Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Latch an imperfect stem support for thin stemmed and heavy design details
- 5 July 2023
- click to send Christine a smile
This time of year is perfect for harvesting... stems. As we deadhead some of our flowers we are left with rather pretty stems that can absolutely be used in a design.
This technique actually works better if your stems are not perfectly straight. I wanted to show you more about why I choose these crooked stems in a way that you can ask me questions... or comment on the idea so I added it as a tip in our email this week. You can subscribe below this post if you are not yet receiving your email. Also I would love to hear what you are designing or growing... or for you to say hi. Please be patient though... I do respond to all the emails but some weeks it takes me a few days to work through them all.
Use a blade of grass (or an iris leaf as I did here) to knot the ends of the stems to latch it together at both sides.
Book readers turn to page 59 for a gorgeous knot to try if you want to level up this design. It is absolutely a knot every floral designer needs to master.
For more information about my book:
The Effortless Floral Craftsman
Rest the stem support over a water filled container.
Wiggle the stems a bit so that they find a natural and balanced way to sit snugly on the container.
Slip the thin stem through a gap in the latched support stems. Move the stems into a position where they fit , but are not pinched, between the two stems.
Do the same with the thin and droopy stems of the strawberries.
Gently thread the strawberry stems deeper into the water until you find a position where the stems carry some of the weight of the berry to tilt it slightly up to keep it from looking wilted or sad. Or where possible use the support stem to prop up a berry.
This is really important. Even more so when designing in summertime when flowers can start to look wilted really quickly. Make sure the design details have a general uptilt to it so that it looks fresh and happy. Like a smile... always curve the design details up.
Finish your design with a few dew drop crystals.
See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how and why I add the crystals with a pin.
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Tutorials
You don't have to design with a bud vase when you have a bud vase sized flower.
Capture a bit of winter magic by placing delicate flower buds in the middle of two large leaves.
Adding design details to create tiny gaps for more design details.
Curl and secure a few blades of flax into a bubble to frame your flowers
Add a leaf to a large-ish vase to create a small puddle of water for your short flower stem to rest in.
This is both a decorative and functional design solution. But most importantly, I think, there is absolutely zero waste.
Fold a single blade of grass or slender leaf around a small container to stand your flower in position
Carefully manipulate and bend green willow stems to place in water to sprout as an armature for tulips to mature and open
Wire and glue a few acorns into the fork of a twig to create an Autumn armature
Create a support for your floral details by wedging the cut flower stem across the opening of the vase.
Hana-Kubari is an Ikebana flower mechanic. Only natural materials such as pebbles, sticks and branches can be seen to support the flowers. Traditionally no twine or wire, nails,...
Related Designs
A easy going summer design that makes full use of the imperfections you harvest from your cut garden.
... a something to look forward to design that makes you lean in closer to see what might still be.
Give a minimal design a few grass "whiskers" to feel that Spring breeze.
Gently curve a shallow area with a leaf to showcase a gorgeous flower with a short stem in a water filled vase
A sustainable, absolutely no waste floral design using willow to suspend your flower head in your arrangement.
This week we look at the design featured in the Flower Guide Chapter at the very end of my book
Manipulate fresh willow stems to create a sprouting armature for long tulip stems
Hoard a few acorns in the fork of a twig to show off a single oncidium orchid.
Oh my! Picked from my balcony garden... after I thought I completely missed it blooming.
