Flower Arranging

I've just found this thread and thought I'd post what Mrs Shiney did yesterday. One of her hobbies is flower arranging and she loves entering competitions as well as doing flowers for friends and relations weddings and events.

Mrs Shiney found out about another plant show at very short notice. It was in the nearest town run by the allotment association so she quickly thought up something to enter into the event. The arrangements had to be done on site between 9.30 and 11.00 and then the exhibitors (all different types of categories) had to leave, and come back when the show opened at 1.30. Everything had to come from your own garden or allotment.

She entered two flower arrangements (two different categories) and got first in both

I'll get her to explain what she did.



The title of this was "an arrangement using flowers and foliage from your garden". The container is an empty tissue box. I got a margarine container, measured the aperture at the top of the box and made sure the margarine container fitted snug in the hole. Then, with the margarine container taken out, cover the box as if you were wrapping a Christmas present. I used a gold strip metallic paper and tied a bow round it. Tuck the wrapping paper around the hole, this makes a good fit. Cut some oasis to size, soak well and put it in the container, about 1/2" proud of the container.



I started by putting in three phormium leaves at the back. I manipulated the leaf by curling the top and stapling them into position. Trim the base of the leaves so that they are slimmer otherwise you will get too large a hole in the oasis. Add 3 hosta leaves overlapping at the base left. I then put in iris sibirica seed pods (5) as they were tall and black. I had some rudbeckia flowers with beautiful dark conical centres (5). Some of the petals were going over, so I removed them and got these beautiful dark showpieces. I then added pittosporum sprigs to the right hand side and some viburnum foliage to the base back. The whole idea is that your eye is drawn from the top of the arrangement to the base following the dark accents you have put in. Lastly, I put in one head of my hydrangea "Annabel" which is cream. The hosta variegation, the phormium variegation all pick up from each other and gives harmony to the design. I also then added 3 stems of cyperus (a grass) which is great for impact. Always use odd numbers of flowers or leaves - 1, 3, 5 - it s more pleasing on the eye.






An arrangement in a basket no larger than 18" x 18" x 18". An important note: you must be able to use the handle to pick up the basket, so don't hide it in the arrangement. Get a large piece of oasis; put a piece of old oasis in the base to lift it up so that the oasis is slightly proud of the basket. I put some miscanthus (grass) in to mark my "boundary". I measured it - too long, so I trimmed it to fit the show schedule. I then proceeded to put in some sprigs of viburnum and pittosporum and then cut pieces of the alstromeria "Indian Summer" and put them in. I also added some of the flower spikes of a dark heuchera (chocolate ruffles) as it blended in with the colours. Never over crowd an arrangement - remember "You must have some space for the butterflies and bees"..... Also read show schedules - if you don't you are disqualified even before your arrangement is judged. Hope you have found this useful, and apologies if I have put in too much detail....... If you love flower arranging, you will find that gradually you are growing more things that are useful for cutting. I have a lot of evergreen shrubs, euonymous, pittosporum (they come in all colours), grasses, phormium etc.......... such fun!

 

Mrs Shiney here....... So delighted that you enjoyed my step by step directions - enjoy many happy hours of flower arranging...... go on utube and google flower arranging and you will learn much....... then save the good ones to review another time. I will follow this up with other gift ideas for you xxx