Dahlia, Part Two

I love being creative and getting my $’s worth when it comes to flowers. I adore flowers, and have them at home in both the city and the beach, as well as the shops, so I do what I can to stretch the life of each stem. Like produce, buying what is freshest and in season, will always be the best value.

The white dahlias that I bought at the Market on Saturday morning, and enjoyed all day in the store, would end up coming to Vashon with us to spruce up the house & dining table for Sunday when we had guests. I am a fan of highlighting the single stem. Not only does it have a big visual impact, but it is also a way to stretch a smaller amount of flowers. I had purchased 12 stems, which I needed to use in 2 different spots.

On the dining table, I used 6 single stems, which I cut quite short, and placed each bloom in a heavy based clear glass, really highlighting the beauty of each dahlia. It is also a great way to keep the flowers low, so they don’t block guests from seeing one another. I also like to scatter the stems, so everyone has a flower close to their place setting, allowing everyone to enjoy them, as opposed to just one arrangement in the center of the table.

For the ottoman in the living room, I took the remaining 6 stems and cut them shorter than I had them the day before on the front table at the shop. Like on the dining table, I did not want to block guests from seeing one another when we sat in the living room having a cocktail before dinner. Again, I used a vintage blue Ball jar, creating a simple arrangement of the beautiful dahlias.