Our third morning at the Catherine Muller Flower School greeted us with a large bundle of 3- foot tall polygonum! Explanation point used because it is known to be invasive in America, and we would not encourage harvesting it for ornamental use. A good substitute will be bamboo or river cane. Also on our tables was an array of huge leaves, extra tall black callas, deep burgundy peonies, and dahlias.
- Linear Bouquet
- Polygonum
- Philodendron
- Artichoke
- Pandanus
- Chinese grass
- Pandamus
- Calla
- Peonies
- Dahlia
Polygonum sticks were wrapped with tapes and narrow strips of folded chicken wire between stems. The large foliage wrapped around the stick structure. Getting it balanced was a little tricky and very fun. The chicken wire created space to add flowers. I would call this a “free standing bouquet”, a term first introduced to me by the German designer, Gregor Lersch, because it stood on its own without vase support.
Gorgeous peonies, black callas, and dark purple dahlia were inserted between the polygonum structure and foliage. I see this design in the future using similar foliage and tropical flowers. Will keep you posted!
The final bouquet was a piece de resistance and brought smiles to passersby on the Rue des Pyramides. Sadly, our enormous bouquets didn’t make it back to our little Paris rental.
- Romantic timbal
- Calla
- Asparagus
- Lysimchia
- Tomato
- Limonium
- Black berry
- Campanella
- Raspberry
- Amaranthus
- Chinese grass
We continued the linear theme with a much smaller design. Catherine calls this a “Romantic Timbal” suitable for a desk or coffee table. Asparagus spearas were attached with rubber bands around a cylinder vase. Raspberry branches were added between the asparagus spears and wires attached large berries. Flowers were placed inside the vase with accents of bright red cherry tomatoes.
Lots more about French flowers to come next month. I am planning an all-day French design class for Longwood Gardens in October. It’s hard to decide which of the fabulous designs to share. It includes a French lunch!
Summer is here for sure. Enjoy the sunny days and stay cool!!
