Winter softness

A soft winter bouquet with a bouquet frame made of a polystyrene sphere that has been cut in half several times, resulting in different sized rings. Metal rings were also used for a playful effect. The rings are covered with all kinds of soft and natural materials in white and beige tones. The flower colors in this bouquet are also light and soft shades: Ornithogalum, Amaryllis, autumn anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’, Nerine, Agapanthus and two types of VIP roses.

Robust winter bulb

The base is a wicker basket covered with all kinds of pine cones. The basket is placed on a pin on a birch trunk. By choosing to incorporate plants, the arrangement is also long-lasting. Plants used: orchid, Scindapsus and Ceropegia. Some Diplocylcos tendrils and Larix branches have been placed in between. A robust arrangement with a winter look due to the sober materials and the finely 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 flower enthusiasts, which means we are constantly innovating and always trying to inspire the customer with new materials.'

‘In our floral industry, there is an increasing demand for sustainability. People are willing to pay more, but then they should also be able to enjoy it longer. So, more durable arrangements and vases and pots that are timeless.’

‘I work together with my sister Rosanne and in the evenings we regularly text each other with new inspiration. For the theme of winter, we found inspiration from fellow arrangers from the Scandinavian countries where it is really winter – and you can also find the real winter materials. For me, winter means: cold, icy, sober nature, candles, wood, pine cones, animals in the forest. The use of soft materials is also appealing and flower bulbs – which already refer to spring.’

'We generally work very colorfully, so it is quite a challenge to make beautiful arrangements with the austere winter materials. Hence, the arrangements also have a small 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

In November, the transition from autumn to winter begins. Yet autumn does not give way so easily, it seems as if the leaves on trees and shrubs color later every year. But at the end of November, winter really makes its entrance.

‘All the cogs are turning again’

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

‘I find the real challenge for myself in the preparation for a competition or, as now, in making winter-tinted arrangements for this magazine. In it I can completely let myself go, come up with new things, test materials, look for new techniques and create something special with them. I get new inspiration from this, all the gears start running again.’

‘In my search for colors that suit winter but are not standard, I worked with materials in red, salmon, orange, and pink in three arrangements. These colors clearly show the warmth of autumn and also that the transition to the winter and Christmas period is now beginning.’

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