Make your own festive floral ice bucket | DIY Garden Projects | Gardening Australia

Tammy creates a floral ice bucket to liven up your holiday table.
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I’m at the Uralla Garden, a glorious five-acre spread
in a semi-rural Sydney suburb about 40 minutes from the city. And I’m here to show you
how to make a cool centrepiece for entertaining at your place –
a floral ice bucket. It’s a stunning way to showcase
your home-grown blooms and chill your celebration drinks. This DIY showpiece
adds personality and charm, and best of all,
it costs nothing to make. And it all starts with a garden walk.
Let’s see what’s flowering. Gather your favourite flowers,
fruit, foliage and herbs. Green leaves will help create
a fresh colour contrast. Orchids, pansies and lavender are all
great choices as they are edible, but it’s a good idea to ensure
your home-grown blooms haven’t been sprayed with chemicals. Apart from your flowers,
you’ll need lemon slices. You’ll also need some tap water
and two food-safe plastic containers. One container needs to fit inside
the other, leaving a gap
of a couple of centimetres. The inner container
also needs to be wide enough for a regular wine, champagne
or soft-drink bottle. You’ll also need a weight to hold
the inner container in place while it’s in the freezer, and a tray or stand to display
your ice bucket on the table. The clarity of the ice can be affected by the temperature of
the water and the impurities in it. The impurities are released
when the water is cooled and frozen, which can make the ice appear cloudy. To make sure your ice bucket will be
crystal clear when it freezes, use distilled or double-boiled water
instead of tap water. Start by freezing
a couple of centimetres of water in the larger container. Once that’s frozen, you place a smaller
inner plastic container on top, weighing it down with something heavy
so that it doesn’t move. Carefully pour the water into
the void between the two containers. As you pour the water in slowly,
add the flowers, fruit and foliage. You will need a utensil
to press them into place. Place the mould in a freezer
and allow it to freeze completely. This will take a full 24 hours. Once it’s frozen,
take it out of the freezer and fill the inner container
with warm tap water. Run warm tap water along the sides
of the outer container to free the ice bucket. It should then slide right out. Place the ice bucket on a tray
and add your favourite summer sip. The tray will catch the water
as it melts. Creating a floral ice bucket
with frozen flowers adds a gardenesque touch
to any soiree while keeping your drinks chilled. It serves as a unique centrepiece
for a memorable event. It’s celebration time!