Marvelous Rose Arrangement

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 classic compote centerpiece using amazing Marvel roses. 

The mechanics? Going for the alternative, floral netting. It's tucked in, taped in place. Then using water mixed with flower food, gives us a great water reservoir to keep the flowers alive so long. Foliage? The Italian ruscus, aspidistra, and lily grass. The roses? It's a new variety called Marvel. Look how high the petal count is, how voluptuous, as they open, they get very huge and cup-shaped, and the color becomes a little more grayed, so it gives you that on-trend complex color that's so in demand. I like to start with a base of foliage. That way you've got a support for your flowers. Giving it a cut, stripping off the lower leaves, and then just placing it down into the weave of the floral netting. It holds it right in place. Go back with the other end, setting it in place, coming around, always removing lower leaves so that nothing goes down into the netting. Letting it drape, breaking the line of the container. Coming back with the aspidistra. It's so big, sometimes I just strip it down, make it a little smaller, and I can cut it, place it in. Or, I might even wrap it, just folding it around on itself, tying it into a knot, and then placing it in. The lily grass gives you a nice graceful movement. If you've had classes with me, you know Leanne's rule of thumb, you always want three different type of foliage in your arrangement to make them interesting. 

Once you have your nest of foliage, take a look at it. You should have started your elements and principles. There should be form, line, guiding your eye from side to the other. The nest serves a purpose of just establishing the design. Then, it's easy to go back and start adding your roses. Just giving them a cut, filling them in to create the focal emphasis. Even do one a little shorter, shadowed below to draw attention inward, draw the eye into the arrangement. Then everything just radiates from a central binding point. Place it in, tuck it around. The floral netting secures it so it won't shift. Bringing some to the back, some to each side, then filling it in the center. 

As you work, turn the design. Look at it from all sides. Make sure that it's equally as beautiful. Look for holes. You can see right here I've got a large hole, need to come back with another rose, tuck it down in. Determine where you might want a little more depth, tucking in a shorter rose, maybe right over here. Something to draw your eye inward, and to fill that hole. Then just keep turning and looking, double-checking where you want the flowers until you get it beautiful no matter which angle you look. 

To enhance the unity of the design, to pick up the color from the compote, just a small amount of curly willow cut down, then placed in, brings that beautiful brown upward and adds some dynamic movement to the arrangement, adding so much more interest. Now, since you asked, the recipe is easy. It's a compote and floral netting, 16 of the Marvel roses, 10 stems of lily grass, four stems of Italian ruscus, four aspidistra, then just a stem or two cut down of the curly willow. 

The classic compote, amazing with Marvel roses, the design is gorgeous when you include all your elements and principles. For more creative inspiration, check out the website Flower School .com. If you've got 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? Be sure to take a picture, post it on social media, and tag Floral Design Institute. That way, we all can see the beauty you create as you do something you love.