Twisted Tulips
Does the new year have you feeling frazzled and twisted all around? Channel that into your flowers! In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne has a creative and fun technique to share -- braided tulip stems. Yes, you can braid them, and they look fabulous. Done in a soft, buttery yellow, this design adds a touch of color to a dreary winter day. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
The new year can leave you feeling a little twisted. What better to do than follow through with Twisted Tulips? Let me show you how it's done.
The core materials, nine tulips. Yes, you need nine, not 10. A vessel that holds water, and then for security, a kenzan anchored down to the base. That'll become the security for the tulips. But let's start with the tulips. I line them up, lay them out, and then using clear, waterproof tape, tape them together right at the bottom. You're securing them into one cluster, which will be easier to insert into the kenzan. Go around a couple of times just to be safe. Then once that's secure, you want to braid. Set them apart, line them up, keep the stems straight. You want to see which three go in each direction so that you've got a nice, tidy design.
Then once they're all divided, just gently braid them, bringing three across, scooching it over, bringing three back across. And working with threes each time, tighten them up, braid them, adjust, making sure they all nestle together. Bring it back again, and then one last wrap. Then when you've got it all in your hands, cluster the heads and start adjusting the stems so they give you a beautiful braid.
To secure the braid, I also did clear tape at the top. I have a top and bottom. And I just need to give it a fresh cut and then set it into the vessel, down into the teeth of the kenzan.
To fill in the base, maybe some fragrant stock, just cutting it down, feeding it in. To help establish the focal emphasis, some pincushion protea. Break them pretty short. You don't want to cover up your braid. You want to keep that showing, dropping it down in. And maybe a little bit of lemon cypress, little foliage in that same yellow palette, just to add a bit of texture.
As a final touch, just a few lemon yellow craspedia. Carrying that round form from the pin cushion to the craspedia to the round ball of tulips upwards, giving a little bit of continuity, top to bottom.
The recipe, nine tulips. That's where we started. Then a bit of the lemon cypress, three stock, three pincushion, and three craspedia. Nice and easy, using odd numbers.
Lemon yellow makes you feel so good. Brightens those dark, winter days. Braiding the stems has a bit of creative flare. For more creative inspiration, check out the website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there.
But now it's your turn. What are you going to create? Look for long stemmed pliable flowers. French tulips are fabulous. Do some braiding. Think about advanced floral design. We did braiding there. Then create a design, take a picture, post it on social media and hashtag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
