Contemporary Tropical Hand-Tied Bouquet

Video Transcription

Tropicals in a hand tie? So easy, so fun. Just a few mechanic tricks to make it fabulous.

When working with tropicals, it's so fun because you can find different things. And starting with some parrot heliconia, and then adding in some pincushion protea. Now, they're not a tropical, but they look so perfect with them. Craspedia, also not a tropical. Flax, the long foliage with the variegation. And some dracaena gives you beautiful variegation as well. You can see the color palette, fabulous. Lastly, a bit of monstera to add some interest.

As I begin the bouquet, I'm going to use curly willow to create an armature. This is a red willow, called scarlet willow, it's beautiful this time of year. And I can take it and just start weaving the blooms into my hand, thinking about how I want them to fit together, adjusting. And then bringing a second bloom. And then adding a little more willow. Again, thinking about how the curvature works, adjusting it. You can hold it with one hand, look at it. Sometimes it helps to stand in front of a mirror to do this. And tucking in another. Then the mechanics. Once you get things where you think you want them, just a little bit, twist them around, and using just the regular corsage tape, go ahead and tape that together to secure it, and that becomes the base of your bouquet.

You can see the tape points. That secures everything together. Now I can go back and start adding more blooms. Maybe I want to add in the craspedia, letting it extend outward a bit. Bring in a pincushion protea to anchor the focal emphasis area. Maybe adding in dracaena, thinking about how it angles, and working with that, tucking it all together in my hands, adjusting, adding. And then when you have a few things in place that you think is exactly where you want it, go back and tape it once again.

To finish, adding in the last of the foliage, tucking in the flax, putting it up alongside, finding the perfect little spot. Bringing in the monstera, deciding which side I want it on. I think I'm going to balance off. Bringing it over onto the opposite side. Maybe doing two, terraced. An advanced school concept, adding in terracing. And then one last time, taping it together.

As you're ready to place it in the base, fill it with water, pre-mixed with flower food. Then analyze your stem length, give it cut, and place it in off to one side.

Once you have it in place, you can determine, do you want to add another leaf? Go ahead. Tuck it in, feed it all together. Then to detail, taking a bit of a glue dash, and placing it onto the back of the flaps, pulling it out, and then bending it so that it comes across, and anchoring it to your blooms. That way you can see it better. And then repeat it with the second.

The recipe: two of the parakeet heliconia, and two pincushion protea. Then three of the craspedia. Three of the monstera. One dracaena, and two flax, with a bit of willow. You can see, minimal materials, maximum visual.

Working with tropical blooms lets you add drama to your designs. You'll find more creative inspiration on our website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. Now it's your turn. Find the most dramatic blooms, create, take a picture. Post it on social media and #FloralDesignInstitute. That way we all can see what you do, as you do something you love.