EVERY season I collect flowers from our garden and use them around the home and workplace, writes TOM ATTWOOD. There is a vast difference between collecting and arranging flowers and when you’re in the company of someone who can turn a selection of stems into something special it’s fascinating to see the steps and creativity involved. I have friends and indeed an apprentice who are excellent at doing just this. Watching the stages of the assembly, the controlled layering of the plant material, it’s clear that there is often a significant proportion that is made up of foliage. Shrubs can be an excellent source of foliage and three that I like to use are Physocarpus (ninebark); there are gold and dark purple varieties that can be harvested throughout the season. Eucalyptus gunnii will grow into a large very beautiful tree if left to its own devices but if you pollard it once it has developed a reasonably thick stem, the act of cutting all the stems back to a ‘knuckle’ every autumn will keep the growth in check and generate masses of useable material. Another commonly grown shrub is Rosemary. I love to grow this for so many reasons; nostalgia, the excellent flowers for bees but also it’s longevity as a cut stem when part of an arrangement.

For the flowers, I’m left with choosing seven and the following are for me a joy to grow and work with as part of your flower arranging armoury:

lLythrum salicaria ‘Robert’ spikes of intensely coloured flowers.

lAster ‘Patricia Ballrad.’ Asters are all wonderful and last so well.

lEchinacea ‘White Swan’ are robust cone flowers of the purest, most delectable white.

lAstrantia whether it’s the deep crimson varieties or the pure white, these are a dream to work with

lFoeniculum (fennel) bronze and green forms. Can be used for both their foliage but also their delicate flower heads

lSweet peas; these are in my mind synonymous with summer bouquets and every home should have a jar on the table

lVerbena bonariensis 'Lollipop' is a long flowering plant in the Salvia family with flowers that once cut last for weeks

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