Poppy Arrangement

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With tissue paper petals and skinny, tendril-like stems, poppies are so ethereal, they seem to practically float on air. Their tight, furry, unopened buds are a striking combination next to the colorful explosion of an open bloom. The opiates extracted from the seeds of the opium poppy have made the flower a symbol of sleep, peace, and even death for centuries. Burning the end of a poppy stem immediately after cutting and right before adding it to water will extend its life in an arrangement.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

3 sprays of alstroemeria
3 sprays of bupleurum
8 strawflowers
2 stems of celosia, plume and crested variety
4 stems of hypericum berries
4 stems of freesia
2 stems of crocosmia
5 poppies
3-foot length of 1-inch ribbon

Directions

1. Hold the two sprays of alstroemeria in your hand a few inches below where the blooms begin to branch out from the main stems. Add two sprays of bupleurum to the bunch on both sides of the alstroemeria.
2. Nestle three strawflowers and one stem of celosia low in the bouquet, between the alstroemeria blooms.
3. Add the stems of hypericum berries behind the other stems in the bunch so that the berries sit a few inches higher than the rest of the elements. Add the stems of freesia so that the lowest blooms are nestled between the hypericum berries.
4. Add the remaining stem of celosia and teh remaining five strawflowers to the back of the bunch so that the blooms sit above the hypericum berries. Add the stems of crocosmia and the remaining stems of alstroemeria and bupleurum high and in the back so that they are the tallest elements in the bouquet.
5. Place the poppies in the center of the bunch, feeding the stems through the hypericum berries, and turn so that the blooms face in different directions.
6. Finish by adding the lysimachia, feeding the stems through the bouquet next to the freesia on the right side.
7. Tie the ribbon tightly around all the stems in the bouquet at the place where you were holding it and finish with a bow. Trim the stems to an even length.