Foam Free Compote Centerpiece

Video Transcription 

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 classic compote. The technique? Foam free so it's an eco-conscious choice. 

I'm surrounded by amazing materials from FiftyFlowers.com. For the compote I'm going to work with the classic wedding pack, it's a tropical foliage pack and it gives you such variety. Amazing large fatsia leaves, look how shiny and grand. Then assorted foliages, ruscus, pittosporum, cocculus, lots of things to choose from in the assortment. Flower wise, beautiful pin cushion protea, vivid orange, and then two different varieties of protea, Brenda in the soft pink, then red ice, giving you a little deeper mahogany hue, then fabulous leucadendron. Look how grand they are as they open out. 

The mechanics, starting with a wonderful footed compote and then adding an armature of floral netting. Secure it in place with waterproof tape making sure that you go across wise because that will lock it carefully. Then fill it with water, pre-mixed with flower food so you're ready to design. 

Starting with the foliage, to build a nest to support the flowers, using a variety of things. Isn't that beautiful cocculus? Nice and shiny, giving it a cut, and then just feeding it through the armature, coming out one side and back out the other. Adding a fatsia leaf, they're so big and showy. Placing it down in deep in the water. Taking a second and terracing over the top to create depth. The pittosporum, so shiny, luxurious, angling it in. Making sure that you bring some things forward, some things back, and then through the center. 

The leucadendron gives you a substantial base. That deep hue setting it in and using it to draw a little excitement throughout the arrangement, contrasting with the green. The perfect direct complement and grouping them so they really show nicely, doing maybe three towards the front, shadowing down below. Then bringing three towards the back, grouping again. Then visually tying the two parts together by bringing some into the center, drawing your eye from one side of the design clear to the other. Then going back and adding additional varieties. Sometimes they're very woody, you can just break and then cut giving them a nice jagged edge. They'll drink well and last so beautifully in the design, bringing in the Brenda protea, finding a perfect spot, then coming back with a pincushion protea then repeating until it's full and lush. 

As I work, constantly thinking about radiating through that central binding point, pincushion in the front, pincushion in the back, always tying it through. Then bringing in the beautiful red ice. Again, breaking, giving it a jagged edge, and then placing it in. 

The last step to add a little enhancement, curly willow, the perfect choice. It gives it that natural rustic look and adds a bit of dynamic movement to the design. Just pulling out several pieces, giving it a cut, then placing it right down into the floral netting, letting it come out over the top. A little bit down towards the front, out to the side, and breaking the line of the container. 

The foam free compote is easy with flowers from FiftyFlowers.com. I started with the tropical wedding greenery combo box. That's where I had my cocculus, the ruscus, the fatsia, and the pittosporum. Then I added the farm assorted protea with the pincushion, leucadendron, Brenda, and red ice, then enhanced with just a bit of curly willow. There's your recipe so you can create with flowers from FiftyFlowers.com. 

Working foam free can be a challenge. It can take a little bit of practice but once you start with a great nest of foliage you'll find it's actually quite easy. For more creative inspiration, check out our website at Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there or pick up the telephone and give us a call at 503-223-8089. Now it's your turn, what are you going to create with amazing flowers foam free? Take a picture, post it on social media, tag Floral Design Institute and tag Fifty Flowers. That way we all can see as you do something you love.