Geometric Whimsey

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 fun design in a geometric vessel. It doesn't take a lot of flowers when you have a great vase. 

I filled the vase with floral foam presoaked with flower food. Flower-wise, green trick carnations, Orange Crush roses, craspedia, solidaster, and some fabulous curly willow that started to bloom, the leaves coming out. 

To establish the line of the design, the craspedia. You know, you normally think of using a line flower, but you can use something interesting to create your line, just giving it a visual as to how tall you want it. Give it a cut and then place it right down, feeding in, and then carrying your eye on down to the base. Bringing in a couple more, a little bit shorter, stair-stepping them, and then a couple more, drawing your eye to the base. 

Once you have the line established, I like to fill in the focal emphasis right down at the base, and for that, the bright orange roses will be fabulous. You don't need to be too long, very short, tucked low. That puts them right at the water source so that they'll hold the longest. 

To add depth to the design, you need to bring a rose around to the backside. You don't want everything just right at the front. Carrying your eye from the front to the back, drawing the color through, finishes it off so well. Then the green trick, using them as though they were the foliage, bringing it into the base, and it's basically a moss carpet supporting your flowers. 

To add just a little bit of texture, the solidaster. You don't want a lot, just to add a touch, drawing your eye inward, carrying the yellow down a tad bit further. Then one more of the craspedia, bringing your eye around to the back, finishing it off on this side, and then that little touch of whimsy with the leafing out curly willow, giving it a cut, then determining exactly where it needs to go. You can kind of move it around, then feed it in, letting it go with the craspedia up to the top. 

When you're working with minimal materials, it's important to focus on the elements and principles. In this design, it's just seven craspedia, three of the Orange Crush roses, three green trick carnations, a small part of solidaster, then one stem of curly willow. Absolutely fabulous. 

The elements and principles recognized in a whimsical design, grouping the flowers, focusing on an analogous color harmony, makes floral design fun and easy. For more creative inspiration, check out the website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us there or pick up the telephone and give us a call at 503-223-8089. Now it's your turn. Create away, then take a picture and post it on social media. That way we all can see. Tag Floral Design Institute, I'll watch for it and see what you create as you do something you love.