Lavender cake
A layer of cellophane
is wrapped around a Smithers Oasis bio cake form to make it waterproof. An elastic band is placed around the form, between which the placed lavender stems are clamped. After enough lavender has been placed around the form, the whole can be secured with waterproof
tape and then nicely finished with ribbon and wire. Fresh flowers, including Helleborus, Clematis, Gloriosa, Phalaenopsis, Talinum ‘Long John’ and Echeveria succulents, are placed in the (wet) floral foam. Matching Christmas baubles and handmade stars of purple aluminum wire give the whole extra cachet.
Bowl Bouquet
This bowl-shaped frame bouquet is made of black 1.4 mm poken using the chicken wire technique. Subsequently, long garlands are made from the offshoots of fruit trees and copper-colored bullion wire. Ensure that these short pieces of branch are well-dried, so that they no longer shrink, before you wrap them. Guzmania flowers, Gloriosa, Talinum 'Long John', Scabiosa, spray roses, and chrysanthemums are incorporated!
Lilac
A frame made of flat lilac aluminum wire, with a large and a small metal ring wrapped with lilac bullion wire. The stem is made of 5mm thick aluminum wire, again wrapped with lilac bullion wire. A kind of opening of a wreath has been created between the flat aluminum wire. The decorative Talinum 'Long John' is incorporated here by placing the side branches on long strands of wire. These are processed together in the shape to form a fairly compact whole and thus form the base on which all processed flowers are glued. The flowers used are: Clematis, orchids, Madiba chrysanthemums, Polianthes tuberosa and beautiful green-brown Gloriosa.
Bowl Bouquet
An impressive autumn bouquet with a brown frame, handmade vase, and flowers in mostly orange hues. The base is made using the chicken wire technique with 1.6mm florist wire. Young shoots of fruit trees, pruning waste from the garden and therefore free, are woven through this. Together with the wire, these form a kind of basket. Woody mossy branches that blew out of the trees in the garden after a heavy storm are also incorporated into the basket. This old dead wood is not only decorative but also technical: they lend themselves well to incorporating the Physalis seed pods between them. The seed pods are individually wired and joined together to form branches. Beautiful striking flowers are placed between all the branches: Celosia, Gloriosa, Zantedeschia, Guzmania, germinis, chrysanthemums, and beautiful accompanying materials such as Talinum, Hypericum, and Sanguisorba.
Better together
A wonderful set of beautiful objects of which the base can easily be reused. The base is self-made from two decorative garden stakes in flower form – they were flat when purchased. The two stakes are drilled into the wooden blocks and unfolded to make them spatial. To create even more possibilities, thick aluminum wire is incorporated through and around it – so that tubes can easily be attached to it and flowers woven through it. Zantedeschia is perfect for weaving through the frame, with the stems also participating beautifully. Talinum ‘Long John’ is processed dry here – it always dries beautifully. Furthermore, Gloriosa, some orchids, and Scabiosa are beautifully in place in these autumn objects.
On discovery
Oasis TerraBrick Floral Media is placed in a beautiful handmade bowl. All processed flowers are first carefully cleaned, after which all flower heads are processed at one height and only using insertion techniques. Many beautiful varieties in colors appropriate to the theme are incorporated into the disc shape, which is built up with a curve. To be discovered are: chrysanthemums, Zantedeschia, Sanguisorba, Guzmania, dill, Talinum, Dianthus, lisianthus, Rudbeckia, grasses, and Clematis fluff.