A Native Vase Arrangement Recipe
The flowers, the design, the result
Today on the Flowerlogue…
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It dawned on me recently that, despite being a florist, I haven’t actually properly shared just a design here on Substack. So, I thought I’d rectify that. Whilst I’ve posted my designs on Instagram, it doesn’t provide the opportunity to the share or explain the who, what, where, when and why the design behind the arrangements like I can here on Substack.
Who
Bella + Asad a young couple, cultural backgrounds South African and Australian
What
One XL and one large arrangement to be located firstly in the home, then moved to the restaurant and reception placed on tables at prominent positions in the rooms, then relocated back to the home. To be enjoyed for the remainder of the week.
Where
Riverside ceremony on grass and an adjacent restaurant, and smaller gatherings at their nearby home.
When
Autumn Mid April, flower availability was low and unreliable
Why
A wedding ceremony and reception
The Design
Both were front facing, radial design but designed to have side visibility.
I purchased 2 different shaped ceramic neutral-coloured vases which I knew I could reuse and hire out in the future. The scalloped edge of the vases greatly helped with keeping the large flower heads in place. I’m a floral foam free florist, so I attached kenzans to the bottom of each vase and balled up several layers of chicken wire.
These large vases were to last at least 5 days, so due to the size of them, tipping out the entire vase water was not possible. So, a tip that I learnt from my Fox & Rabbit boss, was to put in half a tablet of Milton, an antibacterial tablet, used to sterilise babies bottles (before the advent of steaming machines). A simple half tablet prevents the water fouling from bacteria, requiring only water top-ups.
The Blooms
Native flowers aren’t for everyone. They are typically highly textural; sometimes spikey, some are very large and unusual in shape. The colours though can be spectacular. But that’s probably why I like using them so much.
I recall Monty Don in Around the World in 80 Gardens when he visited Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in South Africa actually saying that King Proteas were ‘ugly’. Well, each to their own!
Technically, proteas aren’t native to Australia, (they originate from South African), but we like to claim them as our own. They share a common ancestry and many similar characteristics to banksias, grevilleas and waratahs. Due to the same latitude, they grow very well here in Western Australia. And just like lamingtons. (Which, yes, originate from New Zealand), we Australians like to claim anything that’s fabulous!
Other than using predominantly Australian and South African native flowers, the bride requested pale pink and white flowers in her bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets. The remainder of the flowers, large vase arrangements and wedding reception bud vases could include other colours as well. To be honest, I was very fortunate that the only available native flowers at that time, just all happened to complement each other perfectly.
Of course, ordering flowers in Autumn in Australia comes with uncertainty. I’d planned to use pink King Proteas as focal blooms - but due to a very long, hot summer, there was no guarantee they’d be available. Miraculously, they arrived just in time.
My Style
My style is more sculptural - grouped, textured, and a little wild. I like to break the occasional design elements and principles that I was trained in. I’m drawn to large, dramatic blooms balanced with smaller clusters, kind of like a chorus supporting soloists. In these arrangements I wanted to treat colour like paint, blending tones gradually: oranges into soft pinks, pinks into whites and the muted greys of native foliage, rather than having bold contrasting neighbouring colours. I love arching foliage; wavering Wooly bush and the dried Kangaroo Paw provided for an unexpected texture.
The large vase was to be seen up closer, so I wanted to include some smaller blooms, hence the Strawflowers.
What I wanted to avoid were typical native arrangements with multiple types of botanics evenly distributed. I wanted the designs to be modern, grouped and sculptural. Fortunately the bride and groom gave me total creative freedom. Just what a florist wants to hear!
The Floral Proposal
My 10-page floral proposal included a Mood board, images of some of the feature flowers, the bouquets, bud vases and a quote. I struggled to find images on Pinterest to illustrate my designs and so I used Canva to help with a little computer aided design of what the larger arrangements could look like.. Keeping in mind that at the time of preparing the floral proposal I wasn’t absolutely sure that all these flowers were going to be available. Hence why on each page of the proposal that “*Flowers are subject to availability and condition, furthermore that substitutes will be made if required as similar as possible”.
Flower Recipe for the XL Vase
Foliage
5 stems of Woolly bush (foraged from the groom’s home),
5 stems of Silver dollar gum,
Seeds
10 stems of Seeded Eucalyptus (foraged from my neighbour)
5 stems of Brunia – small white seed heads
Flowers
Banksias - 2 x Burdetti
3 x Speciosa (forage the weekend prior from a country road trip)
3 dried Kangaroo Paws (foraged from my lovely neighbour)
Proteas - 3 x Pink Kings and 4 x Pink Ice (SA)
Flower Recipe for the Large Vase
Foliage
5 stems of Woolly bush
5 stems of acacia
5 divided stems of Silver Dollar Gum
Flowers
2 x Pink King Proteas (SA)
1 x Banksia menziesii
2 x Banksia Speciosa
1 x Pink Ice Protea (SA)
3 stems of pink sedum (not a native, but I needed as a filler)
Strawflowers: White, pale pink, hot pink, watermelon orange
The Result
The XL arrangement was 1 metre tall and 1 metre wide and the large, 75cm tall and 75cm wide. I took out the extra tall foliages for the drive and I managed to buckle them both up in my daughters small car (my car had been involved in a car accident just weeks prior and had been deemed a write-off - that’s a whole other story).
In the XL vase, I exaggerated the 1/3, 2/3 rule with extra-tall foliage - wooly bush on one side, dollar gum on the other. Brunia tucked between blooms helped support the wide vase mouth. The large focal flowers carried enough drama on their own, so I chose not to add any small flowers.
For the large vase, I switched it up: added some acacia foliage, dropped the kangaroo paw and seeded eucalyptus, and included small flowers by way of strawflowers. I avoid replicating arrangements when possible - partly because it’s very difficult with a wilder design, and partly because I want to pique the viewers interest. I like each arrangement to have it’s own uniqueness so that each design can be individually appreciated.
The two vases held up beautifully for over a week. Once the flowers had dried, the groom’s mother kept some as sentimental keepsakes. Needless to say, the couple and their families were extremely happy with the arrangements.
“Thank you so much for everything you did and created for Bella and Asad and me and our family and friends. The flowers and arrangements were beautiful and stunning, and created the perfect atmosphere to bring everyone together. We are still enjoying them a week later!...I truly can’t thank you enough!”
Mother of the Groom
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What gorgeous arrangements. Love the material choices and the design.
Cerina- This is wonderfully done. I love your ideology on sculpture and texture, thoughtfully noting the profile of a group against the other. Banksias are very captivating to me for some reason. And you've captured that beautifully. Hope all is well this week? Cheers, -Thalia