These designs are quite the rage. They draw from techniques that intelligent floral designers have known from decades past.
Contemporary floral designers have been renewing some of these earlier techniques and are really enjoying the results.
They are fun. They are fast. They are easy to make. And they are showy!
You will love doing these. ENJOY!
Snapdragons
. 
We start with the ivy bowl. It is a cute little container just perfect for this kind of design.
Create an infrastructure for this arrangement.
Start with the montecasino. Make a little mound shape cluster with the monte.
Next add some statice to the mix. Statice is a great filler, and comes in a variety of colors. In this particular case we have chosen a red violet that complements the purple of the monte. The overall result is kind of moundy, and rather pretty in its own right. If we wanted to, we could stop right here and enjoy this informal little design.
This design is a good example of how the shape of flowers chosen can impact upon the overall form of the unit.
In this case we've interwoven four snapdragon through our filler materials. Notice that the use of a linear flower (as opposed to face flowers used in some of the other water based design units presented) gives a totally different look to our design.
The arrangement feels less constrained, and seems to be extending out in space. The overall result is less moundy and far more dynamic.
Snapdragons work well here. Other alternatives would include larkspur, delphinium, lilac, glads, etc.
This would be an acceptable stopping spot for this design. We really don't have to add anything else.... (But we will, just to have some fun and play with this!)
Adding the lilies creates a feeling of visual weight and brings about a counterpoint to the more linear snapdragons. They also integrate well with the reds and pinks
We could stop at this point if we wanted to. We have a very dynamic design with great value. Another quite viable end point......
BUT WAIT .... THERE'S MORE!!!!
You may feel more comfortable about stopping at the last step discussed above, but I thought it may be fun to see what would happen if we bulked the design up, just a bit more.
The use of the carnations creates a bright punchy effect. The overall design feels a bit more clustered, and not quite as airy. Yet there is the feeling of greater value due to the greater number of blooms.
Consider it a trade off. Would you like the completed design to feel a bit more dynamic and airy, or would you like it to be more compact/dense, yet feel like there is a bit more substance?
You will add the last few flowers or not depending upon the visual and psychological effect you wish to achieve.
LIke the other water based units, this is a great all purpose design.
I like it as a table centerpiece for it can be viewed on all sides.
It is also quite appropriate as a Mothers' Day Gift.
It would also work quite well for a special birthday, baby's shower, or office gift.
We hope that you really enjoyed this brief floral design lesson. At
Rittners Floral School in Boston we provide floral design instruction
that includes a wide range of different styles and techniques. Folks attend Rittners Floral School, because not only are we very, very fine floral designers, but also because we are outstanding teachers!! Please come and take one of our hands-on workshop programs!!
