Botanical Wall Art

Creating art works of dried and permanent florals can generate a new stream of customers and revenues for your shop—as well as opportunities for unparalleled creative expression among your designers.

Floral design by Jules Lewis Gibson

Photos and text by Nita Robertson, AIFD, CFD

Presented by Schusters of Texas

Creating a permanent work of art with dried and preserved botanicals can be a labor-intensive yet creatively rewarding project. This massive floral “painting,” which would be stunning in a home, an office, a restaurant or hotel, or an event venue, is designed with an intriguing array of colorful and textural naturals from Schusters of Texas.

The design concept and techniques illustrated here can be used to create floral wall art in virtually any size and shape, customized for each client’s décor and needs. Smaller versions could become popular “signature” items in your shop, and while large-scale pieces, such as this one, could also sell in your shop (although they would likely be bespoke contract pieces), consider creating a series that you could rent for weddings and other special events. Also, keep in mind that offering seasonal and holiday versions could produce a year-round stream of revenue from customers who like to change their décor throughout the year.

Finally, creating these types of art works can provide designers with an avenue for creative expression and artistic fulfillment that other types of flower designs may not. Perhaps you could even negotiate a temporary solo exhibition at a local art gallery—or even create an online exhibition of your works.

STEP BY STEP

Step 1

Select and organize the botanical materials for the project, including a variety of mosses, dried and preserved flowers, and other accent materials.

DESIGN TIP: Because this project is intended to be hung on a wall, attach a heavy-duty D-ring picture hanger in each of the upper corners on the backside of the plywood or MDF panel before you begin designing. Then, secure a length of heavy-duty picture-hanging wire tautly between the D-ring anchors. Be sure to choose D-ring hangers and picture-hanging wire that will support the weight of the finished design (visit picturehangsolutions.com/collections/wire for more information and instructions).

Step 2

Position an interesting piece of driftwood on the front of the wood panel, and secure it in place with heavy-gauge florist wire or a thin braided steel cable tightly wrapped around screws. Secure the driftwood to the wood panel in at least two places, depending on the length and weight of the driftwood.

Step 3

Lay out the botanical materials on the wood panel, including various types and thicknesses of moss, to visualize the design, before you begin hot-gluing them in place. Sketch a design on the wood panel to use as a roadmap for the placement of materials and pattern creation, if desired. Create a background surface of mosses first. When placing other botanicals, position them at varying levels to create depth, and consider grouping materials by color and/or type, including bundles of smaller botanicals such as star flowers and canary grass seed heads—rather than “peppering” them evenly throughout—to create maximum visual impact and interest.

Step 4

Begin hot-gluing botanical materials to the wood panel. Wire materials that need more security to small wood screws in the panel. Extend some materials beyond the borders of the wood panel, if desired.

Step 5

Finish the design by adding botanicals to fill any undesirable open spaces with additional botanicals and/or further define a “flow” or pattern. Be sure to cover the edges of the wood panel with moss or other materials, to create a professional, finished look.

Materials

DRIED BOTANICALS

from Schusters of Texas

• Hydrangea macrophylla, Blue, Burgundy (03693)
(hortensia, French Hydrangea)

• Hydrangea Limelights (03692)
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ (panicle Hydrangea)

• Banksia Hookerana, Natural (415)
Banksia hookeriana (acorn Banksia, Hooker’s Banksia)

• Repens, Red (05763)
Protea repens (formerly P. mellifera) (common sugarbush, honey flower, honey Protea)

• Amaranthus Hanging Preserved, Light Green (00241)
Amaranthus caudatus (love-lies-bleeding, tassel flower)

• Teasils, Lavender (07800)
Dipsacus fullonum (common teasel, wild teasel)

• Floral Buttons, Purple (03084)
Tanacetum vulgare (tansy)

• Star Flowers, Peach (07600)
Achyrocline satureioides/Glixia flavus (star flowers, marcela, glixia)

• Phalaris, Burnt Oak (05252)
Phalaris canariensis (canary grass spike-type seed heads)

• Wild Oats, Natural (08410)
Uniola paniculata (seaoats)

• Lace Fern, Bleached (03840)
Sphenomeris chinensis, syns. Odontosoria chinensis, Davallia tenuifolia (lace fern, Chinese creeping fern, Chinese parsley fern)

• Long Fern, Bleached (03901)
Woodwardia spp. (chain fern)

• Mini Fern, Bleached (04500)

• Sheet Moss Ball Preserved 4” (05890)
Hypnum spp. (sheet moss, plait-moss, Hypnum moss)

• Sheet Moss Ball Preserved 6” (05891)
Hypnum spp. (sheet moss, plait-moss, Hypnum moss)

• Sheet Moss, Natural (96000)
Hypnum spp. (sheet moss, plait-moss, Hypnum moss)

• Reindeer Moss, Spring Green, Natural and Moss (05761)
Cladonia rangiferina (reindeer moss, reindeer lichen)

• Mood Moss (94725)
Dicranum scoparium (mood moss, broom moss, fork moss, windblown moss)

• Exotic Assortment, Natural (02930)
includes Spiral Cones (Leucadendron); Salignum Branch (Leucadendron); Plumosum Preserved (Leucadendron); Repens (Protea); Protea rosettes and flats; Brunia Silver (Berzelia)