Succulents are beautiful in a bouquet.
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Floral Design
As a Crown Garden Club member, it was my turn to do the library flowers for our public library. My philosophy about floral design is that I try not to buy any arranging materials; instead, if possible, I try to harvest everything from my garden. As usual, succulents rule the day, mainly because I have so many of them growing around the yard. I love designing with succulents, but I do get counted against in the flower show because I’m not using “traditional” materials. To that rule, I say poo-poo.
Here’s my finished product for today’s design. I wouldn’t say it’s my best design, but I’m happy. Really, how can you go wrong with succulents! I used aeoniums, aloes, and a couple of echeverrias for accent, arranged in an old trophy I bought at a garage sale. When I bring the arrangement home, it will go on display in the house for another month or two, then I’ll replant the pieces out in the yard.
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Bridge & Bay Garden Club welcomes the world-renown ambassador of the floral industry – Rene Van Rems! Rene will be designing for fall and winter.
October 29, 2012 from 9:30 – 12:00pm
Coronado Community Center
1845 Strand Way
Coronado, CA 92118
$20 per person.
Make check payable to:
Bridge & Bay Garden Club
Send checks to Lee Marsolais
1422 Third Street
Coronado, CA 92118-1904
Must be postmarked by September 1, 2012. Seated is limited.
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This giant fern fiddlehead looks prehistoric, doesn't it?!
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I’ve finally come up for air since the Flower Show last week. Always fun, super busy, and in the end, very satisfying. The floral designs were excellent and although I only got a third for my design (see April 20 post for picture), I did score a 90+, so I was happy.
My favorite design of the show, which was also a top winner, was built with bromiliads and aloe blooms. The colors were stunning and depicted “Olympic Flames” beautifully. (Unfortunately, the cell phone camera didn’t do this justice, but you get the idea.)
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The Coronado Flower Show is this Saturday and Sunday at Spreckels Park. The theme of this year’s show is “A FLORAL OLYMPIAD.” I have signed up to do a floral design in Section B. The theme of the section is Olympic Traditions and the class I’ve entered is The Olympic Rings. Having said that, it’s time for a design review!
Elements & Principals of Design are pretty fundamental in art, but I had never had a formal introduction to them until I went to Flower Show Judge School. In the class, especially at the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed taking it all in, but it’s getting easier. Some people used acronyms they made up to help keep things straight, but it wasn’t sinking in for me until an instructor compared Elements to the ingredients of a recipe and Principals to the recipe. Poof, now I get it!!! Elements are the tangibles and Principles are how you use those tangibles.
Elements of Design
Color – The characteristic of light by which the individual perceives objects or light sources; how the eye sees and interpret wavelengths of light
Form – A three dimensional object
Light – Illumination necessary for vision
Line – One-dimension visual path through design
Pattern – design formed by solids and spaces between them
Size – the perceived or visual dimensions of components rather than actual dimensions
Space – the open area in and around a design
There are 3 kinds of space – total space, space within plant material, space established in design
Texture – Surface quality of a material
The only way I can remember the Elements is to put them in alphabetical order.
Principals of Design
Balance – visual balance or stability
Dominance – the greater impact of one element over the others
Contrast - use of opposite characteristics to emphasize differences
Rhythm – created by a dominant visual path of lines, forms, and/or colors in a design
Proportion – comparative relationship of areas and amounts
Scale – the size relationship of one object in a design compared to another
Some people use BADCROPS as an acronym to remember Principles. Drop the vowels and you have your PRINCIPLES.
I have realized over time that I use Elements and Principles in a lot of creative things I work on. If I had majored in art, I probably would have gotten this training in some form, but better late than never. I love learning something that changes my perspective, and the Elements and Principles were a biggie.
This is what I’m entering in the Coronado Flower Show. I wonder what the judges will think about my design.
Floral Design - Section B Theme: Olympic Traditions Class: The Olympic Rings
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I was asked to do a couple of succulent creations for a local gala event a few weeks ago. A friend found two very cool metal crowns (Coronado, the Crown City!) and I did the rest.
First, I found a clay dish that fit the crown. The big question was whether I should glue the crown to the clay dish. I decided not to glue so the Crown could be stand-alone when the garden was eventually dismantled. The downside was that the creation was a bit more delicate and I had to make a little care sheet to remind people to life from the bottom, not the crown!
I filled the clay dish with potting soil and tamped down lightly. I also put a layer of dampened sphagnum moss for looks, and functional purpose, too. I punched holes in the moss, down to the dirt, to insert stems of my succulent cuttings. I also used clear tacky glue to hold the pieces in place. The glue will hold long enough to let the plants get rooted. I learned this trick from succulent design guru, and fellow Master Gardener, Laura Eubanks. If you’ve never heard one of Laura’s talk, well, you’re missing out!
The final effect is pleasing, I think. I have a lot succulents incubating in my vertical gardens and various pots around the yard, so I had great material to work with. I’m told that these creations were very popular at the gala. That’s the LOVE part of my post.
SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!!! My book, CORONADO, was also highlighted at the gala, given as gifts to the big donors of the evening. And that would be the PRIDE part of this post! 
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