Flower Meadow Arrangement

Welcome to the flower school .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute, and today I'm here to share with you a fabulous arrangement inspired by a springtime meadow. 

I had so much fun gathering these flowers. I went shopping on the FiftyFlowers.com site, and I started with their wildflower combo. It was a great assorted pack. It came with the veronica, snapdragons, crespedia, scabiosa, then I added the beautiful double tulips. Aren't those grand? The combo pack also comes with so much fabulous texture and fillers. I’ve got bupleurum, yellow button feverfew, white daisy feverfew and eryngium. All of this together, it makes it easy to create a fabulous design. 

To follow through with the theme, a tin container gives it that rustic country look, lined it, filled it with fresh water already mixed with flower food. Then, for support, using floral netting, just folding it into various layers, and around, then sliding that right down in, wedging it securely to make sure it will support all the stems. 

To build a strong base starting with the fillers, adding in with the button feverfew, removing anything that is broken, saving it because I can use that for something else, then giving it a cut, setting it down in, angling it so that it starts spreading out. Notice how I start on the outer edges, leaving the center open. I'll go back and fill that later, but by starting on the outer edges it helps build a weave with all the stems crossing so it will support everything as you move on. Coming back to the white daisy feverfew, pulling it from its garden, again, taking off some of the side shoots so it's not quite so full, setting it down in a nice angle and the eryngium. You can see the textures start adding vibrant beauty instantly. 

Once you have the outer areas filled in, you can go back and add into the center, filling it in, and it supports because the weave is there to give it nice and strong, plus the floral netting helps it out as well. Maybe a little bit of the yellow as well, then coming back with the line material. Snapdragons, letting them grow up above, tall and stately. Grouping them vertically, letting them be important. That one is a little crooked, so taking them out, holding the wire netting in place, and then reinserting him and you can see how nice that weave works to keep everything right where you want it to stay. There we go. Then coming back with some veronica, filling it in. Making sure it goes in nice and deep. There we go, maybe a little taller, then another snapdragon pulling your eye to the back. This one comes a little forward, we need one that comes a little to the back to balance it out. 

It's already pretty, it's already meadow-like, but you can always add a little bit more. Now as you work, think about keeping your meadow tall flowers grouped, all the snapdragons on one side, all the veronica on the other. Then coming back with the scabiosa and the tulips to add a little bit of difference, some form flowers, some excitement. Giving it a cut, letting the color come out. Look at that movement. It just drapes over the side of the pot. How grand. Removing the larger leaves so that they stay out of the way, again cutting and grouping it in. Then the tulips, they're going to continue to grow so that will give the whole design more character as it evolves. Scabiosa, so stately, bringing it even a little taller, adding color to the opposite side. 

Again, I could stop here, it's beautiful. But adding a little more bright yellow, just to touch more vividness with the crespedia, cutting it and letting it come up through the center, adding that brightness. Then a little bit more bupleurum. Haven't put that in yet, but the filler, see how drapey, soft, relaxed, letting it come in around the edges to help break the line of the container, adding that softness throughout. 

I created the design one-sided, so it's perfect for a buffet, for a springtime festivity or maybe a Mother's Day gift, presentation at home or at work. The recipe, all of the flowers are from FiftyFlowers.com. I used the wildflower combo box, and then I added the tulips. It has six snapdragons, eight Veronica, 12 tulips, eight scabiosa. Yes, even numbers, but you know what? It's still beautiful. Five crespedia, then the fillers are white daisy feverfew, yellow button feverfew and bupleurum all together, fabulous. 

Winter this year was so cold and so long for many of us, that springtime, summertime, it makes us dream. When I start dreaming, I think about the meadows of my youth, here interpreted for you. For more creative inspiration, check out our website, flower school .com. If you have questions, you can reach me there or pick up the telephone and give me a call at (503) 223-8089 and as always, I love to see what you create, what inspires you for spring and summer, Mother's Day holidays, for you? Take a picture, post it on social media and tag Floral Design Institute. That way I'll see, and everyone else as well. Have fun and do something you love.