Picture Picnic 🅿🅿: A Bunch for the Weekend - # 65

'A Bunch for the Weekend' - this week is a combination of pink Ranunculus and grey-green Eucalyptus foliage.

HOW TO:

You'll need:

- 20 stems of Ranunculus in any colour you like - make sure the flowers have not opened up too much - you want them to last as long as possible and once you put them in a warm room they will open up quite quickly.

- 10 -15 short stems of Eucalyptus foliage - if you get a few longer stems you can easily cut them into shorter lengths.

- a low vase or container - in this case I have used a vintage white jar.

- as props I have used a small Christmas tree wreath in the background, two sparkly tealight holders and piece of fabric in colours similar to the flowers as well as a piece of lace tablecloth.

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- a pair of florists scissors
- a florist bucket filled with fresh water

Condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. This is to reduce any growth of bacteria from deteriorating leaves. Also remove any broken or bruised leaves.

Cut the stems at a sharp angle - this is to increase water absorption.

Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours, to let the flowers absorb the maximum of water, before making the final arrangement.

You might have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the vase or container and to get the right proportions.

Method:

- Start with the Ranunculus - remove any damaged leaves - or in this case I removed all leaves - they often look a bit sad. - Measure the stems against the side of the vase and cut the stems so that the flower heads sits a bit above the edge of the the container.

-This kind of arrangement looks quite nice when you keep it fairly low and compact - cut the flower stems around the sides a bit shorter and the flowers in the middle a bit longer.

- Keep the water level in the vase fairly low. Ranunculus stems has fine hairs that can encourage fungal growth.

-For the same reason don't overcrowd the vase/container or the stems will rot.

- Keep an eye on the water level and change water every 1-2 days.

The big flower markets around the world start selling Ranunculus from end of November and the season carries on until around May. It's not unusual to be able to use Ranunculus for Christmas as well as Easter.