Things with foliage and bows

Decking my halls...so far...

I’ve started decorating my house a bit early…far too early I think, but I had so much foliage from wreath-making and couldn’t bear to send it all to compost, so I thought I would share what I’ve done incase it helps anyone who wants to add some greenery to their home but is paralysed (usually me).

Giant kitchen pot of joy

I pulled a few containers by scrutinising the basement where I keep things I don’t use very much. Here above is a giant ceramic bowl that I only use for huge parties and even then it’s too heavy and deep to be practical. It is, however, perfect for bundles of plant matter.

I use chicken wire scrunched up at the base of each container to keep things from falling over, and then I add water, and greenery.

Clematis cirrhosa in the sunshine

If you’re a florist you’ll probably notice that I am not one. But if you’re a civilian you most probably won’t. The making of these pots of foliage was as artless as it gets. Stems get grabbed, the lower leaves get stripped and the thing gets poked in. That’s it. Here is the greenery I used - most from the garden, some were leftovers from the wreath-making event I did:

Ivy - tree form and trailing

Pittosporum tobira

Clematis armandii

Osmanthus burkwoodii

Sarcococca confusa

Bay

Clematis cirrhosa - incredibly beautiful but can easily get lost outside as it’s so delicate - better bring it in!

Jasmine officianlis

Jasmine nudiflorum

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Eucalyptus

Conifers I don’t know the names of

I'll be chopping off bits that go over (never, ever try to pull anything out of chicken wire!) and replacing with new as and when needed.

Here is my wreath

Hallway pots with precious winter jasmine and fake hellebores

I also used some fake hellebores that were gathering dust in a box here above.

And then I bought ribbon and made lots of bows and attached them to an exceptionally beautiful tree that the ever wonderful Piers brought to me. I am unspeakably delighted with this tree. It smells wonderful and it is a perfect shape and I ADORE it.

Tree!

And then I added bows everywhere:

Mantlepiece solution using two vases and loads of evergreen clematis

Bow colours are ‘Old Fuchsia’ and ‘Flirtatious Spring’ in velvet and satin respectively from VV Rouleaux. Gold candles from Ester and Eric at Fermob. Red sparkly berries from Amazon.

Bows

Bows everywhere, and creating with greenery makes me insanely happy. I’m inspired to do something more with twigs and fairy lights - watch Georgie making a very lovely thing here which I’d like to emulate somehow because I’ve got a lot more baubles that need hanging.

I wanted to write something about embarrassing moments like the time I kissed my postman in Debenhams thinking he was someone quite other, but I can’t manage it this week.

I do have a question about Substack though; Can you tell me why you follow but don’t subscribe to someone on Substack? I’m confused - can you help? I’d be so interested to know the difference, especially if the Substack is free to read?

Also tell me if you’ve done any garlands? I am tempted to swag a garland across the front door!

Back soon

x Laetitia