Flower Arrangement Questions

Cafe Society
1

I finally finished a gourd I was working on and I’m pleased enough with the result that I want to put dried woodsy-type autumn arrangement plants in it and actually display it! WooHOO!

However, I’m a novice when it comes to floral arranging. Are there specific rules I need to follow to make it look good? The gourd is impractical for fresh cut flowers, so I will be creating a permanent arrangement. I want to use cattails and other large items in it (the pot is 10" tall, 40" around at its widest point, and the opening is 8" across).

How tall should I go? How many different species should I use? How many of each? What are the names of some of the things that would look good in an arrangement like this? Pictures would be very helpful.

Thanks!

2

Bump.

3

Post a picture of your pot/gourd! It sounds neat!

One of the first arrangements our floral design students work on is a triangular one, which I think would look pretty cool in the pot you’ve described. The nice thing about a triangular arrangement is you can establish the triangle with the larger, bolder material, then start filling in. It’s pretty easy.

Height? About one-and-a-half times the height of your container is good.

If you want to make it truly triangular, you might want to get a piece of Oasis foam (get it at any craft store) and put it in the opening of the pot so a couple of inches stick up above the rim. Wedge it in there as tight as it will go. That give you the ability to place some material so it sweeps or trails downward.

Pick about five different kinds of material. (Odd numbers of things are more interesting visually than even.) More than five, and there won’t be enough of any one thing for visual impact. Pick a variety of shapes and textures. You might want to pick something big to create a focal point for the arrangement. I like lotus seed pods.

If you don’t want to get something fluffy and fine-textured to fill in (like dried baby’s breath), get some Spanish moss (craft store again) and use it to fill in any spots where the Oasis shows.

Will your arrangement be sitting where it can be viewed from every side, or will it be against a wall? That will be a factor in the way you arrange.

Real cattails will shatter at some point and distribute fluff all over the place. My mom used to spray them with hairspray to prevent (or forestall) that. Dried seedheads from grasses (like pampas grass and the like) will do the same thing eventually.

(Do you have cats, by the way? I’ve never met a cat that did not LOVE to eat the stuff in a dried arrangement!)

I think feathers (like long pheasant feathers) look beautiful in fall arrangements. So do branches from twisty plants like contorted willows or filberts.

If you really want it to be permanent (as opposed to just lasting through, say, November), check out the stuff you can get in the floral department of a big craft store. They have some damn fine fake cattails, for example.

I’ll try to find some links to pictures for you. Our advanced design students do AMAZING things incorporating materials like beads, moss-covered spheres, etc. Just depends on how natural you want to go.

The great thing about a dried arrangement is that you can fiddle around with it kind of endlessly. (You might need to buy a new piece of Oasis, though, if it gets too poked full of holes.)

Oh, yeah. Post a pic of the arrangement when you’re done, too!

4

Thanks so much for the info! I probably won’t want to trail stuff down, only because the rim is finished in horse hair and it’s pretty cool-looking so I’ll want that to show. I think it will probably be displayed against a wall, the reason being that it is less than symmetrical (being a gourd and all) so I’m not sure how cool all the sides are going to look. I’ll put something together both ways to see if the arrangement itself will draw enough attention away from the asymmetry of it.

Yes, I have four cats, so I’ll have to be careful where I put the arrangement. They’re bad little furballs. If it comes out really nice, I may gift it to someone just to save myself the stress!

I appreciate the names of the different plants. I have a HobbyLobby nearby, so I’ll probably be able to find most of the items you mentioned.

My regular computer is due to come back from the shop any day now, so I’ll be able to post pictures then. This is my fourth attempt and I’m finally feeling somewhat comfortable with the dyes and other materials, so I’m pretty pleased with the final product. Always room for improvement!

5

OK, here’s a photo.

The assignment was to create a collage, then paint a vase and create an arrangement to interpret the collage. This gives you a sense of proportion and focal point, etc. (By the way, the student who created this won first place in two design categories at THE national student design competition. YAY!)

So this is a triangular arrangement, and you can see how you could still have some elements that arch downward and don’t hide the horsehair rim.

Don’t assume you have to hide the asymmetry! Maybe it can become a design element!

(Didn’t you also say in another thread that you’re getting into papermaking? I’d LOVE to do that!)

6

I prefer a more unorthodox approach.

7

Okay! That’s what I’m looking for as guidance on proportion, etc. I am going for a much less formal overall appearance, but the height and density of the elements is perfect. That’s a lovely arrangement. Do you have any more photos?

Yes, I’m also looking into papermaking. I’m working on a piece in my head right now that will incorporate both paper and tiny gourds (can you stand it??). That enormous piece is down the road a stretch, but for now I want to get the technique nailed on both the gourd and paper disciplines.

Yes, I agree that the asymmetry can be a plus. My main concern is balance. At present it will sit fairly flat but I’m not sure I can maintain that as I fill it. If not, there are stands I can buy that will help me hold it steady.

8

I can’t wait to see pictures, Kalhoun. I am picturing a gourd with horsehair weaving around the edge?? I’ve seen similar things in basket class but haven’t worked with gourds.

9

It’s stitched on rather than woven, but probably very similar to what you see in basket class. Many of the same techniques are employed. I have a long way to go with techniques. There are so many different ways to adorn them. I do burning, painting, pine needle coil, and textile/bead stuff, but there is intricate carving and inlay that I would eventually like to get into.