Fun with Food and Flowers
We love to have flowers on our kitchen counters and dining tables when we eat, but what about flowers IN our food? In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne has fun "playing with her food" (and flowers!) in a creative design idea that is great for summer gatherings, or anytime, really. See what fun can be had with a fire-palette of color and some bell peppers -- enjoy!
Video Transcription
Playing with your food is so on trend, but I don't have time to make little bunnies, little pandas, little whatever. But I love food and flowers. Let me show you this fun technique.
One of the joys of being a florist today is so many amazing materials and the freedom to mix and match. So, beautiful garden roses. This one is Garden Romance from gardenrosesdirect.com, but pairing it with wild dill, bunny tails, and then stopping at the grocery store and adding in peppers. Yes, the perfect vessel for flowers. You can use them as is or cut them, open it up, and go ahead and add water. They become the perfect vessel.
As I begin, I think about my focal flowers, placing them first. The Garden Romance roses, cutting it down, setting it in. Think about how tall I want it to be. I think I'm going to shorten it just a bit. Then coming back. Alstroemeria from Florabundance. Isn't that a beautiful piece? Tucking it in. Maybe adding a second. Creating a little more impact. Finding the perfect stem. There's a good one. And lowering it just a bit to draw the eye back in the arrangement.
As I continue I think about pulling the eye from side to side. So, even when you're doing a component design like this, you still want your elements and principles. You want that line. You want spacing. Getting the cut, dropping it in, pulling that dark red front to back, picking up the red, and then adding in with interest, maybe some dill, letting it come out to the side. Expanding the arrangement, the bunnytails, to give a little bit of soft whimsy, coming up taller. Then coming into the center. A few more of the bunnytails, and a little bit more of the Alstroemeria, and then just tucking in until you like the flow from side to side and front to back.
Finish. Just a little bit more of the more natural gardening. Some clover, cutting it short, bringing that red hue back towards the center. Repeating that. It adds texture, color, contrast. Coming out from the side. And then turning it, looking to see where else you need to add. A little more dill, a little more bunnytails, what color and texture you desire.
The recipe? Actually quite simple. It started with six peppers from the grocery store. Three of them I carved out. The rest I just laid. Then two of the Garden Romance Garden Roses from gardenrosesdirect.com. They open beautifully. Soft fragrance, not a major fragrance, but they are so gorgeous with that deep red. Alstroemeria, three stems, and this all came from Florabundance.com. Then I filled in with a dozen Bunnytails. I know. Tucked them in and out, just all around. 10 of the Gomphrena to get that nice draping, and just two of the Dill Weed to add a little bit of texture.
Designing casually in the summertime is such fun. Just don't forget your elements and principles of design. You'll find more inspiration and education on the website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now it's your turn. Gather your flowers, stop at the grocery store, and get a bit of produce, and create a fabulous design. Be sure to take a picture and post it on social media, #FloralDesignInstitute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
