Having Fun with Flowers: Design Workshops, Special Event Florals
Upcycled containers for florals, collections
In December, I hosted a floral design workshop for Milwaukee Art Museum Garden Club members. We created a holiday themed centerpiece using fresh roses and holly plus some foraged items from my garden. I preserved Limelight hydrangea blooms with a water/glycerin mixture and then spray painted them with a burgundy wine color. The pine cones are lightly painted copper and gold. Other items in this piece are lotus pods, grapevine balls, and small colored ornaments.
I found this cute collection of bottles wired together at a vendor’s booth at a recent garden show. Using a collection of bottles as centerpieces with a random selection of flowers is a popular trend, especially when wildflowers and nature themes are part of the event. The flowers here are mini-carnations and daisy mums.
When you just have to plant something and it’s still winter, there are many indoor plants to choose from. Here are some cute houseplants in dish gardens accented with stones, a frog and a decorated stone I found at an art fair. (Unfortunately, I don’t have the artist’s name).
My collection of vintage animal themed planters made perfect accessories for decorating the venue for a baby shower. These include mini-carnations, spray roses, and daisy like asters (matsumoto).
Zinnias are some of the most colorful, easy to grow flowers in the garden. Sowing seeds in the spring ensures blooms are at their peak in late August and into the fall. Bees and butterflies love zinnias, an easy way to help the pollinators thrive. Next year, I am planting more orange zinnias!
Dahlias come in many colors and sizes . . . they are at their peak in late summer in the garden. At the same time of the season, there are many complementary greens and fall blooming flowers available to add to the centerpiece or bouquet. The Dahlia Garden design below includes barberry twigs, sedum, russian sage, salvia, dusty miller, and eucalyptus.
The centerpieces for this June wedding shower were arranged in gold painted cans of various sizes. The request from the bridal party was to arrange the flowers in the containers as if they had just been picked from the garden. Yellow, blue and cream were the dominant colors. We used spider mums, snapdragons, thistle and Queen Anne’s lace complemented by chamomile daisies and billy balls (craspedia).
In January, the desire to work with green plants increases, especially for those of us who live in parts of the country with cold winters. Making a comeback are terrariums . . . plants growing in a semi-enclosed environment that retains moisture and higher levels of humidity. Glass containers are most often used. Adding animals or stones add to the whimsy of the presentation. Water is added sparingly.
Between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, it’s hard to avoid the color red . . . these roses are called “Cayenne” and are a beautiful shade of orange. The swan container is a vintage pottery piece.
This planter is destined for a reception table at an upcoming wedding. The bride and groom are designed in vintage style. 