“Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with the dream.” Josephine Nuese
Come January, I am ready to fill the house with fresh flowers. Because I always turn to the garden to see if there is anything I can use in floral arrangements first, I was lucky to find branches of witch hazel ready to cut and bring indoors.
These yellow flowers, oblivious to the polar vortex weather, soon open with delicate feathery petals and deep orange centers. They release the most intoxicating jasmin-like scent. They were the inspiration for this winter floral vignette. I arranged the witch hazel branches In a cobalt blue glass vase because I love orange and blue together. I think cut branches look best in glass where their architectural lines can be appreciated. The flowers will last for about 3 weeks. An orchid is a good complement as it will also last a long time.
I bought a peachy-orange orchid with fuchia centers and placed it in a ruffle-edged blue and white Chinoiserie transferware cache-pot, continuing the blue and orange theme. Reindeer moss was added for a finishing touch and to emphasize the yummy citrusy shades of this arrangement.
I filled another blue and white container with blood oranges. I chose blood oranges for the variations of colors in their skin, the deeper reds echoing the orchid’s colors.
To complete the vignette, I added a small painting of a partially peeled orange on a mini easel. Everything was coralled on a circular rattan tray to add a natural element and adding to the Chinoiserie feel.
I couldn’t resist adding another splash of vibrant oranges with a gorgeous silk scarf, a recent gift from my dear friend Hui. This blue and orange display will chase away any winter blues. Like when I was a little girl always coloring in oranges and blues, this arrangement makes me happy.
How do you chase away the winter blues?
To read more about witch hazel in my garden, please click here.
wow…Tu fais toujours de belles arrangements, j’aime les couleurs des orchids ..
Merci Nicole! J’adore l’orange et le bleu ensembles, viens voir ça en personne!!! Le Flower Show commence le 27 février….:)))
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Ordered my witch hazel bushes today. Thanks for your inspiration. This is so warm and cheerful!
That is exciting Jacqueline! You will LOVE the witchhazel. What kind did you order?
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Beautiful. Balm for the soul on a gray day.
Thank you Sigrid!
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I bought some tulips this week and their happy faces are keeping me happy this week. Thank you for your arrangement tips!
I was tempted by tulips this week too but had a lot of orchids already. I was amrried in winter and had a white tulip bouquet:) Have you ever been to Keukenhof, Julie?
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I haven’t. I will have to read up on it. My son gave me an orchid once. I loved it and had it for 2 or 3 years until it gave up and croaked on me.
Oh my gosh, Johanne, thank you for bringing these beautiful flowers and oranges to our party. They are gorgeous! It is nice to meet you and I look forward to getting to know your blog and I hope you continue to join us at Fiesta Fridays!
Thank you Sue! I am happy to meet you too! Love FF and appreciate you hosting this week!
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I agree wholeheartedly that flowers are an important part of any celebration. I love the warm colour combinations – so appropriate for this time of year. I must plant some witch hazel this year. I had no idea it had such pretty and conservable blooms.
I am predicting elixir and potions of all sorts coming from your witch hazel Hilda! It is my FAVORITE tree because it starts blooming in the deep of winter!
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What a wonderful post, filled with flowers and color for our party. You are absolutely spot-on, flowers in mid-winter definitely cheers one up and gets us looking forward to spring. I love your witch hazel, I had no idea they bloomed through the winter. Where are you?
Suburbs of Philadelphia Zone 6 A they are amazing!!! Also called Epiphany trees because they are often blooming by January 7 th. One of my absolute favorites!
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We must be neighbors then Johanne, I live in Wilmington, DE. :). Have you been to Longwood Gardens? I’m going tonight with some girlfriends, I did not get to see this year’s Christmas decorations, which I hear were probably the best so far! I’m taking my camera along, so I can blog about it – my Gardening category needs some extra entries on my blog – I somehow have been carried away with cooking 🙂
We are! I am in Berwyn. I did get to Longwoods for the Christmas show. If it is still on your are in for a treat!!!! Don’t miss the peacock table in the music room! I had thought to blog about it too but my pictures just didn’t do it justice. If you ever want to meet up in that area or want to join me at Chanticleer(right in my backyard) I’d love that.
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Wow! no kidding, just love Chanticleer, let’s wait for the warmer weather :). Let’s see if my pictures do it justice, although I was having a hard time adjusting the settings. Longwood is a 15 min or so drive from me. Winterthur is gorgeous too!
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