Velvet Brown - Home Accessories

So many of our customers have asked how we make our Christmas Door Wreaths, so here’s a little insight. 

All our fresh wreaths are made in a time-honoured traditional floristry way.  This involves making a base of blue-pine foliage onto a wire frame with a fresh moss backing.  This ensures freshness throughout the festive season.  Some of today’s widely available wreaths are made either into a foam base or on a modern clip-frame, however nothing beats a moss base for ensuring freshness and providing a stable, firm base onto which fruits, cones, cinnamon can be added.  We also add extra foliage, including ivy, laurel, bay or skimmia.

We’ve been making door wreaths for many, many years - they’re a labour of love however we never tire of making them.  No two are identical and every one made includes a little bit of us too.

We love to receive photos of our wreaths hanging on doors, if you’ve taken a photo of your wreath do please email a copy to us for our collection.

To cope with our expanding range and growing stock we have just got keys to our new workshop and storage unit.  We’re well and truly ‘out in the sticks’ in rural countryside, down on the farm.   

With cows and sheep for neighbours, going to work could not be more pleasureable.  We’ll never tire from the view from the workshop window.

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The humble Hyacinth is often passed over as a cut flower as it’s not a particularly dramatic or tall flower, but all the best things come in small packages.  You only have to inhale the scent of  a Hyacinth, with its soft, soapy perfume, and you’ll instantly think ‘Spring’.   Traditionally and more commonly Hyacinths are grown as flowering bulbs, often planted late Autumn in bowls or pots, then hidden away in a dark cupboard or corner to bring out to flower for Christmas or early Spring.  However Hyacinths are becoming more widely available as cut flowers and even some of the large supermarket chains now stock cut Hyacinths in their flower sections.

Popular colours for cut hyacinths are blue/mauve, white or pink, however more recent cultivars include a pale yellow, apricot, deep purple and deep fuschia-pink.  When buying Hyacinths as cut flowers, always look for tight green buds (know as ‘nails’), tinged with colour, along with firm stems and leaves - a good sign of freshness.  To preserve the vase life of cut Hyacinths, it is best NOT to cut the base of the stem (one of the few cut flowers which do not require a re-cut).  If the stems are gritty from the soil or sand they have been grown in, simply rinse the stems under running water otherwise this will pollute the vase water.

Place the Hyacinth stems in tepid, clean water and enjoy their long vase life (around 10-14 days) as the buds (or ‘nails’) become plump and colourful and the perfume becomes more intense.  It is recommended to change the vase water every 2-3 days to extend the life of the flowers.

Read about the home of Velvet Brown in the March 2009 edition of Country Homes & Interiors magazine.  We were excited to be approached by a journalist several months ago about featuring Hazel’s home in Country Homes & Interiors.  Following a visit by a superb photographer and an excellent written article about the house, its interior and Velvet Brown, the finished article has been pubished in the March 2009 edition of Country Homes & Interiors and although we say it ourselves - it makes great reading!

With the Christmas and New Year festivities over and the decorations packed away for another year, January is the perfect time to fill the house with cut flowers as thoughts turn to imminent arrival of Spring.  With very little choice available in the garden to cut and only a few shoots from early flowering bulbs peeking through the ground, it’s worth paying a visit to your local florist to see that Spring is on its way.  Although cut flowers for the house are not abundant at this time of year, you should be able to find early narcissi, early tulips, anemones and hyacinths to name but a few.

 The Narcissi family is vast, ranging from the humble but adorable Daffodil, through to the deliciously fragrant pure white Paperwhite. Most Narcissi available to buy in January will have been grown under glass and forced, however with careful treatment they can last well in centrally heated homes. 

 If buying Daffodils, look for tight buds with crisp, straight leaves.  However when buying the fragrant varieties of Narcissi, such as Sol d’Or or Paperwhites, these flowers will not have been cut until they have started to flower so don’t be put off by their open florets, just ensure the stems are straight and rigid to ensure freshness.  All varieties of Narcissi are best on their own and not mixed with other varieties of cut flowers, due to a sap which can exude from the stem and which can be harmful to other flowers.  If you intend to mix Narcissi with other flowers, first cut the stem and place in a separate container with fresh water for about an hour.  This will dilute the sap exuded from the Narcissi stems.  Then take the Narcissi and arrange with the other flowers in a separate container with more fresh water.

To purchase Narcissi we recommend www.scillyflowers.co.uk and www.flowerfarm.co.uk for home-grown Daffodils.

Without doubt the cut flower for December has to be the Amaryllis - also known as Hippeastrum.  With it’s long, thick stem, large and bold flowers and superb lasting ability it really is the ‘king’ of the cut flower world.  It is also the perfect cut flower to have indoors in December as it has excellent long-lasting ability and will cope well in most centrally heated homes. 

The stems of Amaryllis are hollow and it is along this hollow channel that the flower takes up water.  As you take a cut Amaryllis stem out of a vase of water, you’ll hear the water trickling back down the stem.  For this reason, always place cut Amaryllis in deep clean water as they are thirsty flowers. 

Each Amaryllis flower has stamens similar to Lilies and it is worth removing the pollen on the stamens when the flowers open, to avoid staining furnishings - do this as soon as the flower opens and it will help to make the flower head last longer too.

To create a striking arrangement, place two or three stems of cut Amaryllis in a vase with long-stemmed foliage or twigs - no special flower arranging skills required, the Amaryllis with their stunning flowers and colours will do the work for you!

The much maligned Chrysanthemum gets a lot of bad press in the world of floristry, however with an increasing number of new varieties in an array of colours, there couldn’t be a better cut flower to have indoors durng the start of the winter months. 

Used imaginatively and simply the Chrsanthemum is the perfect cut flower for November.  Most Chrysanthemums are long lasting and tolerant of warm temperatures - an added advantage as we all start to turn on the central heating.  With the large, long-stem single-bloom varieties, such as limey green Shamrock, the autumnal Tom Pearce, or the crisp white Anastasia, it’s easy to create a stylish vase arrangement from a few simple blooms.   

Chrsanthemums have fairly woody, tough stems so it’s important to re-cut each stem before arranging the flowers in deep, tepid water. Even if you’ve only bought your flowers a few minutes earlier, you should always cut at least one inch off the base of each stem before placing in water as this will allow the flower stem to take up water efficiently.

For a daintier vase arrangement look out for the mini-spray varieties of Chrsanthemum, classified as Santini.  Especially pretty in a white daisy form or a rich yellow variety, Santini Chrysanthemums make pretty posy arrangements or are useful to cut up into more formal floral arrangements.

 It is important to keep changing the water in vases that have Chrysanthemums, as they can cloud the water if left for too long in the same water.  Also, make sure all leaves under the water line are removed as they will only cause bacteria growth in the water.

October heralds the start of Autumn and the plentiful supply of summer flowers beings to wane.  However if you’re struggling to find beautiful flowers to bring indoors in October, the Hydrangea will save the day.  Late season mop-head Hydrangea are the perfect cut-flowers to display in a vase as they’re easy to arrange, long lasting and are available in an array of Autumnal colours to complement the season.

If you’re cutting Hydrangea from the garden, it is easy to dry the flowers.  The best time to cut the flower heads is when the florets feel like fine tissue paper.  Cut the flowers and remove all the leaves, as these will become dry and crispy.  Then simply arrange the flowers in a clean vase with a little tepid water, ensuring the stems are immersed in water.  After a few days the Hydrangea heads will slowly dry on the stem and will stop taking up water.  Discard the water and these dried flower heads can then be used year-round as a dried display.  For a festive touch simply spray the flower heads with metallic paint, or cut the flower heads into clumps and add to seasonal flower arrangements or festive door wreaths.

There are now some stunning long-stemmed cut Hydrangeas available from good florists in an array of colours.  Three or five long stems in a vase will look amazing, however occasionally these long stems will struggle to take up enough water to keep the flower head looking fresh.  If the flower head starts to wilt, simply recut the base of the stem and place in fresh water and the flower should revive.

Sunflowers are one of the top ten best selling cut flowers in the UK and are plentiful in September.  With their bright yellow petals and rich velvety brown centre, Sunflowers are adored by children and adults.

 The latin name for the Sunflower is ‘Helianthus’, derived from the Greek word ‘helios’ meaning sun, and ‘anthos’ meaning flower and they belong to the Aster flower family.  Cut Sunflowers come in many varieties and sizes, including a rich maroon and brown variety (’Prado Red’) and several ‘double’ varieties such as ‘Teddy Bear’ with multi-layers of petals.

When buying cut Sunflowers always look for sturdy stems with upright flower heads.  When you get the flowers home, cut at least 2 or 3 cm off the base of the stem, preferably at an angle, and arrange the flowers is fresh, tepid water with flower food.  Sunflowers are thirsty flowers and it’s worth changing the vase water and re-cutting the stems every other day to prolong the life of the flowers.  If the petals start to fall off the sunflowers, pull off all the remaining petals to leave an interesting ‘flower’ centre, which looks good in Autumn arrangements.

I like to think I’m easy to please.  I don’t particularly like expensive foreign holidays, I don’t wear designer clothes nor carry designer handbags and I don’t crave the latest Ipod. (Truth is I don’t actually own an Ipod and I don’t think I’d use it a great deal if i did.)

For me it’s the simple things in life that give the most pleasure. Last Sunday we had one of the most perfect late summer days I think it is possible to have.  The morning was a little bit misty but was soon burnt off by warm sunshine. The sky was clear blue throughout the day and then it was all finished off by a gorgeous chilly evening .

Having got up late and breakfasted outside on the patio we went for a lovely country ramble from the door.  We had no specific plans of where we were heading but just followed our noses.  I think they must have sniffed out the blackberries.   I don’t think I’ve seen such a fruit laden hedgerow! The area we were in is not heavily walked, so the bush was hardly touched but these few dry days have done wonders for ripening some of the hedgerow fruits.  We could have picked all day but ran out of bags to carry them home in.  (It was only fluke we had some bags in our pockets!) We picked for ages whilst Lottie (our Jack Russell) checked out all the rabbit burrows in the hedge. We didn’t see a soul all the time we were out.

As well as lots of juicy blackberries I picked lots of ivy and rosehips and made a beautiful autumn wreath when I got home. I’ve hung it on my gate to welcome visitors. 

There is something very satisfying about hedgerow finds. Having got home and pottered around in the garden all afternoon (the weather has not only been good for blackberries - the weeds have loved it too!) we lit a lovely log fire and I cooked a big roast dinner with runner beans and fennel from the garden followed by a delicious blackberry and apple crumble served with generous dollops of Creme Fraiche. It all got washed down with a glass or 2 or red wine .

For me - a perfect day. Told you I was easy to please.