It feels very autumnal in our hillside garden this week, rain and winds have blown the leaves from the vine and the dahlias are coming to an end. I am always inspired by my good friend Vicky of Amberley Meadow. Her cutting garden is something to behold and even in the last throws there’s something to pick.

I had a hunt around my own garden this week and looked with fresh eyes to see that I could make some very pretty little arrangements with very little in the way of flowers.

Even as we edge into autumn and winter there are still things around to pick, whether they are rosehips and seed heads from the hedgerow or the last windswept flowers clinging on to life. Evergreen herbs and little sprigs of foliage add texture and scent.

I collected the last few dahlias, some jasmine foliage which is turning a lovely purple, sprigs of sage, a couple of roses sprigs of fennel, and the seed heads from some Japanese anemones and managed to make 4 little jam jar posies.

Old mustard jar, Bonne maman jam jar, pot from the charity shop and lovely posy vase .

This lovely posy arranging bowl was a birthday gift from my friend and it is perfect for small arrangements

I am a terrible hoarder of small jars and vases and I often pick them up at the charity shop . I have used various small pots and jars here to create little jam jar posies and dotted them around the house. I often make these little arrangements to give to friends and to put on shelves and windowsills around the house. The key is to keep the stems short enough to fit easily in to the vases, the bigger the stems the more flowers and foliage you will need. Aim for a compact arrangement . If it feels like it’s getting unwieldy, take them out and chop a few cm off the bottoms. If you are struggling to make things stay in the vase then you can use some pieces of tape in a grid formation over the top of the jar and that will help to hold blooms and foliage steady.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend and fingers crossed for some autumn sunshine!