ACID+ Anji Connell Interior Design + Blog: Flower Power: Not Just for Xmas & Birthdays!

Flower Power: Not just for Xmas and Birthdays

As Featured in House of Moloko

Chatham Globe Vase by Two's Company

For me, the greatest way to instantly brighten up your home is with flowers ........it's one of the cheapest options too. Choose seasonal blooms to add a variety of colour and texture. Bright, fresh and colourful in spring and summer and warm and woody in winter. Use plants and branches in the winter months when flowers are more scarce. Herbs work year round. Overflowing bowls of herbs in the kitchen are beautiful and have a gorgeous perfume. I love walking into the kitchen in the morning and being assailed by the scent of the herbs that have heightened overnight.

I especially love to have flowers in kitchens and bathrooms. Varied pots, glasses and vases spilling over with flowers are blissful. When in London I never miss a trip to Columbia Road flower market. The sight of all the gorgeous plants and flowers lined up makes my heart sing. They never fail to make me happy come rain or shine. The varieties, colours, scents, sizes, textures are intoxicating. Going home overladen with flowers is always a very special treat. Looking forward to cutting the stems and arranging them once your'e home followed by that lovely moment when you can sit back and admire their magic.

Tulips to brighten up the bathroom - Photography by Paul Massey

Gorgeous hand tied mixed bouquet of Spring flowers

Spring is absolutely my favourite time of year and I eagerly look out for the bursts of life popping through the ground. Gorgeous daffodils and tulips are a joy to behold, plentiful, cheap and cheerful. I especially love the way tulips arch their stems toward the light craving its rays.

Spring arrives at different times depending on where you live but typically the sequence is similar. Late Winter, early Spring delights start with the pale yellow blooms of Winter Aconite, 'Eranthis'. This is followed by the vibrant yellow of Witch Hazel, the deep colours of Crocus, Sweet Mock Orange, which is the herald of Spring with its delicate blooms. Delicately beautiful Hellebores, Camilla's, Snowdrops, and, the pale blue flowers of Chinodoxa, 'Glory of the Snow' through to Pansies.

Early spring brings Narcissi, the small but beautiful Iris Reticluata and the gorgeous bright yellow flowering Forsythia, such a Springtime treat along with Blue and white Scilla, Anemone and the fluffy tails of Pussy Willow. My mum's favourite.

Fresh white and green combination of tulips, annabelle and pussy willow

It's a really good idea to find a local flower market or scout out a good shop or stall with a good selection of flowers and where you can get to know the florist who can advise you what is available, their life expectancy and how best to look after them. Once you have built up a relationship they can even get flowers with you in mind. Visiting local garden centres will also help you identify what is available and when. Visit your local garden centre in the Springtime to see what's flowering in your region.

Subtly beautiful peony roses

Mid-Spring brings the multitudinous Daffodils and Tulips, along with Rhododendron and flamboyant Azaleas, Muscari, Redbud trees, Dogwood, Magnolia, Trillium, ornamental Cherry and Crabapple, Hyacinths and Primrose.

Late Spring brings Lily of the Valley, Magnolia, the wonderful sweet scent of Lilac, the beautiful white, pink, red, and yellow blossoming Spiraea, [Meadowsweet], Peonies, the spectacular Allium globes, and Wood Anemones. We should not forget the grass dormant no longer. There is nothing like the smell of the first mow of the year. I love pots of cut grass and wheat grass as display in a clean, minimal interior.

Wheatgrass centrepiece - Photography by Camille Stiles

Displaying your Flowers: Look out for unusual vases, you don't have to spend a fortune check out your local flea markets, charity shops and look in your cupboards to see what 's hiding at the back, teacups, teapots, jugs, watering cans, bowls, tureens, egg cups, can all be used to display flowers around the home. Blocks of colour look stunning, just fill each vase with a single flower and group the varied vases together. Sometimes the flower dictates what vase to put it in, is it a wispy wild flower or a statuesque and showy bloom.