{"id":31689,"date":"2024-02-07T14:21:37","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T13:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/17f7d16b-d3f6-4c3f-8b28-0105fb4a7cbe"},"modified":"2024-02-07T15:37:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T14:37:05","slug":"how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create a beautiful edible bouquet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">Bea Andrews shows how to create beautiful bouquets using only plants from the vegetable garden. Photographs by Eva Nemeth <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Daniel Griffiths\n      <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Wednesday, 07 February 2024 at 13:21 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>I have always been fascinated by beautiful ornamental vegetables, especially ones maturing in the autumn. Their colours are deep and glossy with earthy tones and lush textures, they look painterly arranged in a basket and make fantastic gifts for foodie friends and family. They are even more attractive when arranged as an edible bouquet.<\/p><p><strong>You may also like<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/garden-advice\/how-to\/forage-advice\">How to forage in the garden<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/plants\/edible-flowers-best-grow\">Ten of the best edible flowers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/garden-advice\/how-to\/hedgerow-forage-plant-edible\">Plant a hedgerow you can eat <\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/plants\/edimentals-what-how-to-grow\">What are edimentals and how to grow them<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p\/><p>Members of the brassica group come in all shapes and colours with good strong leaves and stems. Different varieties of kale, small vibrant cauliflowers and later in the season <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/gardens\/gardeners\/no-dig-expert-charles-dowding-recommends-the-best-winter-vegetables-to-grow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sprouting broccoli<\/a> make for striking ingredients for an edible bouquet. Herbs with long stems and woody branches add aroma and texture. Shrubby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/feature\/cocktails-herbs-garden-grown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rosemary, thyme, sage<\/a> and winter savory are the great seasonal choices and have strong stems and long-lasting foliage. And garden grown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/plants\/annual-plants-what-which-hardy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">parsley<\/a>, with its robust stems and leaves can be a great addition.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Add the final touches &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>While edible flowers are less abundant in autumn and winter, many beautiful violas are grown in the colder months and can be used in an edible bouquet, choose those with longer stems, or lengthen a small bundle of short-stemmed flowers with florist wire and stem tape. Root vegetables, such as carrots and beetroots, are best used upside down, using their leafy tops as the stem, showing off the attractive earthy colours of their roots. Use onions and garlic the same way, they work especially well when they still have a length of stem attached.<\/p><p>Leafy vegetables, with adequately sturdy leaves for arranging, such as cos lettuces, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/plants\/best-vegetables-grow-garden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chard, chicory and endive<\/a>, have a huge range of leaf colouring and variegation, especially if you grow your own from seed. Some produce with large fruits, such as aubergines, chillies and peppers, are easy to secure with wire or a wooden skewer to help fit into a bouquet. But do try to avoid using softer fruits that bruise easily.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-create-your-own-edible-bouquet\">How to create your own edible bouquet<\/h2><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2362\" height=\"3543\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2680-7b48dac.jpg?crop=4px,1557px,2355px,1569px\" alt=\"Our ingredients\" class=\"wp-image-25177\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our ingredients &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>For this edible bouquet Bea used chard, black Tuscan kale (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/gardens\/gardeners\/no-dig-expert-charles-dowding-recommends-the-best-winter-vegetables-to-grow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cavolo nero<\/a>), green curly kale, small red cos lettuce, Witloof chicory (Belgian endive), flat leaf parsley, rosemary, thyme, green and purple sage, lime-green Romanesco cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli stems and aubergine.<\/p><div aria-label=\"Carousel Gallery\" class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-carousel alignwide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery-carousel-swiper-container is-cropped coblocks-gallery has-caption-style-dark has-horizontal-gutter has-lightbox has-no-thumbnails\"><div class=\"has-carousel has-carousel-med swiper-container has-aligned-cells has-responsive-height\" data-swiper=\"{&quot;alignCells&quot;:true,&quot;autoPlay&quot;:false,&quot;autoPlaySpeed&quot;:3000,&quot;draggable&quot;:false,&quot;freeMode&quot;:false,&quot;loop&quot;:false,&quot;navigation&quot;:true,&quot;pageDots&quot;:false,&quot;pauseHover&quot;:true,&quot;responsiveHeight&quot;:true,&quot;slidesPerView&quot;:4,&quot;thumbnails&quot;:false,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;12345&quot;}\" style=\"height:400px\"><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\"><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2362\" height=\"3543\" alt=\"Our ingredients\" class=\"wp-image-25177\" data-id=\"25177\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25177\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2680-7b48dac.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Our ingredients &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"1\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1772\" height=\"2657\" alt=\"Choose your crops\" class=\"wp-image-25178\" data-id=\"25178\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25178\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2685-589130a.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Choose your crops &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"2\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" alt=\"Make mini bunches\" class=\"wp-image-25179\" data-id=\"25179\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25179\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2709-e1f0d41.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Make mini bunches &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"3\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" alt=\"Adding additional support\" class=\"wp-image-25180\" data-id=\"25180\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25180\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2716-c5d988d.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Adding additional support &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"4\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" alt=\"Forming the bouquet\" class=\"wp-image-25181\" data-id=\"25181\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25181\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2728-fc3d8bf.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Forming the bouquet &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"5\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" alt=\"Securing the bouquet\" class=\"wp-image-25182\" data-id=\"25182\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25182\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2758-ee0ed3e.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Securing the bouquet &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"6\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" alt=\"Add the final touches\" class=\"wp-image-25183\" data-id=\"25183\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25183\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2764-a9e95d6.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Add the final touches &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"7\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2953\" height=\"4429\" alt=\"Tie with a hessian ribbon\" class=\"wp-image-25184\" data-id=\"25184\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25184\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2772-43b5bdc.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Tie with a hessian ribbon &#8211; \u00a9 Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\"><div class=\"coblocks-gallery--item\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"8\"><figure class=\"coblocks-gallery--figure has-margin-left-5 has-margin-left-mobile-5 has-margin-right-5 has-margin-right-mobile-5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3840\" height=\"5760\" alt=\"The finished display\" class=\"wp-image-25185\" data-id=\"25185\" data-link=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/?attachment_id=25185\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2797_1-3e290f6.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Create an edible bouquet &#8211; \u00a9 Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><button class=\"nav-button__prev\" id=\"12345-prev\"><svg class=\"icon\" style=\"transform:rotate(180deg)\"\/><\/button><button class=\"nav-button__next\" id=\"12345-next\"><svg class=\"icon\"\/><\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1772\" height=\"2657\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2685-589130a.jpg?crop=3px,1148px,1767px,1177px\" alt=\"Choose your crops\" class=\"wp-image-25178\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Choose your crops &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-choose-your-edible-bouquet-s-ingredients\">1 Choose your edible bouquet&#8217;s ingredients<\/h3><p>Leafy vegetables and herbs need to be well hydrated before arranging, so pick the day before and stand the stems in a jug of water for an hour or overnight before you arrange your bouquet.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2709-e1f0d41.jpg?crop=2px,890px,1178px,784px\" alt=\"Make mini bunches\" class=\"wp-image-25179\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Make mini bunches &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-sort-the-bouquet-into-mini-bunches\">2 Sort the bouquet into mini bunches<\/h3><p>Creating a few smaller bunches of individual vegetables and herbs will make it easier to assemble the bouquet later. Tape together these mini bunches with florist tape to avoid bruising the stems.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2716-c5d988d.jpg?crop=2px,494px,1178px,784px\" alt=\"Adding additional support\" class=\"wp-image-25180\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adding additional support &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-add-additional-support\">3 Add additional support<\/h3><p>Vegetables without a stem to hold will need support, either by securing florist wire or inserting a long wooden skewer into their sturdy base about 3cm deep. I added these to my aubergine, cauliflower, lettuce and endive.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2728-fc3d8bf.jpg?crop=2px,917px,1178px,784px\" alt=\"Forming the bouquet\" class=\"wp-image-25181\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Forming the bouquet &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-forming-your-edible-bouquet\">4 Forming your edible bouquet<\/h3><p>Once you are ready to bunch your vegetables together, then treat the leafy stems as foliage background for the bouquet and the larger heads of fruits and vegetables as focal points to place in a few well-placed spots in the bouquet. It is best to place the larger produce in the middle where they are well supported by the rest of the ingredients.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2758-ee0ed3e.jpg?crop=2px,447px,1178px,784px\" alt=\"Securing the bouquet\" class=\"wp-image-25182\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Securing the bouquet &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-securing-the-bouquet\">5 Securing the bouquet<\/h3><p>While adding your vegetables, be sure to turn your bouquet every so often to check it has a good balance on all sides. Tie it with twine when finished. Keep it somewhere cool in fresh water or hydrate the leaves with a mister until you are ready to gift it.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1181\" height=\"1772\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/85A2764-a9e95d6.jpg?crop=2px,923px,1178px,784px\" alt=\"Add the final touches\" class=\"wp-image-25183\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Add the final touches &#8211; @ Eva Nemeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-your-bouquets-s-final-touch\">6 Your bouquets&#8217;s final touch<\/h3><p>For a complementing rustic finish, use a hessian sheet for wrapping your bouquet and tie it with a toning hessian ribbon.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-extending-the-mix\">Extending the mix<\/h3><p>The choices of colour combinations for edible bouquets are endless, and you can easily boost your vegetable selection by adding a few ingredients to your gift bouquet from a farm shop, farmers\u2019 market or supermarket. Aim to keep your choices as seasonal as possible for maximum appeal and choice.<\/p><p><em>Bea Andrews is the founder of Botanika, a floral design studio in West Sussex, find out more at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.botanikafloral.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">botanikafloral.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bea Andrews shows how to create beautiful bouquets using only plants from the vegetable garden. Photographs by Eva Nemeth <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":31690,"template":"","categories":[1,51],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-scaled.jpg",1707,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-200x300.jpg",200,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-768x1152.jpg",768,1152,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-683x1024.jpg",683,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-1024x1536.jpg",1024,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/how-to-create-a-beautiful-edible-bouquet-1365x2048.jpg",1365,2048,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Bea Andrews shows how to create beautiful bouquets using only plants from the vegetable garden. 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