Page 54 • The HERALD • 29th January 2026 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v DOWN THE GARDEN PATH • HEDGE CUTTING • FENCING • PATIOS • TURFING • GARDEN CLEARANCES & MORE For a FREE quotation please call 023 8122 4550 or 07548 355262 AUTUMN LEAF GARDEN WORKS Foresters Flower Club wishes all readers a fun- lled, happy, healthy 2026! When we look at nature during the winter season, the colours are calming and restful. Sharp frosts give a so ness, the dark browns and greens of deciduous and evergreen trees are calming, restful colours. e punctuation with holly berries, crab apples, and other berries bring a cosiness to the countryside pallet. It’s the time of year that we can forage on the countryside oor for these colours. Small branches and twigs blown o the trees, or died back in the case of bracken, which provide beautiful, cosy, copper tones. Wandering in our local common and woodland, scattered on the oor, I nd birch twigs, scotts pine twigs and branches with r cones attached, the rare piece of holly berries, ivy and ivy berries, plenty of rich copper/bronze coloured bracken (take snips for this, it can be vicious!). Ideas of arrangements that can be made from these foraging treasures are a hand-tie for a favourite vase; placing your nds in various types of pretty jars and bottles to form a linear/circular tablescape; another idea being a “winter-scape” by using a white trough and arranging in a parallel fashion. Making a winter-scape is perfect for a windowsill, I like mine in the kitchen. Ensure your trough is waterproof before you add your mechanics. My latest version used Fibre ora (biodegradable). is is cut dry to t snuggly and just below the level of the trough. It is watered a er arranging. I used painted and bare birch twigs, foraged branches of pine and r and silvery foliage, e.g. eucalyptus or lavender from the garden. e varieties of heights, textures, shades and colours make an interesting scene reminiscent of the forest. I was lucky enough to have plants in the garden with red berries to add warmth. ree simple decorations added made for a real Scandi feel -a hanging wooden heart (red); a knitted red heart with a white snow ake sewn on, which I placed on the oor, deep and to one side. I also placed a small wooden star near the top. Once nished glycerin and natural moss was used to roughly cover the Fibre ora and the arrangement was given a good water. Have fun experimenting, or enjoying the calm, restful and cosiness of the winter season! Next meetings: 5th February: e ree Musketeers! In-house demonstration, 5th March: Presentation and AGM. Ben Cross from Cross elds Flower Nursery specialises in Alstroemerias, bunches will be available to purchase. Meetings take place at Copythorne Parish Hall, Pollards Moor Road, SO40 2NZ starting at 7.30pm. For more information contact Debbie orne on: 07769 830752. Flower Arranging Within The Winter Season by Debbie Thorne, Foresters Flower Club Winter-scape arrangement
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