Classic Blue and White in a Ming Vase

Video Transcription

Classic blue and white, a favorite of many, a challenge for florists. Going foam-free? Easy in a fabulous vessel. Let me show you how it's done.

The materials and mechanics, so straightforward. Find the perfect vessel, then fill it with fresh water. Mix it with flower food. That way, the flowers will last as long as possible. The mechanics? Nothing more than sturdy foliage. I love the ruscus, nice strong stems, ready for designing and supporting all the flowers.

To begin, I want to create a stable nest. Think to basic floral design: creating a nest for your flowers. Ten stems of the Israeli ruscus. I'm just putting it in my hand, then adding some blue eryngium. This was dyed, color-tinted by teacher Annie. And just setting it in to get that blue and green base low, because I don't want it to take over. And again, tucking it in. Then once I have that base, I can start adding in. Let's look at the belladonna. That will be perfect to add some height, feeding it in, repeating, going through that central binding point, and then repeating that until you get everything in your hand ready to add to the base.

With everything in the nest, give them a cut, and then go ahead and set it down into the vessel. You can see everything's ready to support all the flowers, and I can go back with a fabulous stem of the phalaenopsis. Set that in, letting it drape over. Then bringing in some hydrangea, bringing that blue outward, finding the perfect spot within the nest, and repeating. Some beautiful cornflower, bachelor buttons, centaurea, tucking it in. And everything you add, keep radiating from that central binding point and make sure that it goes down to at least the mid-level of the vase so it doesn't run out of water.

To finish: one more stem of the amazing phalaenopsis, bringing it back over towards the center, filling in the emphasis area, tucking it, sliding it in. Then a bit more of the hydrangea to pull your eye back across. And then one more stem to fill in the backside, because you never want to leave that naked.

The recipe? I started with ten stems of the Israeli Ruscus, and I added in five of the Belladonna Delphinium. Now, the Bachelor Buttons, I used five stems, but they're local grown, so multiple heads on one stem and so long. Aren't they fabulous? Then five stems of Hydrangea and two stems are the Phalaenopsis Orchids.

Classic blue is challenging when you're a florist, but in the summer months, so many choices. Adding it to a delft blue container, how grand. You'll find more creative inspiration on our website, FlowerSchool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now it's your turn. Do a search, find blue flowers, create an arrangement, and post it on social media. Be sure to #FloralDesignInstitute. That way, we all can see what you do as you do something you love.