Wintry soft

A wintry soft bouquet whose bouquet frame is made of a Styrofoam ball cut in half several times resulting in different sized rings. Metal rings were also used for a playful effect. The rings are covered with a variety of soft and natural materials in shades of white and beige. Also in terms of flower colors, light and soft shades of Ornithogalum, Amaryllis, autumn anemone 'Honorine Jobert', Nerine, Agapanthus and two types of VIP roses were chosen in this bouquet.

Tough winter globe

The base is a wicker basket plastered with all kinds of pine cones. The basket is placed on a peg on a birch trunk. By choosing to incorporate plants, the arrangement is also long lasting. Plants used: orchid, Scindapsus and Ceropegia. Between these, some Diplocylcos tendrils and Larix branches have been placed. A tough arrangement with a winter look due to the sober materials and the beautifully tinted fragile flowers of the orchid.

'A little nod to color'

Florist Marijke Geerdink has had her own business Floral Queen floral stylists in Goor for eight years after working as a freelancer for a long time. 'We work with a team of true lovers of flowers which makes us constantly innovative and always trying to inspire the customer with new materials.'

'In our flower business there is an increasing demand for sustainability. People are willing to pay more, but they have to be able to
longer. So more durable arrangements and vases and pots that are timeless.'

'I work together with my sister Rosanne and in the evening we regularly app each other with new inspiration. For the winter theme we found inspiration from fellow arrangers from the Scandinavian countries where it is really winter - and you also find the real winter materials. Winter for me means: cold, icy, austere nature, candles, wood, pine cones, animals in the forest. The use of soft materials also appeals and flower bulbs - which already refer to spring.'

'We usually work very colorfully so it is quite a challenge to create beautiful arrangements with the sober winter materials. Hence also in the arrangements a little nod to color.'

Winter Challenge

To move from the colorful fall to winter is a different mindset for many people. Not that the colors completely disappear from the landscape, but it's all a bit more subtle and monochromatic. For florists, especially those who want to work more sustainably, that can be a challenge. Getting into the shell of nature, the bare branches with larch or pine cones, the evergreen greenery, mosses and dried tendrils - it takes some adjusting.

Winter tinted

November marks the transition from autumn to winter. Still, autumn does not let itself be driven away so easily; it seems as if the leaves on trees and shrubs color later every year. But at the end of November, winter really does make its appearance.

'All the cogs are starting to turn again'

Florist Franka Roenhorst always practices her work with extreme passion. 'From this passion I also participate in competitions, for example, I am currently in the run-up to the Dutch Floral Art Championships that will take place in January.'

'Really that big challenge for myself, I find in preparing for a competition or, as now, in making winter arrangements for this magazine. In this I can let myself go completely wild, think up new things, test materials, look for new techniques and create something special with them. This gives me new inspiration, all the cogs start turning again.

'In my search for colors that suit winter but are not standard, I worked with materials in red, salmon, orange, pink in three arrangements. These colors show well the warmth of the fall season and also that now the transition is being started to the winter and Christmas season.'

'For example, I have already used the poinsettia, Euphorbia 'Autumn Leaves,' which has a beautiful salmon hue, in my arrangements. And, as a nod to Christmas, I have used Nobilis branches to add accents.'