Autumn Compote Centerpiece
In this how-to video Leanne creates a beautiful autumn compote using gorgeous garden roses from GardenRosesDirect.com. The design features two of Leanne’s favorite roses, Angels Pillow and Eugenie, both grown by Alexandra Farms. Completing the design with fall foliages and blossoms, Leanne demonstrates the techniques for designing in a floral netting armature.
Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, director of the Floral Design Institute. Today, I'm excited to share with you a beautiful autumn compote featuring garden roses.
The flowers I chose to work with were from GardenRosesDirect.com. These two varieties are two of my favorites. They're grown at Alexandra Farms. The first one, a beautiful lush head. Isn't that grand? It's called Angel's Pillow. Look at that petal count, and it has a nice fragrance. The second, a softer blush called Eugenie. It too has wonderful fragrance and is an amazing long lasting variety. Then to bring in the autumn vibe, just some fun local grown product, PeeGee hydrangea, scabiosa, rose hips from teacher Michelle's yard, and then a variety of foliages.
The vessel, a beautiful compote from Accent Decor. Then going foam free using floral netting taped in. Then filling it with water already mixed with flower food, so it will keep the flowers for a very long time.
When you take classes at Floral Design Institute, you know we love foliage. We use as many different varieties as possible to create a design that's interesting even before you add flowers. You can see I took an assortment and just set it in a vase. How beautiful. Now I'm going to pull from this vase and use it in my compote. I got some beautiful cocculus, giving it a cut, and feeding it right down into the netting. A fatsia leaf big, full, fabulous. Maybe a second one. Terracing it right over the top to add depth to the design. Little more of the cocculus, and aspidistra leaf. Choosing foilages that have different shapes, different characteristics, even a slightly different green will make it so much more interesting. Little bit of Italian ruscus and some Israeli ruscus, continuing to place things in a radial format until you have a beautiful nest to support your flowers.
PeeGee hydrangea becomes popular and available towards the end of summer and then into autumn. It has a beautiful coloration that truly looks like autumn. Adding that into the base for fullness and extension. It's so long lasting. Because it's harvested late in the season, it often starts to dry right on the bush, and then when you add it to your designs, continues to dry and look beautiful for days, sometimes even weeks. Branches to bring in the barren look of autumn and winter. Just placing that down in. Then coming out the opposite side giving a little dynamic movement to the arrangement. Making sure to get them down into the netting where it's nice and secure. A little bit to the front and then a little bit to the back, so it has movement throughout.
Adding a little bit of floral humor by taking the roses, but also going to the hip, so you get the bloom and the seed pod in the same arrangement. Now granted it's two different varieties, but isn't that fun? Bringing in the autumn vibe with the seeded bloom, the rose hip, which also adds some nice texture and color to the design, but we can't forget the stars of the design. The beautiful garden roses, this orange Angel's Pillow, so grand. Setting it right down in, making sure it's down into the water well. Then the blush, the Eugenie. Again, setting it in. Then continue adding roses in a radial format until it's full and lush.
As you finish the design, look at it from all sides. Make sure that all the tape is concealed, all your mechanics are hidden, add a little bit of foliage, and then looking for that last little bit of texture to shout out Autumn. The scabiosa pods are perfect. Just giving them a cut and then setting them down in, getting a little bit of that brown contrast. Picking up the brown from the rose hips and accenting the roses.
This compote is the perfect combination of local grown seasonal flowers and luxurious garden roses. Now the garden roses and the recipe comes from Alexandra Farms or through GardenRosesDirect.com. Two varieties, Angel's Pillow, five stems, Eugenia, five stems. Then forage from teacher Michelle's yard, the branches, and the rose hips. 10 stems of the hips, two stems of the branches. Then 10 scabiosa, five PeeGee hydrangea, and then assorted foliages about 20 stems in total.
arden roses add a touch of luxury to any design. They're easy to work with. They have pretty standard care and handling. For the full video on care and handling, check on our website, Flower School .com. If you have questions or you need more inspiration, you'll find it there as well. If it's easier, pick up the telephone and give us a call. We're here to help at (503) 223-8089. Now it's your turn. What are you going to create with garden roses? Take a picture, post it on social media, and hash tag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see as you do something you love.
