Paperwhites, Fresh or Faux?

I've had this little obsession with Paperwhites for about 10 years now. There is just something so pristine and snowy fresh about a grouping of them. In the past I would buy around a hundred bulbs each season close to Halloween and start the planting process. That was the fun part, I've planted bulbs in everything from Santa Mugs to Antique Ironstone Tureens to the re-purposed clear glass jars that candles come in from Bath and Body Works. I love them and never get tired of them.

I kept a bag of potting soil and small pea gravel in my garage at all times. I would stagger the plantings so I had fresh Paperwhites from the middle of November until Easter. Their tiny white flowers remind me of small orchids but of course don't offer a long-time bloom. Some people complain of the "aroma", but I've never found it that offensive. To me it's just more of an earthy/loamy smell.

I have a few faux Paperwhite bulbs and many times you can find clusters of stems with flowers at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. I know myself, sometimes I will see gorgeous silk flowers but don't know exactly where I'd use them or in what container. Then you have to think about how the arrangement will look...will it look fake? how do I get them to stay upright?, what do I cover the base with to make it look realistic?

I just wanted to share this little idea that I came up with this weekend that made sense of those questions. Since Paperwhites are so tall you have to figure out a way to keep them in your container and upright. I have this great little galvanized bucket that I seem to use all the time. It's just the right size for flowers (and little faux Christmas Trees).

These bulbs have a couple of sturdy spikes on them that I could have used anchored in a floral block or Styrofoam, but I didn't think I'd need to since I was planning to use material to keep them together and upright. 

I had this roll of grapevine fencing that I bought at Hobby Lobby several years ago. I always save my flower arrangement elements (like moss and shredded paper, filler, etc.) so that I can use bits and pieces again for later projects. I'm not sure what I had this on but I trimmed it down so it would fit inside the bucket.

The grapevine fencing alone, keeps them pretty straight. 

Then I packed the sides with shredded packing paper first, 

Then added the moss in on top.

This is super easy and I actually put it together before I thought about taking the photos. (I'm not a very good diy blogger, sorry) This is a simple little idea, and I almost didn't share it as a post, because I know you all have great ideas yourselves. But since I almost didn't use this bucket, I thought it might give someone else the idea that they could try this in another similar or more shallow container. Of course you could just use ribbon or twine to keep the wayward stems corralled like I do with real Paperwhite blooms.

I think these look so real, it's hard to see that they're just silks.

I think I might try adding in a few twigs or sticks,

and maybe some gardener's twine to make it even more realistic.

You can see by the background I've been rearranging the Baker's Rack 

and changing up the quilt on the settee to get ready for some Valentine Inspiration.

Here are a few more pics from my Pinterest Board, Paperwhites

The Ice Storm that was running through the upper Midwest has been a little north of us so we've missed the worst of it. We still have rain in the forecast till Sunday evening. We're hoping to have dodged this one! OK stay warm and dry and keep the candles and blankets closeby!

                                                                        xoxo,

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