Midwinter Magic

In the winter season, the world sounds just a little softer. The colors
shift to grayer tones, shapes and textures clearly outline themselves. In arrangements, each flower and branch is given its own stage.

'Working with a rich, wintry palette'

Floral designer Hanneke Frankema, as a native Frisian, loves the winter season very much. 'Creating a winter atmosphere is always a fun challenge. For a distinct winter atmosphere, working with candle wax remains very powerful - it has a beautiful cool sheen and a very wintry look that consumers find very special. By coating substrates of simple Styrofoam shapes (from packaging material) in quiet hours with a layer of candle wax, you can sell quite a lot of it during the Christmas and winter season.'

She thinks sustainability is something to consider more and more. 'Winter for me is also working with 100 percent natural materials. And reusing packaging or residual materials, for example, are very widely applicable. By placing bamboo tubes as water reservoirs on residual materials such as wooden cylinders, for example, you very quickly create slender objects that work powerfully as a group but also attract attention as single-flower objects.'

A peaceful look and cuddliness are also part of winter. 'A wreath of Davallia roots with Gypsophila 'Million Daisy' needs only three white Clematis flowers. But also consider mixing plants and cut flowers. Dried Corokia gives a beautiful gray winter look, Tillandsia matches it in color and appearance. With beautiful Gloriosa, Clematis, Scabiosa, Phalaenopsis, Bromelia and Polianthes tuberosa, a rich, winter palette is then created.'

Graphic silhouette

This fan is constructed as a frame bouquet: fresh Tillandsia is tightly wrapped around 5mm aluminum wire to form a resilient support. In this frame, Clematis Amazing Kansas gets the stage, complemented by sophisticated accents of Talinum 'Long John', Polianthes tuberosa, Phalaenopsis, Gloriosa and beautiful foliage for some added depth and detail. The combination of airy plant textures and slender flower stems delivers a light and graphic winter silhouette.

Sober elegance

Two cylinder vases on bases are tightly wound with dried branches, with the tight and neat binding lines being a deliberate part of the design. Flowers are sandwiched between the branches, allowing for quick and efficient work, provided the wood is completely dry - in fact, fresh branches still shrink. Flower varieties such as Sanguisorba and Gloriosa are shown off elegantly in this austere setting.

Hibernation

A bouquet in soothing colors and high pettability that shows the power of simplicity. The support is a wreath of dried Davallia roots. A compact mass of Gypsophila 'Million Daisy' is placed in the center. A few brown Tillandsia xerographica provide winter texture, while three white flowers of Clematis Amazing Vienna brighten the scene.

Strong and bright

A fan built with florist wire (1.6mm) on a central pin. The whole thing is sprayed in copper color and then wrapped with copper-colored bouillon wire. Water tubes make changing and refreshing flowers easy. The slender lines allow Phalaenopsis, Gloriosa, Talinum 'Long John' and Scabiosa to stand out well within a strong and clear silhouette.