Eggs, a symbol of fertility, have become synonymous with Easter, and the first spring flowers capture that sense of new growth and light after a long winter, so what better way to celebrate this holiday than making displays to decorate the home, combining both eggs and flowers in tablescapes and vases.

 

Written by Lars Lund 

Edited by Louise Curly 

  

Tips for looking after cut flowers:

• Select the freshest blooms – ideally they’ll still be in bud but showing some colour. Avoid flowers that are fully open as these won’t last very long.
• Use sharp secateurs to remove the bottom cm or so of each stem – you can remove more if they’re too tall for your vase.
• Remove any foliage that will sit below the water.
• Use tepid water as this is said to be absorbed more easily.
• Change the water in the vase every few days to prevent fungal diseases building up.
• Cut flowers will last longest in a cool spot out of direct sunlight.

 

Grape hyacinths on a silver platter

Take several pots of blue grape hyacinths and pot up into an attractive container. Fill the gaps with extra compost and cover the top of the compost with moss. Place coloured eggs in among the flowers and foliage.

 

Daffodils on a tray

Pick out some yellow wild daffodils and cover the pots with small white paper bags. You can also choose another flowerpot cover. Put the bags on a nice tray and decorate with coloured eggs.

 

Tulips in a basket

Short-stemmed species tulips are ideal for this project. Line a basket with plastic then tip out the plants from their pots, replanting them in the basket – you may need to add some more compost to fill in the gaps. Use moss to cover the spaces between the tulips and decorate with eggs.

 

Tulips in a glass vase

This Easter bouquet is made up of white and yellow tulips with magnolia branches in between. For added colour yellow glass pebbles have been placed at the bottom of the vase. Fill the vase halfway with water, pop in the flower stems and float quail eggs in the water.