Words Hoard & Heath
Photography Jessica Lewis, Tima Miroshnichenko and olga Volkovitskaia
A glossy red cluster sits above a clear bottle, with the brown stems visible all the way to its base. The narrow neck in Jessica Lewis’s photograph gathers them into a compact bunch. We would leave the glass exposed.
Start with the vessel
Try the branch in the vase before adding decorations. A stem that leans out of a wide opening may stand more upright in a narrow one. Look at the whole outline, including the container below it. The vase must stand securely with the branch in place; if it rocks or tips, choose a different vessel or try a smaller branch.
For fresh cut foliage, the RHS advises removing leaves that would sit below the water level, where they can rot. Start with a clean vase.
Bare or decorated
A tall spray rises from a pale vase on a table photographed by Tima Miroshnichenko. Its tip leans slightly away from the centre. We would leave it undecorated so the spaces between the side shoots remain visible against the plain background.
Red baubles make a denser display in olga Volkovitskaia’s photograph. A large reflective ball sits among smaller ones, while the greenery spreads well beyond the clear vessel. If you want a bauble on your own arrangement, add one first and check what its weight does to the stem and the balance of the vase.
Choose its place
A narrow arrangement can still be too tall for the middle of a dining table. Try it before laying all the places, looking across from each seat. If branches sit between faces, move the vase to a sideboard for the meal. Check the spread at the sides too: the tips should not catch a sleeve as somebody reaches past.
Fresh greenery also needs a position you can reach. The RHS recommends a cooler spot away from radiators and fires, checking the water level regularly and changing the water every two to four days. Leave a clear space around it so you can lift the vessel out to change the water.
