On my online workbook this week: Oh! my word

Dear

This week's inspiration is … the art of finding just the right amount of summer shade.

My tip for you this week about creating the perfect flat, flat leaf-ed gaps for your floral material.

Firstly, of course you can buy The Perfect Leaf- it has to be fresh (not too young so that it will not hydrate and not too mature so that it starts to dehydrate) and just big enough to fit on the edges of your display container. But it is also fun to know how we can grow one… because when we adjust the amount of sunlight a potted monstera plant is exposed to, it will naturally trigger fenestration as the plant ages and grows. Botanists believe plants like the monstera develop these amazing leaf fenestration (or gaps) to allow the perfect amount of sunlight to reach the plant where it grows shaded by other plants and trees. Amazing, right?

Next we have to make sure it keeps its... well... flatness. Two factors that will ruin the look of the leaf is dehydration and bacterial growth from dirty water that will cause the leaf to curl up around the edges or sink and sag in the middle as it matures.

I start off by carefully adjusting my cut end by bending it to point straight down to create a “flat foot” for the leaf weight to rest on. See the pictures above. This creates a better supported base to build the design on.

Next, tropical monstera leaves love humidity and we have that one covered from the start (because of the water filled container below) so we have to concentrate on keeping the leaf hydrated by keeping the water clean. Use tweezers to remove any flowers or debris that slip below the water line that can cause bacterial growth.

... and lastly I also used just the tiniest bit of floral glue to tack a few of the edges of the leaf to the container. This will help keep the leaf in place and make it secure enough so that if I needed to I could gently tip out the water, swish-rinse the container and refill it with fresh water… without disturbing the design. Well worth the effort. A monstera leaf can stay fresh in a design like this for weeks!

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine