Potted spring bulbs bring spring right into our homes. The grocery store variety, in their green plastic containers can be elevated to designer arrangement status using these ideas from Elaine Martin of Vintage Gardener.

Martin has created three different arrangements using the same elements, a technique that gives a cohesive flow to a home. “There should be a thread that goes from room to room, that gives an echo of the arrangement,” says the owner of the Distillery District shop.

By combining lush green moss with blue hyacinths, Martin has woven a “moss thread” to connect the arrangements.

“It just looks like someone gave it some thought as opposed to each room having something completely different,” Martin explains.

The thread begins with a simple arrangement that requires removing sprouted hyacinth bulbs from their pot. You’ll notice that they are really root bound, so as Martin puts it, you’re doing the bulbs a favour by giving them a new home. She uses a slightly smaller, antique clay pot circa 1870. The roots are squeezed into a cone shape to accommodate the new container, and then the clump is placed inside. Next, remove some of the soil from the top to expose the bulb. The moist moss is tucked around the bulbs to cover the soil and give it a finished look.

Martin looked back to the Victorian era for a “magical idea” that adds some sparkle to the moss and blue flower theme. This time the bulbs are again pulled from the pot. The clump of roots and soil is wrapped in a sheet of moist moss and then is dropped into a large, tall cylinder glass vase. The shiny glass provides a whole new look for the common elements and acts as a greenhouse to help the bulbs along. Martin also suggests setting a glass dome, called a cloche, over a spring bulb arrangement for a similar effect.

When is a bud vase not a bud vase? When it’s made to look like a forcing jar and that’s where the thread continues in Martin’s third variation on the theme. We actually skip the forcing part as this arrangement uses a sprouted hyacinth bulb. Start by removing a single bulb from the soil, rinse it off so no soil remains, and then place it at the top of the vase. Create a collar with the moss to provide added stability and the mandatory moss thread.

Now wind the moss thread through your home and enjoy the beauty of the season from room to room.

To find out more about what Martin’s business has to offer, visit vintagegardener.com.