The Seasonal Flowers To Buy & Style Now
RANUNCULUS
“Ranunculus or Persian Buttercup are both wonderful choices at this time of year – I love them both. Not only do they bring colour and interest to any floral arrangement, they’re also so reliable. They will open from a tight bud and then last for about two weeks in total. They also come in an incredible range of colours – from pale pink to a deep rich orange, so they tend to work in any colour scheme. My favourites are viola, which is a wonderful deep plum colour with velvety petals and an exotic look, and then clementine, an incredible vibrant orange which goes so well in a bright, uplifting bouquet. I never tire of them.” – Rosebie Morton, founding director at The Real Flower Company
“The ranunculus is an extra welcome sight when it emerges in the dead of winter. Varieties such as ‘lemondrop’ or ‘Schiaparelli’ pink are pure joy, while ‘ballet slippers’ and ‘chiffon’ ranunculus are the utmost in ethereal beauty. The Italian variety has a much bigger head (and elevated price point, due to its rarity), but the petit ranunculus are just as beautiful and vibrant. Less is more with flowers, and flowers look best when grouped in single stem-bunches. You can always create impact by grouping tonal groups for single stemmed bunches together in smaller vases to get depth and texture within a display.” – Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, co-founder of Flowerbx
“You’d be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn’t love ranunculus. With their densely layered, soft petals and sumptuously chunky heads, the giant ‘clooney’ ranunculus (in particular) are winter’s answer to the peony. Ranunculus are available in a rainbow of colours and forms, too – we especially love the pon-pon varieties for their delicately frilled petals and watercolour-esque colours. The real jewel of the season however, is the ever-popular ‘Hanoi’ ranunculus – not only are they positively giant, but their soft ombre-hued ivory through to blush pink petals are irresistible – and perfect for weddings.” – Kally Ellis, McQueens Flowers
HYPERICUM
“Hypericum make any occasion feel more festive, and due to the assortment of colours, from winter white, ‘pinkberry’ to rouge and chocolate, it is easy to make the hypericum the focal point of a table and have the other florals match the chosen berry colour.” – Whitney
“Hypericum is great for this time of year because it's a pretty berry. It makes a brilliant filler, it’s very seasonal and works with most flowers. We have a seasonal bouquet called Enchanted Love, which is a combination of deep red rose, spray rose, red hypericum berries, red anemone, lisianthus and seasonal foliage. It’s beautiful and everything works so well together.” – Nikki Tibbles, Wild At Heart
“A must-have shrub for its brightly coloured, shiny berries at this time of the year, hypericum adds a real pop of colour to any floral display. Known for its healing properties, it symbolises cheer and inspiration, too. Folklore says hypericum (or St John’s Wort as it is known more commonly), brings luck on one’s wedding day. We love adding hypericum to our wreaths and bouquets – we mainly use the red berried ‘magical red’ because it adds vibrancy to everything and looks wonderfully festive.” – Rosebie
“With their relatively compact clusters of glossy, bead-like heads, hypericum berries are perfect for adding an extra element of texture and shape to a design. Their hardy and long-lasting nature have earned this stem a well-deserved reputation for reliability, too. Hypericum berries are available in a range of colours – from deep merlot through to post-box red, peachy-pink, white and a zingy green. We adore them all, and love to include the red-hued varieties in festive designs to achieve that classic, Christmas look – you can rely on them to last a lot longer than ilex berries or berried ivy, too. Traditionally used as a filler, hypericum berries are a wonderful accompaniment to handtied and larger designs, alike. At this time of year, they are the ideal addition to a festive design – just combine them with a medley of winter florals and yuletide foliage. They also look stunning tied en masse; we recommend a bunch of glossy red hypericum for a satisfyingly bold, festive table centrepiece. – Kally
AMARYLLIS
"Working in the flower industry at Christmas is heaven – we're surrounded by festive blooms flying in and out the door of the shop. This time of year is all about traditional blooms, so classics like Christmas roses – hellebores, pimpernel hydrangeas and amaryllis – are just everywhere. At a push, I'd say liberty amaryllis is my favourite. It’s a deep rich red, nearing plum, plus, amaryllis is a long-lasting flower and a statement in its own right. Fill a large, tall vase with fresh water, cut their stems and pop them in – simple as that. Each day they'll come more into bloom. The entire process is breathtakingly beautiful." – Ronny Colbie
ANEMONE
“Anemones come in the most extraordinary colours, with a stunning black centre. These look perfect in bud vases. You can keep them all in one colour palette or mix them – either way, they look incredible.” – Nikki
“The anemone is a grower, not a shower, and I love how they don’t look like much upon arrival, but slowly open and unfurl into a delicate and beautiful bloom. It’s little wonder they’re so popular when it comes to entertaining. Not only that, white and red anemones practically scream Christmas, and automatically turn any room into the definition of ‘holiday chic’.” – Whitney
“One of our most popular Christmas bouquets is the Nordic and a stunning white anemone with a doey-eyed, black middle takes centre stage; the contrast of the black against the paper-thin white petals is just fantastic. The Italians grow incredible anemones and one of my favourites is ‘bianco centro nero’. The beauty of both ranunculus and anemones is that they fit so well into literally any middle-sized or small arrangement – adding richness and interest to any flowers or foliage.” – Rosebie
“The ‘mistral tigre’ and it's almost tie-dye like crimson and white petals are particularly gorgeous. We’re also seeing more new, double varieties, which are more akin to a pom-pom than your traditional ‘poppy-eyed’ anemones. – Kally
FOLIAGE
“I am obsessed with eucalyptus and have it on my mantlepiece and in bunches around my house right now, as it is just so fragrant and beautiful. We even launched a eucalyptus candle this year, which is now almost sold out. I love eucalyptus arranged by itself – its simplicity and fragrance are incredibly chic.” – Whitney
“Gold asparagus fern is my favourite for Christmas as it looks beautiful in simple vases, draped across the table or on a Christmas tree. We use it in our wreaths for a bit of sparkle, too. Overall, we tend to make our wreaths out of eucalyptus. The scent is amazing and long lasting –plus, it’s great to have that accent of grey along with things like olive and pine.” – Nikki
“Eucalyptus is our go-to for foliage at this time of the year, especially in all our handtied bouquets. It is just such a good back drop for any flower, adding interest and architecture to all sorts of displays. I love Parvifolia, which has small delicate leaves and a lovely arching habit, while ‘silver dollar’ brings a lovely, wintery snowy look to any arrangement, really enhancing the flowers it frames. Skimmia is at its best right now, too, with its glossy evergreen leaves providing the perfect frame for its red or green berries, which look superb in any Christmas display, especially in wreaths and garlands. An added bonus is its fragrant flowers come the spring.” – Rosebie
“We adore the bushy ‘berried’ heads of skimmia, and will often combine it with our favourite winter florals for gorgeous seasonal handtied bouquets – their relatively short stems are equally well-suited to low table designs and floral runners, too. Golden asparagus fern is just the most quintessential festive ingredient, ideal for adding a touch of sparkle and Christmas cheer to any floral design. Light and fluffy, it’s an excellent material for suspended designs too, where it’s cloud-like nature really comes into its own.” – Kally
Inspired? Here’s How To Care For Your Winter Flowers…
As with most winter florals, there are a few tips to know to make sure your anemones, ranunculus and hypericum berries stay fresher for longer.
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Ensure all ends are cleanly cut with a sharp pair of scissors, before placing them in a clean vase with fresh water, and position them away from direct heat or extreme sunlight.
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Repeat this process every few days to ensure the water remains bacteria-free, as this is the main culprit behind prematurely wilted blooms. A dose of flower food (which contains anti-bacterial agents) can help to lengthen the life of your arrangement, too.
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Finally, make sure your vases aren’t sitting near a flame or a radiator, as if the flowers get too warm, it can dramatically reduce their life expectancy.
Visit WildAtHeart.com, Flowerbx.com, McQueens.co.uk and RealFlowers.co.uk
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