Step by Step Tutorial: Garden Flowers for Easter Decoration

Tutorial this time’s introducing garden-flowers as flower decoration. And since we're still at the Lenten season, of course the flower arrangement was adjusted for the Easter theme. The floral designer's Mrs. Kitty Catharina.

The concept is how to make a floral decoration for Easter by using garden flowers. Up to now, people often underestimate garden flowers which have less value than commercial flowers not only for their quality but also durability. Flower arrangement using garden flowers often considered as the last option, not luxurious, not long lasting and others negative opinion. That opinion is actually not 100% false, but by planting them professionally such as using new way/technique/tools or good seeds, I think those barrier can be minimized and even can increase the product quality. And by creativity, now florists can proudly display their designs using garden flowers in their shops. Their designs even show uniqueness because some flowers can't be found at the usual flower market. So, who said garden flowers can't be beautifully arranged? This one proves it!   

The first thing to do is making the rectangle construction. The base is from styrofoam, here Mrs. Kitty using styrofoam that was formerly used to wrap a televison. So, you can also use any kind of used styrofoam you have at your house, ok? By doing this, it means you are supporting the recycling program ie re-use.

After that it's overlaid with large 'pandanus' leaves by using floral glue. Since floral glue is quite expensive here in Indonesia, so you can substitute it with double-sided tape, though the result is much neater if you use floral glue. It also shortens the processing time. So, it's up to you whether you'd like to use floral glue or double tape. There's quality there's price, right?

Mrs. Kitty did it at home and brought the 70% finished flower arrangement at the demo. So, it didn't take long time for her to perform the demo.  (image on the right)

The materials used are (A) ‘Vanda’ orchids, (B) roses of ‘Queen Mary’, (C) peacock, (D) Kermit or spray chrysanthemum, (E) mini phillo sellum, (F) ‘Mokara’ phalaenopsis, (G) a kind of ginger flowers or in some regions of Indonesia, it’s called as ‘Indonesian’ tulips.

The other materials not seen above are curly asplenium, azalea leaf, large pandanus leaf, ruscus, solanus, lilium variegata, gomphrena globasa and roses of ‘Avalance’.  For your information, all the materials above were picked from Mrs. Kitty’s flower garden. Awesome!!

You also need chicken wire, floral wire, some quail eggs and two artificial birds.

The step by step of flower arranging process will be described later because Mrs. Kitty did arranging with the base rectangle construction facing on her, so that the flower arranging process couldn't be photographed.

The latter was putting the bunny headband. It was made from chicken wire which was shaped like rabbit's ears then plaited with the leaves of lilium variegata.

Here’s the step by step tutorial how to make a flower centerpiece for Easter decoration.

1.        Take some stems of ‘Queen Mary’ roses. By using layering technique, placed them on the left side of the rectangle construction. Put the rose buds on top.

2.         Then put some 'Vanda' orchids on the left side of the flower arrangement, slightly waving down.

3.        Take some ginger flowers, cut the stems in different height then placed them in grouping on the right side of the rectangle construction.

4.         Placed some roses of ‘Avalance’ a bit forward from the ginger flowers. Use the basing technique.

5.         Fill the empty place between the both roses with spray chrysanthemum or Kermit

6.         Put the bunny headbands on its place on top right side

7.       Take the phalaenopsis of ‘Mokara’, cut it by each flower then strengthen it with a toothpick then cover it with floral tape. Put it at the bunny headbands, just like the image above.

8.         Put the quail eggs on the lower hole. (see the image)

9.         Finally, put the artificial birds on the higher hole. It’s done.

The view taken from the other angle (left image) and detail on the artificial birds (right image)

Note

Images taken at IPBI DPC Bandung Monthly Gathering, Feb 28, 2013

The floral designer’s Mrs. Kitty Catharina.

Step by Step Tutorial: Unique Centerpiece for Easter Decoration

Since we’re in the Lenten Season, so the theme for the decoration this time is for Easter. And the floral designer is Mrs. Ida Hermanto. The concept is the flower arrangement that suitable for Easter. As you know, Easter is identical with eggs, so Mrs. Ida also used eggs in her design. The design is simple but unique. Since it’s quite big, so we must concern about the construction well. It should be strong and firm or can’t move easily so it can arrive safely along its delivery.
This flowers arrangement is suitable for commercial as it takes time to make especially in preparing the construction. It needs not only a lot of techniques of flowers arranging such as grouping, basing, terracing and sheltering but also a lot of materials which most of them not cheap . So, for the beginners who want to try, I suggest to substitute some materials into the cheaper one, such as you can change the roses with spray chrysanthemum, the curly lucky dracaena with salix or any other twigs, use the usual green ivy in spite of the Hedera helix variegate though the last will bring unique sensation by its unique color curly leaves. You can also make your own bird nest to replace the sisal mesh that is quite expensive.

Anyway, happy a try, guys …

The detail of colorful eggs

 

The detail of the leaves ie the hedera helix variegata, the lilium variegate and the bi-color cordyline, not to mention the ruscus leaves attached on the vase.

The materials used are:

(A) curly lucky dracaena, (B) aspidistra leaf, (C) ‘Midori’ anthurium, (D) roses of ‘Avalance’ and ‘ Ilios’, (E) floral wire, (F) sisal mesh or pressed sisal wrap, (G) some eggs painted colorful.

Besides those mention above, you also need a plastic pot/vase, some floral wet foam, a sphere floral foam (Ø 22 cm) then form it into the ‘egg’ shape, ruscus leaves to cover the plastic vase, hedera helix variegata, bi-color cordyline, lilium variegata or in Indonesia it is popular as lily paris leaves and some baby roses.

And these are the step by step how to make it:

1.         Prepare some ruscus leaves, then cut them short, make sure the leaves have the same measure.

            Take the plastic pot/vase. Attach around the vase with double tape, then placed the ruscus leaves on the double tape. Do it from top to down until the surface of the vase was all covered by ruscus leaves. It will take some time to do this especially if you’d like to make it look neat. The more patient you do the neater you’ll get.

2.         Now the vase is ready to be filled with some floral wet foam. (Remember, you must soak the floral foam into the water some hours before until it absorb the water well)

3.         Take the ‘egg shape’ of floral foam then put it on the vase. Secure it by using chopsticks.

4.         Double secure by placing 3 stems of Curly lucky dracaena around the egg shaped foam. Now it cannot move left or right. It will remain in its place. Always make sure that the construction is sturdy before you're arranging. If it is not strong enough, then there’s possibility that the flower arrangement can fall or break down on the way of delivery, then we have to start over again which means a waste of time.

5.         Take a sisal mesh, then form it by using your fingers until it looks like a ‘nest’ shape. After that attach the nest on the stems of curly lucky dracaena,

6.         and if you think it’s been sturdy enough then put the eggs on the nest. By doing this, you’re using sheltering technique.

7.         Now, take some roses of ‘Avalance’, then cut the stems short, ± 6 – 8 cm below the flowers then placed them on the egg-shaped foam by using basing technique. Do this until you cover almost the surface of the egg-shaped foam, but remain it empty in some areas.

8.         Then fill in the empty place with the roses of ‘Ilios’.  Now the egg-shaped foam is all covered by the roses.

9.         Take the anthurium of ‘Midori’ and placed them in grouping technique on the left & right side. Make sure you placed them in different height into harmony. Some of them were placed around the edge of the vase.

10.       Take some cordyline leaves, folded into 2 or 3 (if the leaf is long) then placed them between the anthurium around the edge of the vase.

11.       Give wire on the stem of Hedera helix variegate so that it can be well arranged. Then put them on the left and right side of the flower arrangement.

12.       Take 2 of lilium variegata, then make 2 circle by using your palm, make sure the remain leaf on top, then secure it with floral wire. Now you have a cute model of the leaf.  Do some pieces of this model then placed them into the empty place among the cordyline, anthurium and roses so that there’s no foam seen now. Besides, by adding this cute model of leaf, the flower arrangement becomes lively, not monotonous or just flat surface. (Good design should consider the dimension whether depth, height or rhythm)

13.       Take some stems of baby roses, placed them near the curly lucky dracaena in a group. The height of the baby roses is a bit higher of the white roses.

14.       Finally, take aspidistra leaf, then fold it right/left that looks like the reverse of a small triangle. Now the aspidistra leaf has changed into a stem with a small triangle on top. Make 7 pieces of this model, then placed 5 of them near the baby roses in a group by using terracing technique. It’s done.

Have a Happy Easter for those who celebrate it.

Note:

The images were taken at the IPBI DPC Bandung Monthly Gathering – Feb 28, 2013

The floral designer’s Mrs. Ida Hermanto.