Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Get a head start with a long lasting shallow vine basket and succulent table top Spring display
- 21 February 2024
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Cut a beautiful Echeveria rosette from its roots just above the soil.
Succulents are so easy to design with. Simply peel away the lower leaves (you can root those if you wish) to give you a nice a generous stem to work with.
Book readers turn to page 104 for more detailed instructions on how to design with succulents. For more information about my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Set the succulent rosette aside so that the cut end can start to dry
Gather long passion fruit vines.
Strip the foliage carefully from the vine. Make sure all the tendrils remain.
Start by weaving a wreath with the vine... but here is the trick: see that dangling end up on top? we do not weave in the cut end so that it can remain hydrated in the water in the display vase we are placing the design on.
If you are unsure of how to weave a wreath I have a detailed Tutorial for you below. And if you want to learn more about how we are adjusting the design details so that they remain hydrated and even root see our email of this week. I send out an email every Wednesday morning (Vancouver time) the moment the design is ready to view and add a tip each week for us to discuss. You are welcome to reply to the email if you have questions or a comment. Or say hi. I would love to hear from you.
Press a long vine through the wreath from one end to another making sure you protect the tendrils.
Weave in a second long vine next to that.
Gather the long dangling vines on one end and twist them together.
Do the same on the other end so that you have two long twisted vine ends.
Bring the dangling vines over and weave them together over the top to craft the handle. Take another fresh vine and wind this around and over the top of the handle but again make sure that the end extends so that it can be in the water below. The first four vines will dry giving the basket strength and the last vines that cover it will continue to stay hydrated giving it a continuously Spring fresh look.
Add water to the display container and place the vine display basket on a decorative container and manipulate the cut end so that it will be submerged in the water.
The basket will also be strong enough to carry the succulent if you would prefer (for instance as a flower girl bouquet) especially if you allow the vine to dry. But for this design we are going to make it last.
Place the succulent on the display container with the cut end above the water line.
Complete the design by gluing in some kalanchoe flowers and tendrils.
Add in more vines to drape over the succulent...
And finish the design with a few dew drop crystals...
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how and why I add these with a pin.
And tiny hidden decorative Easter eggs, if you want to.
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