Summer Floral Design: Foraged and Local

Video Transcription

Summer floral design, foraged and local. And I know you often ask, "Do you finish the back?" Yes, I did. So fabulous, foam free. Let me show you how it's done.

The start of this bouquet was when I went out walking and I found the beautiful clematis. It was local grown, wild. This is what it looks like when it's just starting to bud out. And then as it matures, it gets these very fuzzy little seed pods on that. Either way, it holds very, very well. So I started by harvesting some clematis. Then I went to commercial flowers, all of them local grown. So we've got some dahlias, some zinnias, that beautiful color, some cosmos, a little bit of yarrow, and then some celosia. And then one of my new favorite things, the bicolor hanging amaranthus.

The container is filled with floral netting, and then I'll add fresh water premixed with flour food. It helps keep everything alive for so long. Then tucking in, starting with the clematis, letting it weave, be a little bit wild coming out. Maybe a little bit shorter on this piece. I think I will cut it right about here, making that judgment call as to how long it should be, because you don't want it to be so long that it takes over the design, but you want it long enough to give you some movement and then coming back with the smaller bit, letting it come out towards the backside so it will have some movement back here. Then bringing in little bit of the pods, so we've got it new and mature in the same design, coming around to the backside as well. And then before I get too far, we want to take the hanging amaranthus, give it a cut, set it in letting it dangle around the front, walking it into the floral netting and then curling it back up on itself, letting it drape across to get a little bit of movement.

The yarrow gives a nice base to help support all the other flowers and also brings the color of the vessel upward so it gives a bit of unity to the overall design. I'm just tucking it in, making sure that it's well situated into the water, because yarrow is thirsty. It dries nicely, but if you want it to stay fresh and perky, you need to get it into the water. Then it's the celosia to get a little bit of brightness, just to add some pizazz to the arrangement, letting it radiate from a central binding point. Coming out towards the front, then coming back with the main bloom. The zinnias, this beautiful chartreuse green, letting it come up a little taller. The dahlias, leaving the buds attached gives nice movement, tucking it in, and then repeat until you run out of flowers or run out of space.

To finish, a little bit more of the yarrow. It adds depth, right down towards the center to pull the eye in, and then adding a little bit more length with the cosmos to add some lightness. Making sure they get down into the water, but letting them dance over the top adds a little delicate touch. Repeating, and then turn it. Make sure it looks good, front and back, side to side, and add the depth and the lightness to finish the design.

The recipe, I started with the Clematis, foraged just around the corner here from the studio. I used three stems, both in the more mature and in the bud stage. Then I added two stems of the bicolor Hanging Amaranthus. Then for flowers, the beautiful Celosia, seven stems scattered throughout. Yarrow, used seven stems tucked in for depth. Zinnias, five stems, Cosmos, nine stems, and Dahlias, five stems again.

The summer floral design, the absolute best of the season, in sunset colors. You're going to find more creative inspiration on the website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there, but now it's your turn. Go out, see what you can forage, find your favorite flowers, and design away. 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.