Bouquet of the Week: Splurge on Black and White Anemones - Gardenista
The first apartment my husband and I shared had a tiny white and black kitchen. Where the walls were bare, our landlord had painted them a deep marigold yellow. Late winter and early spring are the prime seasons for these papery flowers. I couldn’t resist an armful, even though making the bouquet was a $40 budget blow-out. I chose eight black and white anemones and a stem of white lilac, a stem of the bright green mist, and a stem of delicate astrantia to round things out. I used a black and white West Elm Enamelware Tumbler ($24 for a set of four) to display my small bundle. A few stones added to the bottom of the tumbler helped weigh down the lightweight cup and served as anchors for my stems. For similar stones, consider a 2.25-pound back of Black River Stones; $1.95 from CB2. Because the mouth of my tumbler was wide, I wrapped my stems in a bit of ribbon to keep the bouquet’s shape and prevent the stems from splaying too wildly. Finding anemones in a florist’s cooler can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Once out of the cooler and added to a vase of just barely lukewarm water, the petals fly open, revealing the deep purply black center. At several dollars per stem, anemones aren’t the most affordable flower (unless you start them from seed), but I think they pack an impressive punch. Considering a floral arrangement? : This is an update of a post originally published March 26, 2013 during our Belgium and Beyond week.