Question

Pottery Vase   QUESTION: I'm attaching a picture of a vase given to me by a friend in my Garden Club
who has recently died of cancer.  Everyone in the club is to make an
arrangement using one of her vases.  I would like some input on what type of
arrangement would be made in a cylinder container like this.  The container
is pottery with shades of blue.  The tallest cylinder is 8 1/2", the middle one
is 7 1/2" and the shortest one is 6 1/2".  Each cylinder opening  varies in
width from 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" in diameter.  Any help you could give me would
be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Sandra,

Thank you for your question. What a beautiful vase and what a neat idea for all of you to do that for your friend. Right away I had one idea. In the large back vase I would definitely put a taller stick of maybe curly willow or pussy willow or flowering plum, etc. In the next taller, middle vase I would put a heather heart. You take 2 pieces of sunset heather wire them together at the bottom, pull the two tops back down to your binding point and wire those down and then up the stem, into the heart, you wire again to create the shape of your heart. I would maybe put a little picture frame tied with ribbon to the front of the heart (towards the bottom) with a picture of your friend in the frame. Then in the last, smaller vase, I would put a big fat open rose that would be about where your friend's picture would hang. That would touch all of the bases of pretty, emotional and remembrance. What do you think? I want to join a garden club. I might just have to do that by your inspiration. Take care. Carin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Carin, that's a wonderful idea.  I'm just not sure where to get the sunset heather.  
Is it readily available at a florist shop?

Thanks! Sandra

Answer
Hi Sandra,

Thank you for your sweet comments about me. I love being able to help people with something that comes so naturally to me. I also used this site for something that I needed help with and that is how I decided to become a helper.
Sunset heather is available this time of year in the wholesalers, so your local florist should probably be able to get you some. If you can't find that in fresh you could also use a silk wired piece of something similar from the craft store. Create your heart a little up the stem and then your stems left over become your stem to use in the vase. We used to make those little heather hearts in my shop for Valentine's Day. We sold a ton of them. You can add a bow, they dry so nicely and hold their natural color. It is the heather that is long and straight and kind of a hot pink, fuchsia color.
You can also make this out of forsythia or anything that bends really nicely without snapping. You might need a few tries before you get it down. You never know how "snappy" your twig is until you work with it a little. Do you have any spirea or that type of branches blooming in your garden this time of year? Good Luck. Carin