Classic Tropical Hand-Tie

Elegant and sophisticated, an all-white bouquet is a classic. You can up the WOW factor by adding a twist: combining tropical flowers with roses! In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne creates a dreamy Neotropical hand tie bouquet of dendrobiums orchids, anthuriums, and lovely 'Vendela' roses, all collared with ti leaves -- it's gorgeous and oh-so-sophisticated. Enjoy!

Video Transcription


The classic hand-tie, pairing tropicals and roses. Some call that neotropical, but let me show you how it's done.


The flowers, actually exquisite anthurium and dendrobium from Hawaii. If you're familiar with dendrobiums, the Hawaiian are quite different from those from Thailand. Much drapier, softer, almost lacier. Then pairing it with vendela roses for that classic white. For the foliage, using ti leaves straight from the islands.


As I begin taking a cluster, maybe two anthurium and grouping them together and that'll become a starting point. Bringing in a rose, getting a little bit of depth, and then giving a slight turn. Another anthurium and more roses. Turning. Now things will shift and that's okay. You want to just relax with it, let it spin around in your hand, and as you hold it, hold it very lightly, just thumb and finger, the rest hanging out so that it gives it that soft support that doesn't get stiff. I know that's always challenging. People go, "Oh, how do you do that?" And the key is to relax with it and let it just almost go wild. But as long as you add everything into your hands in the same fashion and then turn, it all will just fall into place. It might not look beautiful at certain stages, and that's okay because it will get prettier as you go along. If you change your mind and you decide you want something a little taller, you just give a little pull, tug it up, and you've got more dimension, then go ahead and keep adding blooms.


At this point, continue on tucking in, looking for balance, making sure everything radiates out evenly, that you don't have lost spots then turn, bringing in additional blooms, watching how their faces play. Adding, turning, I'm a little bit shy on roses on this side, so balancing out with a few more roses, then turning and you can see they just start dancing, looking so beautiful. Adjusting, lengthening or shortening depending on what you need. Tucking in additional blooms and always holding it just loosely with your finger and your thumb. Letting the stem splay out because that's what gives you the nice full look. Tucking in additional roses, additional blooms, the last of the dendrobium, and separating these roses. They're a little too close, so dropping one down and stand and look at it in the mirror and make sure it's balanced. Make any adjustments that you want to give it a full round effect.


To finish, taking the ti leaves and just tucking them into your hand and then rolling them back down. Creating a ribbon loop, clutching it, repeating and then turning. Add additional leaves, and once you have a full collar, you can go back and tie it off using bind wire for a beautiful finished hand tie.


When working with the spiral, if you cut it flat, it should stand. Now, of course, I'm sitting here going, oh, please don't tip over, but hopefully it's going to stay put as we talk about the recipe. For this design, I worked in 10s, 10 of the fabulous Anthurium, 10 of the Hawaiian Dendrobium Orchids, 10 of the Vendela White Roses, and 10 Ti Leaves to create the collar and look at that. It's still standing. I'm a happy girl.


Combining tropical blossoms with classic roses makes true beauty and it's okay to combine all different types of flowers. Isn't that fun? 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. Gather flowers, both roses or your other favorites and tropicals. Create a hand tie, check to see if it will stand, then take a picture, post it on social media and #FloralDesignInstitute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.

  • Crowning Glory Individual Pack 32 ounce spray bottle
    Crowning Glory Individual Pack 32 ounce spray bottle
  • Fresh Flower Food Individual Pack 10 ounce tub
    Fresh Flower Food Individual Pack 10 ounce tub
  • Quick Dip Individual Pack One Pint
    Quick Dip Individual Pack One Pint
  • Bind Wire Individual Pack 673 Feet (Green)
    Bind Wire Individual Pack 673 Feet (Green)