Monday, March 21, 2011

A Fresh Take on Floral Arrangements at Canada Blooms


I am sad to report that I was a bit disappointed with the big garden displays at Canada Blooms. In fact I was so underwhelmed, that I took hardy any pictures of them. Still, I enjoyed my day at the show and so I want to start off by focusing on what did catch my eye.

At the show I made new contacts, found resources for future projects and even saw some fresh ideas. Take these pretty floral arrangements. I thought that they were simple, but effective. Best of all, they would be easy to replicate:

Take a plain, inexpensive glass cylinder vase and wrap it in colored yarn. To do this, fasten one end of the yarn with a piece of clear tape and then wrap it around the circumference of the vase. Tuck the loose end in up under under the wrapped yarn. Attach another contrasting color and wrap it randomly overtop of the first layer of yarn (tuck the loose end of yarn in under your first layer).

I have also seen a similar kind of floral arrangement done using different colored rubber bands on glass cylinders. If this look is too contemporary for your tastes, you could try wrapping rough twine for a more rustic or romantic take on the idea. A final variation would be to wrap a pastel shade of ribbon and tie the loose ends with a bow to create a pretty Easter arrangement.

For best effect, I'd suggest you group 3 vases of different heights and circumferences.



Here is another idea I liked. Take two or three floral stems and wrap them with some decorative wire. Twist the loose ends to make curlicues. These freesia were them placed in champagne flutes.



Gather 5 stems together and warp them round with metallic or colored decorative wire. Place the flowers on an angle in a clear glass cylinder. Easy and fun!


Snipping the odd spring bloom shouldn't lessen your outdoor display and can really brighten up the house. Gather bud vases in groups of three or five.



These tube vases make it effortless to arrange flowers. If you don't have a vase like this, simply group bud vases of differing heights together.


Finally, it is easy to pay so much attention to the flowers when you are creating a bouquet, that you forget to think about the flower stems. I always try to remember to consider the bottom half of the arrangement, when I put flowers into a glass vase. Twisting or organizing the stems really can really add to the visual appeal, as this arrangement at Canada Blooms demonstrated beautifully.

18 comments:

  1. I like seeing the ideas of simple but interesting use of vases and other containers. The top photos of the tulips just glow! I know you use Photo Shop -- my sister does as well, you make me want to pull those blooms in to smell their fragrance. Beautifully done!

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  2. Janet, While I do like to play around with Photoshop, I did not retouch these images. The "glow" in this case has everything to do with the display's lighting.

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  3. Those are some interesting ideas, especially the wrapping of a vase, as I'm not so great at making the stems look neat and tidy. Love those gerberas - they need nothing more!

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  4. Wow!! You did a beautiful job capturing this lighting then.

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  5. My weekend was a bust and I didn't make it to the show. I'm disappointed but at least I didn't go and be disappointed. As always, your photos are gorgeous and you've captured some beautiful colours!

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  6. Very, very pretty, simple and colourful! Thank you for sharing the beautiful blooms and ideas with us :)

    Your photography is absolutely superb!

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  7. Those orange tulips and yard covered vases are really eye catching. I also like your tip about thinking about the stems. Something I never think about but will from now on!

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  8. Sorry you were underwhelmed, but sounds like you had a good time anyway. Great idea with the wire - and that last arrangement is so unique!

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  9. Well, what pictures you did take are quite stunning! I loved the bright, warm colors. So cheery on a cold, rainy day. :)

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  10. When I brought my buddy around the floor, I started off at that very same display of Ontario Growers - it really was the most photo-worthy and prettiest section of the whole show. Your photos are so wonderful, it brings back the scent of those freesias. Congratulations on your 1 year blogging anniversary!

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  11. I am really not a big fan of flower shows if I go to them solely to get ideas for my own garden. They are often so over-the-top or even uninspiring. But this year, when I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show, I was looking with my camera at how my blog readers would view the show so I had a lot more fun. Thank for sharing all these great flower arranging ideas.

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  12. Thanks for the tips...... the pics you did take are fantastic. I love the little bud vase idea......Passed on Canada Blooms instead went to Stratford Garden Festival smaller but still nice.

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  13. Every picture is beautiful! I can feel spring in the air!

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  14. I am hopeless at arranging flowers so thanks for the tutorial. Much classier than "Find something round and stick the flowers in"! Gorgeous photos, as usual!! :o)

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  15. Some good ideas there. Boy, those orange tulips are eye-catching!

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  16. Wow love your photos, especially the orange & yellow tulips. I feel so color deprived. I did not go to the Chicago show this year because we were disappointed with last years show, although they did have wonderful educational speakers last year. This year I think Chicago had celebrities, what that has to do with flowers & gardens I don't know, so I passed. Well spring is here so renewal and hard work will be here soon.

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  17. Beautiful photos! fun ideas too. Lovely!!

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