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It’s January and you know what that means: Time to focus on getting organized. And I will – next week!

This week I would rather introduce my new monthly “floral inspiration” feature. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that I used to have a monthly “plant pick” feature. And while I will still write about specific plants from time to time, my floral inspiration feature replaces my monthly plant pick. Each month we will explore a new floral design theme.

January’s Simple Beauty

There is so much simple beauty to be found in the short days of January. And what could be simpler or more beautiful than the clean, classic combination of winter white flowers and metal containers. It’s a refreshing change after the glitz of holiday decor.

I tried three combinations.

1. A Bucket Full of White

Recently I found a metal Pottery Barn champagne bucket at a thrift store. Some of the patina had worn away, which made me like it even more. I wanted to fill it with flowers, but its large size would have made it difficult to arrange flowers in it.

A Vase Inside The Bucket

So I placed another vase inside it to better contain the flowers.

The vase I used is fluted – wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. I made a tape grid for the top of the vase for even better control of the flowers.

Choosing the Right Whites

If not done right, a white floral arrangement can wind up looking like funeral flowers. So it’s a good idea to combine varying shades of soft white: Tones of milk, cream, parchment, straw, and butter.

The Result

A calm, elegant look.

2. Footed Silver Bowl with Paperwhites

It’s fun to grow fragrant and cheerful paperwhites indoors from bulbs. I grew paperwhites in a large, ornate silver bowl that I found at a thrift store. The tarnished silver gives the bowl an old world appeal.

I used pebbles to grow the bulbs inside the bowl, and when the bulbs sprouted I surrounded the plants with florist moss.

For more on how to grow paperwhites from bulbs, check out my post Growing Paperwhites.

3. Hydrangea and Roses in a Little Silver Bowl

I cut one large hydrangea blossom head into three pieces and interspersed it with a few roses for this sweet little bouquet.

This is another arrangement where I used a vase inside of a vase. A small glass bowl with a spike flower frog at the bottom sits inside the little silver bowl and contains the flowers.

Winter white floral in metal containers works with just about any decor. We will be enjoying the colorful blossoms of spring soon enough, but for now I’m content with my winter whites.