Red Christmas Arrangement

Video Transcription

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The classic red Christmas arrangement updated with garden roses and amaryllis, it's sure to be a favorite.

For this arrangement: my favorite red flowers. Carnations are great, long-lasting in the bright, vibrant red, as well as the burgundy red. Amaryllis, a perfect Christmas flower. And garden roses, this is Tess from gardenrosesdirect.com. The mechanics: going foam-free using floral netting taped in, and all I need to do is add water that's pre-mixed with flower food.

Starting with the foliage, using Leanne's rule: at least three different varieties. So I have some noble fir, some cedar, and then also some variegated holly, all of it, local to the Pacific Northwest, in fact, most of it right here, close to Portland. Cutting it down and then just setting it in place. When you work with your evergreens, giving it a little scrape, it will drink better, making sure that you can get it down into the water. Same with the cedar: giving it a scrape and then placing it. The holly just needs a nice cut and then place it radiating through that central binding point till you get everything filled in to support your flowers.

With the foliage nest in place, then I can go back and just start adding in flowers, carnations to get that vibrant red, and then repeating it with the burgundy to add some depth of color. And then Tess, bringing her in, picking up the burgundy, and then as it ages, it gets a little bit lighter, so it'll pick up both of the reddish colors as it goes. And the amaryllis, just cutting it down short, that way you don't have to worry about it breaking, feeding it down in, making sure it gets deep into the water so that it holds well.

As you finish, you want to turn it, look at it from all sides. Make sure that you fill in all the holes so that it's beautiful every way you look. Pulling in more of the bright red, tucking it, and then turning and double checking again.

For a final touch, some beaded cranberries. You can find the directions for that in the Tulip Tuesday playlist. But for now, just fastening that in, feeding it in from one side, letting it wind through, adding dynamic movement, watching out for your amaryllis, and then pulling it up and fastening it on the opposite side.

The recipe: I began with Evergreen Foliages, Cedar, Noble, and Variegated Holly. Then for the flowers I have nine Carnations, some burgundy, some bright red, two Amaryllis, then six of the Tess Garden Roses from gardenrosesdirect.com. Lastly, adding in the cranberries to give it that finishing touch.

Red is perfect for my Christmas. Your color might want to be different to match your decor. You'll find so much holiday inspiration on the website: flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. Now it's your turn. Create a fabulous arrangement. Maybe it's red, maybe it's something else. Be sure to take a picture, post on social media at #FloralDesignInstitute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.