Tropical Flower Arrangement

Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, director of the Floral Design Institute. Today, I'm here to share with you a classic linear design but done nouveau style with fabulous tropicals. 

As I was gathering flowers for today, I went online to Green Point Nurseries and looked through their website. They make it so easy. So many pictures, you can see exactly what you're getting. Then, if you pick up the telephone, you can chat with them because sometimes they have special little things that are just a little bit unique. If you saw us in the livestream, go to the Facebook page, look at the Lives, you'll see it, we worked in the classics. Notice all the fire colors, aren't they beautiful? Ginger, anthurium, just too much fun. But that was the Live, you can go back and look at it on our Facebook page. Today I'm looking at a more updated version using pastels. Amazing flowers. Ginger, anthurium, and the pinks rather than the reds. Then more anthurium, look at these delicate white. They also have unique varieties like this, the tulip anthurium, and lavender. Love those. Orchids, foliages, so many different choices and in a whole new color palette for tropicals. 

For my container I chose a classic wooden box, giving a little more current, on-trend look. Added a liner, then foam. When you're working with something this large, the temptation is to fill the entire thing with foam. That's really not necessary. We need about a half a brick to support all my stems, so I moved it to the side. Then on the opposite, you can do something as simple as just adding a bit of moss and then maybe a leaf or two to carry your eye across. The monstera are grand, terracing them to get a little bit of dimension, and then I'm ready for flowers. 

As you order your flowers with Green Point, you not only can specify color and variety, but you can also specify size. For example; the ginger, see how it comes in two different sizes? Depending on what you're making, you want something a little smaller, larger, or very large, you can say I want small, medium, large. Then placing my lines, thinking in pairs. Did two monstera, two ginger. Thinking about my height and scale. As I place it, give it strong slanting cut and then repeat that. By creating a wedge it will keep it from spinning in the foam, giving nice stability. Placing it in, anchoring it well. Notice the slant. Then repeating that, little shorter. One slant, second slant. Deciding do I want it in the front or the back, angling it in. I'm going to use one more because these carry your eye down, making your eye come over, but I want to bring it back in. So one more, shorter and forward, drawing the eye back to the focal emphasis. 

Once you have your form established and the lines, it's time to move forward to the focal emphasis, giving your eye a resting point. What better than the gorgeous anthurium? Looking at them, oh, this one's great. It's got a nice flat face. Giving it a cut then bringing it down towards the bottom. Get a little bit shorter. Then a second one, terracing over, but still going to the same binding point. Now I can expand the design, go beyond the pink and go beyond the form, bringing in some of the beautiful Aranda orchids. Coming out to the side and repeating. Making sure I pull all the way to the back as well as to the front. 

With the purple coming off to one side, repeating it on the opposite side will draw your eye through the focal emphasis. Bringing it down low and letting it trail out, exaggerating that diagonal line. Loving these anthurium with the tulip face, how grand is that? Then balancing off to the opposite side again, with calathea foliage. Making it a little fuller, expanding upon that diagonal line. 

As I finish, I want to look at the arrangement from all sides. Make sure I finish the front, the back, the sides. Add interest and contrast, and of course cover my foam. Now, for that it can be as simple as taking a calathea, rolling it, stapling, and just give it a little cut, setting it in down close to the base of the foam. Then repeat that, bringing the color through the design and even around to the back. Then filling in, maybe a bit of bamboo. Cutting it, setting it right down in. Maybe a little softness, some lily grass. Using the back of my knife, giving it a cut and then just letting it slide in under. Draping over, helping to break the line of the container. Then just for fun, because I have them and they're fabulous, look at these white anthurium. Aren't they grand? Letting them come in a little taller, faces showing in, adding a bit of brightness and excitement to the design. 

As you explore the use of tropicals, I'll share my recipe with you. This can be your starting point. Everything can be found on the Green Point Nursery website. I started with three small pink ginger, then I added two pink anthurium, three purple tulip anthurium, and I finished with the two white anthurium. So I have three different varieties. Two of the Aranda orchid, five of the calathea foliage, two bamboo, two monstera, and then five of the lily grass. All together, a fabulous design. 

As you can see, working with tropicals is so much fun. It can be classic, in the fire colors, or more updated, in the watercolors with the blues to the pinks and the purples. So many options, so many beautiful shapes, sizes, textures. So many choices. For more creative inspiration, check out our website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach me through there or pick up the telephone. Call me at 503-223-8089. Now, I'd love to see what you create with tropical flowers. Gather some, create away, take a photo and then post it on social media. Be sure to tag Floral Design Institute, that way we all can see as you do something you love.