Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Canna seed “pumpkins" nestled on a bed of cafe au lait dahlias
- 13 August 2025
When I was a little girl I used to make these canna pumpkins for my fairy gardens. I would have loved the edition of the dew drop crystal back then!
Start by making the tiny little canna seedpod pumpkins so that it can dry a bit before adding the pumpkins into the design. I adore the deep burgundy blush on each seedpod. The colour is a perfect match for the faded rose blush on the cafe au lait dahlias... and the texture the perfect contrast.
Cut a seedpod from the canna stem...
This is the fun part... this tiny little dried twig adds all the personality to your pumpkin. Inspect your dried twig and find the perfect little twisty bit that would be your pumpkin stem...
Cut a few dried twigs to insert into the seedpods to craft your pumpkin stems.
Cut the twig at a sharp angle to make it easier to spear the dried twig into the seedpod without splitting it open.
Make a small guide hole in the canna seedpod...
Use a tiny bit of floral glue to secure the twig stem into the seedpod pumpkin.
To add a fairytale tendril to the design choose mature tendrils from your vine. Mine is from my Passiflora vine. I choose mature tendrils because they hold their shape better.
Glue in the tendrils and the rosary vine leaves to give each of your seedpod pumpkins their own unique personality.
Set the pumpkins aside so that they dry to make sure the tendrils don't droop or wilt. If they are mature enough they will simply dry in place... but make sure before adding the pumpkins to the dahlia display because the flowers are so delicate it will bruise if you fuss too much with the pumpkins.
Book readers turn to page 29 where we look at floral glue for more information on how to seal the wound on the cut end of the seedpod to limit discolouration on the dahlia flower petals.
For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
In the meantime pour slightly warmer than usual water (ideal for dahlias) into a long and low display container...
Select a cafe au lait dahlia with a flat flower shape.
The dahlias are really sensitive and the large petals will bruise if you overhandle the flowers. This week in our email I explain to you how you can spot the flower shapes in a bunch without having to pick up and turn and inspect the flowers. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) the moment the latest design is ready for you to view. And I always add a design tip so that you can get the most benefit from each week's design inspiration even before viewing the design. The sign up is below this post.
Set three dahlias into the water to create the base of the display...
Remove a few leaves from a rosary vine...
Drape the vine over the dahlia display...
Design note: even though the rosary vine is a succulent (meaning it will be fine without a water source in your design) I still set the stems in water to root. It is such a staple in my design room that I always make sure I have a few plants growing and a few rooting at any time.
Glue the canna seedpod pumpkins into the design.
Notice I again use the facing technique that I told you about in our email this week...?
And I add a bit of magical sparkle with a few dew drop crystals just to finish the design off. See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions on how and why I use a pin to position the crystals.
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