Heirlooms are all the rage--vegetables and flowers and even nosegays, which were popular in the Victorian era. These are adorable little bouquets, but they weren't used back then for their color or their prettiness. They were originally used to cover up bad smells, anything from musty cellars to the lack of plumbing. Florist Jennifer Dick shows how to give nosegays' old charm a new twist.
The first step is to strip the bottom leaves off small sections. With the flowers, anything goes. You can mix informal flowers with formal brights with pastels. Jennifer says you should try to match the colors of the flowers to the decor of your room or tablecloth. To keep the bouquets small, use no more than nine stems in each arrangement and about five pieces of greenery to support the flowers. Tuck the greenery just below the flower heads while encircling the bouquet. Arrange the flowers nice and tight, using floral tape. Pull off a small section of tape and stretch it so it sticks to itself. Then lay it along the top of the stems and wrap downward.
Camouflage the tape with ribbon. You can use any kind of ribbon from satin to tulle. Sheer iridescent ribbons are very spring-like and appropriate. You need about three feet to wrap the stems and about one foot for the bow. To give the ribbon a braided look, double-twist the ribbon and pull it tightly. Then bring the ribbon around the back and continue up the stem. To finish the stem, tie the ribbon with a simple knot at the top. To make the bow, simply fold the ribbon into three parts and secure it in place. The last thing that you want to do right before it goes into water is to cut the stems, leaving about six inches. Place the nosegay in a squatty vase with some water, and you're set.
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