FLORAL DESIGN COMMITTEE

This committee promotes a knowledge and love of floral design including the unusual use of plant materials, design mechanics and techniques.  This committee’s projects and workshops are for novice and recreational designers as well as for those interested in exhibiting in Club or other shows.  The committee is responsible for writing the Floral Design Schedules for all Club flower shows and provides guidance and encouragement to Members exhibiting in shows, encourages Member participation in Club, GCA and NGC floral design shows, and assists the Flower Show Committee in the planning of all Club sponsored flower shows. The Chair or Vice Chair of this committee serves on the Flower Show Committee. 

UPCOMING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES:

Naturalist Table Arrangements April 10, 1:00pm-3:00pm Connie Wissing will lead this wonderful workshop on creating a naturalistic table arrangement. Come learn this airy, romantic style in the company of fellow members. Registration $25. REGISTRATION LIMITED TO 14 PARTICIPANTS. 

Longwood Garden’s online courses for Floral Design levels 1, 2 and 3 are open. You can choose to hop on now to complete a course through mid-January OR plan to take the course in 2024, with materials available mid-January. Longwoodgardens.org

The Wild Garden, Exhibitor Workshop, March 7, 10 am-1 pm, Open to all considering exhibiting in Division I of the “Wild Garden”, GCA Flower Show on October 14-15. 2024. Learn how to bring a work of art to life using flowers in a gallery setting.  The workshop will also cover how to approach selecting materials and mechanics so that your design is successfully presented in a gallery setting.  Pre-registration required.

JUNE ANNUAL MEETING - HOW TO MAKE YOUR FLORAL FANCY!

GENERAL TIPS

Whether you are embellishing a hat, handbag or making a floral scarf, glue floral material to firm heavy duty gray construction felt that can be found Joann’s. Floral adhesive absorbs more easily into this particular felt, creating a stronger bond to hold flowers more securely in place. Apply the floral adhesive generously to the base of each flower. Press it to the felt and hold for a few seconds until it sets. This allows the adhesive to dribble out in a steady stream you can direct with ease. Tip - rub the tip of the adhesive with Vaseline to avoid forever wiping the tip with a cloth to keep it clean. Keep the tube upright to prevent air bubbles.

If your fingers or glue tip aren’t clean you’re more likely to touch and damage the flowers or you run the risk of accidentally tearing individual petals, causing deconstructed flowers to fall apart or leaving traces of glue on the materials.

Don’t hesitate to deconstruct the flowers. Hold a rose head tightly by its petals, cut off the calyx and liberally glue the base of the bunched petals. Then hold them to the felt for a few moments to glue the flower in place. Cut some flowers shorter and others longer to gain different height and size from the same variety. This allows clustering like-flowers together for more visual depth.

MAKE IT EARLY!

IMPORTANT! Make your fancy 3-4 days before the party. Place it in a plastic food storage container, mist it with water and put the lid on. Store it in the refrigerator until the morning. If you try to construct it the morning of the party you will find the material wilts quickly.

FLORAL TATTOO

If you want your floral fancy to stick to your skin, use a length of flexible Nexcare Absolute Waterproof First Aid Tape approximately the size you need. Then moving from back to front adhere your bigger bloom with floral glue directly on the tape.

FLORAL SCARF

The gray felt even has a better holding quality than the other colors. Allow the fabric to drape over the shoulders and down in the form you intend to design. Once your design is finished, you can reshape the felt by cutting away any excess fabric along the edge of the flowers.

PILLBOX HAT
The elegant simplicity of a pillbox hat came into vogue in the 1930’s. Traditionally made from fabrics or fur, this style of hat remained fashionable through the 50’s.

• Floral mesh, silver

• Floral adhesive

• Aluminum wire

• UGLU dashes

• Ribbon for finishing

• Recycled ribbon cardboard spool-end

• Hot glue

• Pipe cleaners

  Quick tips:

• Always fold the floral mesh into two or three layers for extra strength.

• Place the smoother side of the floral mesh toward the head.

• Attach raw sides with glue strips and staple the edges to the ribbon.

• Cut notches in the mesh to make the material bend into a circle.

• Recycle the discarded end of a ribbon spool for the top of the hat.

• For comfort, use faux aspidistra on the inside of the form. Fresh on the outside.

• Add a layer of floral mesh outside the form for weaving in fresh materials, like lily grass.

• Attach pipe cleaners bent into a circle to form hooks for pinning into hair.

Try these sort of fresh flowers:

• Cymbidium orchids

• Ruscus

• Green Trick Dianthus

• Variegated aspidistra, fresh and faux

• Lily grass (Liriope Muscari)

FLORAL FASCINATORS

Floral Fascinators are small fashionable hats made of flowers and decorative materials like feathers, fabrics, or beads. They’re fastened to the hair by a clip, comb, or headband.

Supplies

• Silver Mega wire

• UGLU™ strips

• Floral adhesive

Quick tips:

• Hot glue the hair clip to the Aspidistra leaf.

• Use UGLU dashes to secure the Mega wire into place.

• Use floral adhesive to secure flowers into the design.

Fresh Flowers:

• Calla

• Button Chrysanthemums

• Phalaenopsis Orchids

• Umbrella fern - Sticherus flabellatus

• Variegated Aspidistra leaf

OTHER SIMPLE FANCIES - A FLORAL RING

RECOMMENDED FLORAL DESIGN TOOLS AND SUPPLIES

FLORAL SCISSORS

No one tool that can do everything. It is helpful to have different scissors for different things. From pretty to practical, here are our top 3 recommended snips and why they are so great.

Niwaki Sakagen Flower Scissors are durable, comfortable, lightweight, and ever so comely in an array of fun colours. Sakagen founded in 1903 is a Japanese company that manufactures and sells scissors for flowers and gardening. $20

Niwaki Sentei Garden Scissors are fast, accurate, deliberate, and very sharp. They have traditional round handles that are made of a smooth, forged carbon steel making them comfortable, strong yet lightweight and perfect for deliberate cuts with their strong angled blades. These really are a great all-rounder and as they are a bit heavier than the Sakagen they are best suited to quicker jobs such as deadheading, light pruning, ikebana or editing flower arrangements in the vase. $35 + shipping

Straight Floral Knives Scissors cut through flower stems by cutting and smashing at the same time. Sharp knives make clean cuts and do not pinch water-conducting vessels the way scissors can. This fact alone makes them one of the most important, versatile tools in the floral designer’s toolbox. If you know how to use a knife properly, you will not fear it, but see it as a necessary and handy tool. Its benefits make it a necessity for working with fresh flowers. $12/Box of 10.

OASIS® BIND WIRE 26-gauge paper-covered wire that is strong and malleable. Available in tan or green. Easily camouflages and useful for binding and structural support. 673' per roll. $!5/roll.

ARE YOU GOING TO TRY YOUR HAND A FLOWER ARRANGING?

CLICK HERE for some TIPS ON ENTERING A FLOWER SHOW

FLOWERS MAKE US FEEL BETTER, BUT THEY CAN MAKE US SICK, TOO. Choose earth and people-friendly flowers and see 3 essential tips for keeping your flowers in the pink. 

Germophobes, we congratulate your phobia. In times when we sterilize everything from our hands to our mail, don’t take short cuts in caring for your flowers. Click here for a comprehensive list of conditioning tips.

Be mindful of sourcing your flowers from responsible growers so that you aren’t exposed to chemical residue from pesticides. Check out lists of reputable growers who farm their flowers with sustainable practices which protect the people who handle the flowers, while protecting and saving the earth’s many habitats and resources. A quick internet search will give you the information you need.

Here are 3 essential tips, which will keep your flowers in the pink! Think like a surgeon. Don’t kill your patients!

1. Make sure you clean your buckets and containers with a Clorox and dish soap solution. Use a brush. Rinse thoroughly. This will kill the bacteria that quickly shortens the life of a flower.

2. Whether you cut your own flowers, receive them from the florist already arranged, or buy them from the market, rinse the stems under running water to remove bacterial buildup. Then snip the ends with clean (alcohol wiped) clippers and place in fresh water.

3. Use a good professional floral preservative in the conditioning water to retard bacterial buildup. The good ones contain a food source and an antibacterial ingredient.

part of  THE GARDEN CLUB of AMERICA  since 1920