One doesn’t necessarily need to go big if you’re already home, and sometimes the littlest things are the most beautiful. This simple ‘bouquet’ is created from the smallest vase in our home (a whimsical work of shell-like grace, procured from Faddegon’s a couple of years ago) and a single frond from a Japanese painted fern (which had sprouted up via spore beside our pool heater). The impossibility of all those elements coming together and forming a rather hardy bouquet makes it extra appealing.
Ferns have proven to be tricky things in arrangements. Sometimes they last for weeks, other times they wither in the span of minutes. There’s nothing consistent about it, as both results have been gleaned from the very same species, clipped at the very same time, and given the very same treatment. Ferns can be finicky.
The variety of Japanese painted fern seen here has generally proved to last more than a few days, particularly if cut early in the morning after a damp night. Coupled with this wonderfully-ribbed off-center vase, it makes for a striking visage, and has me completely rethinking my outdated notions of perspective.
