Fragrant Lavender & Blush Arrangement
Often the first thing we notice about a floral arrangement is its fragrance - how it smells. Fragrance is one of the key elements of floral design, and the one that has us asking for more, more! In this Flower School How-To Video Leanne creates a stunning Spring mix of flowers and foliages with fragrance, including stock, peonies, garden roses and eriostemon. Enjoy!
Video Transcription
The first thing we do when we see flowers? Bend down to smell and fragrance can be a key element in floral design. In this arrangement, we filled it with fragrant blooms. So, let's get started.
The inspiration for this arrangement with all the fabulous fragrant flowers I had, White O'Hara garden roses, one of the most fragrant, peonies, hyacinths, and stock. Lastly, the beautiful foliage, eriostemon, also is fragrant.
The mechanics, floral netting, taped in place, water premixed with flower food ready for designing.
The current trend in many designs is to use non-traditional foliage, not your typical greens. Dusty miller is absolutely perfect for that. Cutting it down, making sure that it gets deeply into the water. It's a very, very thirsty foliage, so if it's not in the water, it dies very rapidly. But, in the water, it'll hold perfectly well.
Eriostemon, also a great alternative, such wonderful fragrance. It's very woody, so you may have to work to cut it. Some people find that it's actually better to use a clipper so that they don't risk cutting themselves, as I place it just radiating around with a central binding point.
The hyacinths have the largest stems, so starting with those first to get them in place, tucking them in, so much fragrance instantly with the eriostemon and the hyacinths. Again, radiating from a central binding point, feeding them in.
Then I have one last little, tiny one. The beauty of hyacinths? They continue to open, so I'm going to go ahead and put it in. Tucking it in so as it opens, it'll bloom out and add fragrance on the opposite side. Then peonies and O'Hara roses, adding them through side to side, front to back, until it's full and lush.
Now looking at contrast, bringing in the stock. It's so peppery, again, continuing that fragrance, removing the leaves, and tucking it in place. Then some tiny, little lavender spray roses to give contrast in scale. And ruffly tulips with the fringed petals, remembering that they continue to grow, so tucking them just a little bit lower so that they stay within the arrangement as they expand. And lastly, some graceful scabiosa to come out a bit over the top and add some grace.
The design, a favorite masterpiece. It started with the base of dusty miller and eriostemon. Then I used five peonies and 12 of the White O'Hara roses. Then five each of the stock, hyacinth, fringe tulip, spray rose, and scabiosa. Yes, it's a high count of flowers, but oh, how luxurious.
A fabulous element in any design, you'll find fragrant designs and more inspiration on the website, Flower School.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there, but now it's your turn. Take a walk, find the flowers, take a sniff, and pick the most fragrant, and then design away. Be sure to take a picture and post it on social media, #FloralDesignInstitute. That way, we all can see what you do, as you do something you love.
