close up of Flower Petals, Scotland - Photographic Print

Cornflower, Close up of Flower Head, Scotland $24.99 Mark Hamblin Cornflower, Close up of Flower Head, Scotland - Photographic Print

Cornflower, Close-up of Flower Head, Scotland $24.99 Mark Hamblin Cornflower, Close-up of Flower Head, Scotland - Photographic Print

Centaurea Triumfetti, Squarrose Knapweed, or Triumfetti's Cornflower $39.99 Stephen Sharnoff Centaurea Triumfetti, Squarrose Knapweed, or Triumfetti's Cornflower - Photographic Print

Plaid $6.99 Aaron Christensen Plaid - Art Print

Cornflower Blue $5.48 No Synopsis Available

Klorane Soothing Makeup Removal Wipes with Cornflower $11 Wipe away all traces of makeup and irritation with Klorane Soothing Makeup Removal Wipes with Cornflower. These easytouse, travelfriendly wipes use gentle, soothing ingredients like Witch Hazel and Cornflower to remove your face and eye makeup....

Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Removal Pads with Cornflower $15 Dont be harsh to your eyes and lashes when removing makeup. Calm and comfort them with Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Removal Pads with Cornflower. They are nonoily, 100 Cotton pads moistened with a Cornflower and Rose Waterrich formula....

Klorane Cornflower Smoothing and Relaxing Patches for Tired Eyes $18 Find instant under eye relief with Klorane Cornflower Smoothing and Relaxing Patches for Tired Eyes. These comforting treatment patches use healing Arnica to reduce skin discoloration, while Chamomile and Cornflower reduce puffiness and fatigue....

Baldwin Cornflower Fabric by the Yard $50 Baldwin Cornflower fabric is made of 100 cotton. The possibilities are endless for creating cute, coordinating finishing touches for the room with fabric by the yard. There is a large assortment of fabrics available by the yard in full yard increments. Minimum purchase of one yard is required ($50/yard). Fabric Grade: 3. Please note that while it is a goal to ensure color consistency, there may be some variation in color based on the dye lot. .