Flowers: Halloween..so Easy It's Scary

Oct 26 2008 Vivienne Lee And Nick Priestly

Spooky Display Doesn't Need Tacky Spiders

The next couple of months mark a bevy of special holidays when many of us entertain friends and family.

So flowers become an even more important feature of your home.

We'll show you how to create seasonal flower arrangements that are not only effortless but will also wow your guests. This week it's the turn of Halloween and you can celebrate this spooky festival while avoiding tacky spiders, bats or witches' hats.

Orange is central to Halloween and in our arrangement, striking strelitzia are the focal flower set among a backdrop of funky physalis.

Strelitzia, known as Birds of Paradise, originate in South Africa.

Each stem has several flowers inside each head. Extend their life by breaking off the head as it wilts and pulling the next flower out of the "beak".

The beauty of this flower lies in its elegant long stem and unusual head that resembles a bird, so keep as long a stem as possible to highlight its dramatic form.

Physalis - or Chinese lanterns - are a hardy herbaceous perennial. The stem consists of glorious little papery lanternshaped bulbs that start off a fresh green, eventually turning a flameorange colour as they mature in late summer. They look great with just a few stems simply arranged in a vase.

Combine these two unusual orange flowers with tropical leaves in a sleek black vase to create the feel of Halloween... without a bit of plastic tat in sight!

And get more out of your flowers by hanging them upside down and drying them.

Another way to create the Halloween feel

Use a hollowed out pumpkin as a vase and create a posy of orange gerberas, crocosmia and cherry brandy roses. Carve the tops off mini pumpkins and insert tea light candles dotted around it.

You will need..

5 stems physalis

5 stems strelitzia

2 strelitzia leaves

8 aspidistra leaves

Tall black vase

Flower cost: £40-£45