As summer draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to create beautiful floral arrangements that bridge the two seasons. At this time of year, I can use a variety of stunning flowers – notably dahlias, hydrangeas, and Japanese anemones – to have some fun and make bouquets that will decorate the house, while already showing some beautiful autumnal hues.
I like to use whatever I can find in the garden and sometimes even pick what I need from the vegetable garden. For example, in this colorful, country-style dahlia bouquet, I chose a few stems of dill to add a little lightness and a lovely bright note. The bouquet is indeed quite full of dahlias, but this creates a very « gourmand » and eye-catching visual effect. I also enjoy creating several small bouquets to scatter around the house, but sometimes I want to make a more imposing arrangement to decorate a room or a round table, for example.
Flowers used for this bouquet
- Dahlia Penhill Watermelon
- Dahlia Honka rose
- Dahlia Café au Lait rosé
- Dahlia Cactus Holly Hill Spider Woman
- Dahlia Clair Obscur
- Dahlia Jaïpur
- Japanese anemones – pink and white
- Hydrangeas
- Ferns
- Dill
- Ivy
- Italian terracotta pots
STEP 1
For this bouquet, I used a beautiful Italian terracotta pot, which I love and often use as a vase. It comes from a charming boutique called Une Maison en Toscane, located in an outbuilding near Chantilly, where I often visit. Inside the pot, I’ve inserted a plastic container, which I use to hold water, and placed chicken wire inside to help hold the flowers in place.
STEP 2
The first step is to place the widest and tallest dahlias, following the principle of the triangle: one in the center and the other two angled to the side. If you position the chicken wire well, the dahlias will stand on their own and serve as a starting point for your composition.
STEP 3
Keep adding smaller dahlias in other shades as well. I often like to create a gradient effect, starting with neutral shades and finishing with warmer colors if you have different varieties in your garden. Try to plan ahead before you pick them.
STEP 4
I add stronger colors and ensure that the flowers are placed according to the different stem sizes I’ve cut at various heights (recutting them if necessary) for this arrangement. It’s also at this stage that I add other flowers like hydrangeas.
STEP 5
Once all the flowers have been placed, add « filler » flowers or branches to lighten the composition and draw the eye. Make sure they protrude from the bouquet, either in height or width, for a cascading effect. I use ivy branches, for example, to achieve this interesting effect. For this bouquet, I considered adding a few elderberries, but they didn’t look very appealing in the end. On the other hand, the anemones, ferns, and dill add something extra, whether it’s lightness or a bright touch that contrasts with the tones of the larger flowers.
STEP 6
I finish the bouquet with the most fragile dahlias, which also happen to be the most graphic! This is the pink Honka variety, which I grow every year and is a true marvel in a garden bed or a bouquet at home. However, it is very fragile, and I often lose petals when I pick it and place it in my flower basket. Therefore, I prefer to pick them once the bouquet is finished and place them at the end.
Et voilà !
Don’t forget to add water to the flowers regularly to make the bouquet last, and place it somewhere in the house where you can enjoy it as much as possible. And above all, plant dahlias in the spring! I’m often told that I’m lucky to be able to make bouquets with such beautiful flowers, but it’s the result of a lot of work. As soon as March arrives, I start planting the tubers in pots (around forty this year—and I’ve lost a few along the way) before replanting them in the ground several weeks later. It takes some care, but it’s worth it!
