Think Outside the "Bloom"

Narcissus "Golden Dawn" sitting pretty in home-grown oranges in a vintage French market basket. Make this spring arrangement easily and effortlessly. There is something about the citric acid in oranges which will sustain narcissus in bloom for several hours, and I found up to a day or two. Use fresh oranges.

Find fresh narcissus such as "Golden Dawn" which have a stiff stem. Sometimes, fresh cut "Golden Dawn" are sold at flower marts. I have seen narcissus "Golden Dawn" bulbs for sale on the internet. It is a great landscape daffodil, known for its beautiful petite yellow with orange-cup flowers, reblooming ability, and easy naturalization. If you are a fan of sweet peas, and grow them in your garden or have a source, sweet peas may be substituted for narcissus.

Think first, what type of arrangement you would like to create. Some ideas could be something for a table centerpiece, hanging on your front door, off your garden gate, or even by your patio door. Second, find your container. Ideally, you want something that will show off your oranges and and all of your bright spring color. I chose this French market basket, but you could use many containers. Spring is the season for baskets, maybe a charming wicker basket hanging on a front door, would be a good choice. Vintage baguette bread boards, either a single or several arranged across your table, could hold oranges easily for a cheery table centerpiece. Maybe a favorite glass bowl would do, the possibilities are endless

The next few steps are preparing your narcissus for their orange base, and assembling the oranges the in your container. Trim narcissus stems with a fresh diagonal cut, and keep your stems short. Use a pointed object, such as a wooden chopstick or knitting needle, and carefully make a hole deep enough to hold your stem upright in each orange. Insert your narcissus stem into the ready-made hole in the orange, and repeat till all of your oranges are finished. A small precise hole in your orange will keep your orange in tact, and not dripping. Experiment, and put two stems per hole with some of your oranges. You might want to leave some oranges, as I did, and use them as a base for your arrangement.

Try thinking outside of the "bloom" for a special spring occasion.