Rustic Yellow Arrangement

Video Transcription

What a wonderful time in the world of flowers. We can break all the rules: combining tropicals with temperate, exotic with rustic, and making beautiful. Let me show you how it's done.

The vessel? A wooden box, plastic liner, Midnight Floral Foam. I've inserted it so that it's flush with the container, because I'm going to work more vertically. The flowers? Doing an eclectic combination. Chrysanthemums to give it that rustic look, but then heliconia and beehive ginger to give it a more exotic touch. Hypericum, then a few other things to make it special.

When you're working with interesting things, something a little different, it oftentimes helps to focus on your elements and your principles as you're designing, because that way it all falls in place. So, I'm going to use the beehive ginger for my emphasis. I'm going to cut it very short, and then it's got such a large stem, you're actually wise to cut it both ways. But I don't want it right centered, because that would just get kind of boring. So, moving a little off center, and placing it all the way down in. Then coming back with a second, also cutting it twice, and then tucking it in. So, now I have an emphasis area right here. Then I think about line. The heliconia would definitely give me a dramatic line, so if I were to add that in, thinking about the length. Giving it a cut, tucking it in, maybe at a bit of an angle. Then I can come back with a second, and reinforce that line.

With the main elements' emphasis and line started, then I want to go back and start filling in some beautiful yellow roses that could add a bit of an accent on this side, drawing your eye down. Using them based, tucked very, very low. But as I work, I need to pull it through to the back side as well. You don't want to have it be just in the front. So, drawing the eye to the back of the design, all the way to the opposite side of the container, keeping them low. Then coming back with the chrysanthemums, their beautiful coloration, tucking them down low. Again, basing, pulling the eye front to back through the arrangement, creating horizontal movement. Scabiosa, also fabulous. Hypericum, fabulous. So, tucking those in. I think I'll do the hypericum first. Cutting it down. Adding a little lighter area right here in the center to draw your eye between the two.

To finish, adding a little softening, maybe some leucadendron. Picking up that color, letting it come out a bit to the side, filling in. And then on the opposite side, bringing in some bunny tail for softness, letting it come up a little taller, extending outward from the ginger. And then for a little more texture, scabiosa, a little bit shorter, but still taller, to fill in in the central area, aiming it to the emphasis so that the binding point works. And then to help break the line of the container, a few galax leaves, tucked low, just to fill in and tie it all together.

The recipe? I started with the two Heliconia and two Beehive Ginger. Then I added in five of the Roses, three of the Leucadendron, seven Scabiosa Pods, five of the Hypericum Berries, three Chrysanthemums, seven of the Bunny Tail Grass, and then five Galax Leaves to finish it off. 

When you're creating with flowers that are maybe a little different than you normally use, don't forget, start with your elements and principles. You'll find more inspiration, more education, more instruction on the website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now it's your turn. Find interesting things, create an arrangement, take a picture, and post it on social media, #FloralDesignInstitute. That way I can see, and we can all see what you do as you do something you love.