Floral Design Lesson 3: Contemporary Design

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David Pippin

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In the first two articles of this floral-design series, we’ve covered gathering the right tools and materials, and plant selection and conditioning. Now it’s time for the fun part – creating your design. If you’re drawn to the contemporary look, give this one a try:

Photo Credit: David Pippin

Step 1: Secure a ⅓-block of wet floral foam in a watertight container with waterproof floral tape. (I wrap the tape around the container to make sure it’s secure.)

Photo Credit: David Pippin

Step 2: Establish your arrangement’s height with some type of line material. In this particular design, I’ve used a pineapple leaf, but you can choose whatever you’d like. Other possible choices for your line are yucca leaves, birch branches or Sansevieria.

Photo Credit: David Pippin

Step 3: Establish your arrangement’s width with other types of foliage. I like large, glossy Fatsia leaves, which I’ve used here. Then I filled in the rest of the foam with Pittosporum. But this can also be done with a variety of other foliage types, like salal (lemon leaves), croton and ferns.

Tips

You don’t need the exact plants I’ve used to make this contemporary arrangement. Give other plants a try and see what you like best.
Keeping your beautiful creation in a cool location will increase the longevity of the arrangement.

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Next Steps

Articles

Floral Design Lesson 1: Materials and Tools
If you’ve ever looked at a beautiful centerpiece and told yourself you could never make anything like that, then wake up and smell the floral arrangement! Professional designer David Pippin is just a click away from getting you started in the world of floral design.
Floral Design Lesson 2: Growing, Buying and Conditioning
You’ve got your clippers, wires and scissors in your toolbox – now you need the major design “tool” – the plants. Professional designer David Pippin takes his floral-design series to the next step: growing and conditioning the stems you’re about to arrange.
Floral Design Lesson 4: “Look Mom – No Flowers” Design
You don’t always need flowers to create a beautiful arrangement. In his fourth lesson in arranging, professional designer David Pippin shows how to create a beautiful centerpiece without a bloom in sight.

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