Getting cheeky with flowers

Flowers should be about fun and frivolity, as well as how they convey different emotions. There’s so much fun to be had – from choosing the best varieties for your home to arranging them beautifully. Mixing bright colours with green foliage can make for a really audacious bouquet.

Which flowers to choose

Orchids – These exotic flowers come in a number of colours, but by far the brightest are the pink varieties

Bear grass – This works brilliantly with cut flowers to add texture and interest to designs. The bright green grass looks great with vivid pinks

Delphinium – These mean big-heartedness and fun

Buttercups – These little yellow flowers mean childishness

Bird of Paradise – Tropical plants can add interest to any bouquet and these outlandish flowers are both unusual and beautiful.

How to achieve the look

Why not make your choice of flowers as cheeky as your message. Something bold, colourful and full of texture would certainly cheer anyone up. Bouquets of flowers are given context and setting by the foliage around them. There are a number of types that work brilliantly for audacious flower arrangements.

Contrasts – Mix bright colours and bold foliage together to create interest with contrasting colours. Try Orchids and Bear Grass or Roses, Veronica and Rosemary.

Be creative – Create texture with ivy. Not only can it add size to a bouquet, but it can also be left to trail for a more interesting shape.

Go exotic – Tropical flowers, such as the Bird of Paradise, look wonderful in arrangements but they should be matched with other tropical foliage, such as banana leaves, papyrus and hosta leaves as these all have dramatic shapes.

Accessorise – You can add more interest and texture to your bouquet by using materials such as seashells, diamanté pins and ribbon.

Try new things – Much of the flamboyance of this style comes from experimentation. Try different containers for your flowers, float flower heads in water and mix and match colours.

Did you know?

Actor Burt Reynolds once played a cheeky flower prank on his female colleagues. He sent them all bouquets of flowers with a card saying thanks for last night!
Orchids first came to the UK in 1818 when they were used as packing material in a box sent from Rio de Janeiro. The Victorians were astounded by the flower.
Despite its name and appearance, Bear Grass is actually a member of the lily family and has flowers that can grow to two metres tall.

References

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5618580_make-centerpieces-bear-grass.html
http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk/foliage.html
http://www.easyorchids.co.uk/site/dendrobium-orchids/
http://www.arenaflowers.com/facts/flowers/flower_meanings/buttercups_flowers
http://www.carolesmith.co.uk/meanings.htm
http://www.cooltropicalplants.com/tropical-garden-design.html
http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/view/42578/Reynolds-cheeky-flower-prank-left-Rimes-blushing/
http://uktv.co.uk/home/gallery/aid/643269
http://www.ehow.com/info_12115313_tropical-bridal-bouquets-ideas.html
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/beargrass.htm