Autumn Vines
Autumn makes us think of fall colors like reds, oranges, and golds -- but does it have to? No! In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne works with beautiful clematis vines after the flowers have faded to create the base for a stunning foam-free design in cool late summer green palate. It's a refreshing take on Fall. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
Autumn vines are the inspiration for this foam-free design. All in green, but it still shouts the autumn season.
As the season transitions to autumn, the late summer garden gets overgrown and so wonderful. The clematis vines, these I harvested right here. You can forage all different types of vines. Then sunflowers with the petals pulled off, banksia, the lush sedum, and then rattlesnake grass. So many wonderful things to work with. A beautiful compote elevated done with clear, waterproof tape to create a grid so I can have a beautiful foam-free design. Then adding fresh water pre-mixed with flower food.
I start with the vines, giving them a cut and then feeding them in, making sure they're deep into the water. Adding a few more stems. You can do smaller bits and larger, and then even wrap them around so it gives a beautiful nest to support all the flowers.
The sedum gives a nice carpet to support everything else. Cutting it relatively short and tucking it down and repeating. And everything goes in deep into the water, and then radiating through a central binding point so that one stem supports the next stem and creates a base to support all the flowers.
With the base, now you can go back and add in your emphasis, maybe banksia in the center and the second. Tucking it down. Then enhancing with the sunflowers. Giving them a cut. Some towards the front, and then some towards the back.
As a final touch, just a little bit of lightness from the rattlesnake grass, letting it come in, setting it in, and then letting it relax. Maybe a little bit more just to give movement and capture the breeze as it wafts through the room.
The recipe. Six stems of the clematis vine, seven of the de-petaled sunflowers, two banksia, half a bunch of sedum, and half a bunch of the rattlesnake grass. All in that beautiful autumn green.
Autumn inspiration can come in so many different colors. You think of spring green, but what about autumn green? You'll find more creative inspiration on the website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now it's your turn. Find your most favorite green autumn flowers and create an arrangement. Take a picture, post it on social media, and hashtag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
