The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 13 Winter 2015 Low res | Page 21

Flowers in the home
Many of our indigenous plants that we grow in our gardens
have such sculptural beauty and can be added to any
arrangement. Don’t be afraid to incorporate them with bought
flowers to add interest to floral arrangements in your home.

The coffee table

Echeveria from my garden, in a vintage style pot, next to a
vase of King Proteas I purchased, might sound so simple, yet
it makes quite a statement! I went a step further by grouping
objects with the arrangements - if you do this, make sure you
use the same tones as the furniture or art pieces used around
the room. For example, I have picked tones to compliment
this beautiful blue Olly French painting in the background
and the colourful cushions placed on the couch, creating a
colourful story.
King Proteas

Echeveria

The hallway

The hallway in my home has beautiful upcycled furniture my
sister made. I did a petite flower arrangement to compliment
the feel of the room, using purple and white roses and
for my foliage, I used what I could find from the garden:
echeveria, small airplants, the Balloon plant (Gomphocarpus
physocarpus), as well as, a variety of ferns to give it a softer
and more romantic look. If you are going for a more romantic
look, use softer, airier and smaller looking flowers or foliage in
the arrangement, such as Limonium, ferns, or Baby’s breath.

Tip

Sometimes your echeveria may have short stumpy stems; to
create a longer stem so it is easier to use in the arrangement, use
a long piece of wire and attach it to the stem with florist tape.

balloon plant

air plant

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