Summer Sunset Centerpiece
Summer is the time for outside entertaining, but that doesn't mean your palette has to be hot and bold. In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne creates with a lush assortment peonies, roses, hypericum, kangaroo paw and more in muted tones and shades of fire colors. Foam free and fabulous, they combine to create a stunning centerpiece -- enjoy!
Video Transcription
The fire colors of a summer sunset, definitely a favorite here at the Floral Design Institute. Foam-free, fabulous, this is a perfect centerpiece for a summer event. Let me show you how it's done.
The vessel, beautiful rose gold bowl. And then for mechanics, using clear waterproof tape and creating a grid across the top that will support everything. Key, when you make your grid, is take another strip of the tape and go all the way around the edge to make sure it doesn't break loose. Flowers, picked all my favorites in the sunset colors. You can see the palette behind me. Focused it on kangaroo paw, that was the start of this design.
Using foliage as a base, I build a small nest that will support all the flowers. A bit of salal, radiating in through a central binding point, coming through. A little bit of Israeli ruscus, also through that same binding point. Cutting it, inserting it deeply. And then just a bit of leather fern as well, to give a little different growth characteristic to make all the greens and the leaf shape more interesting in the finished arrangement. The kangaroo paw gives me beautiful lines to the arrangement. Cutting it down to fit, and then bringing it in at an angle. Then adding a taller piece. Coming up a little bit further. Then repeating. Coming out the opposite side. A little bit too tall, cutting it down. Then I can fill in, getting more extension. Then ninebark, a foliage that mimics that same coloration. It's very, very thirsty, so giving it a strong slanting cut so it will drink well. Making sure that it goes all the way down into the water. You don't want to perch it above, because it'll dehydrate almost instantly. So giving it a really strong cut and then repeating on the opposite side.
For the emphasis, going a little brighter. The golden mustard garden rose. Nice muted tone that just blends right in. Some pin cushion protea, they pick up a bit of the color of the kangaroo as well as the golden mustard. Just breaking it down, getting rid of the foliage because it gets in the way. Then tucking it down low. And best of all, some burgundy peony. Adding depth of color to bring it down low, tucking it in. And then of course, pulling it through to the backside. Because with the centerpiece it has to look beautiful all the way around.
As a final touch, just a bit of texture, some cottage yarrow, soft and delicate. Can come in to tie the colors through the center, and even a little bit of hypericum. This beautiful peachy hue. Tucking it in, carrying the color on through.
The recipe. I started with the kangaroo paw and I used three stems. Then I added in five peonies, five of the pin cushion protea, five of the golden mustard roses, five of the yarrow. Then five stems of the ninebark, five stems of hypericum, and of course a little bit of salal, ruscus and leather fern.
The sizzling hot fire colors are one of my favorites. And it's available all through these hot summer days and even into the autumn. You'll find more inspiration using these colors on the website, Flower School .com. Now it's your turn to gather the best of the season. Create your own centerpiece, take a photograph and post it on social media. Be sure to hashtag Floral Design Institute, so we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
