Flowers on the Brain
As flower lovers we are always thinking about flowers, and with the abundance of beautiful blossoms available during the summer months, it’s hard not to have “flowers on the brain”. In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne has a playful take on design as she uses a whimsical head vase and fun summer blooms like hydrangea, dahlia and smoke bush to create a lush arrangement full of texture and contrast. Follow along as she uses floral netting as the mechanic in this foam-free floral design. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute and today it's summertime. Flowers are blooming and we're going to look at Flowers-on-the-Brain.
The vessel, one of the wonderful head vases. I've taken floral netting, crunched it and added it to the center, taped in place with waterproof tape. Then all we need to do is add fresh water already mixed with flower food. Flower wise, I chose so many of my favorites. I have some lavender, coral, peach and then also blue and white and deeper blue and a bit of purple. So, a vast array of color and so many different blooms, perfect for the vessel.
To create the base, starting with larger materials. Hydrangea are perfect. Removing some of the leaves so that they don't drink as much of the water and giving it a cut and dipping it in alum. It's a pickling spice. It'll make it last so much longer. Then making sure it's down into the water and helping to break the line of the container. Fatsia, grand leaf coming out, maybe two of them, terraced to create a little bit of a layering. And smoke bush, one of my favorites. So delicate and lacy and the color is just grand. Adds softness, almost looks like it's the hair on top of the head.
The base is established and it's full and lush all the way around. And that's going to last for a very long time because they're low and tight to the water source. But I want to go ahead and let it come up. Flowers-on-the-Brain is almost explosive. Bringing some of the larkspur upwards, finding a perfect spot. Then bringing the buds in with it and repeating that. A little bit shorter on the opposite side, framing, adding buds again, then adding some softness with bunny tail grass. Also letting that come up, drawing the eye from the base and then up taller towards the top. Then repeating on the opposite side, adding extension to the arrangement.
With the lines established, it draws attention to the focal emphasis area. So now I need to fill in there with larger, bolder blossoms, maybe a little more color. The dahlias are perfect for that. Cutting them down and then placing it in, letting it nestle. Adding another. Can even bring it out a little longer utilizing the buds. Then carrying the eye through the design towards the back. You don't want the color just in the front. And then popping in some of the shimmer roses for a brightness, capturing you right in the center.
Now comes the fun. Just filling in with a few more favorite blossoms and colors. The coral hypericum just brings a little pop of color. The scabiosa in the soft lavender can come up over the top a little taller because they're so delicate and lightweight, drawing the eye upward. Even adding a bit of texture with the eryngium, cutting it down. You don't need it to be super bulky but just a nice touch to bring in more contrast to the design.
The recipe for this is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I started with three of the hydrangea and three fatsia leaves. Then I took one stem smoke bush and broke it apart into smaller bits. For the line, three larkspur and 10 of the bunny tail grass. Then for the focal emphasis, I had five roses and five dahlias. To add contrast, five of the coral hypericum, three of the scabiosa and then one large stem of eryngium broken apart.
Summertime is definitely one of my favorite seasons. There are so many flowers and as a flower lover, I've been accused of having Flowers-on-the-Brain. How about you? Do you have Flowers-on-the-Brain? If you want even more, you'll find more design, more inspiration, more education on our website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there or pick up the telephone and give us a call at 503-223-8089. Now it's your turn. What are you going to create as you have Flowers-on-the-Brain? Be sure you take a picture, post it on social media, hashtag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
