“An artistic interpretation of autumn’s bounty, this versatile composition can easily transform into winter or holiday décor.”
Israeli floral designer Orit Hertz, EMC, celebrates the beauty and richness of autumn in this harvest-inspired centerpiece. Joining the soft elements of flora in an autumnal color palette against a wood structure, she highlights the contrast of lack versus plenty.
“I wanted to express the dry and brittle alongside fresh and plentitude,” Hertz explains. “The branches and wood base represent the dry period after harvest and before planting, and the fresh flowers represent newly harvested crops.”
The fresh botanicals are arranged in both floral foam and water tubes, the latter of which make changing out the flowers as they fade simple and fun for the consumer. The rustic framework is also versatile and transseasonal, making it easy to transition this design to a wintry or Christmas centerpiece by simply replacing the current botanicals with seasonally or holiday-appropriate flowers and foliage.
STEP 1: Wrap four pieces of 14-gauge wire with paper-covered wire to create “support legs” for the construction. Repeat to create a second “support leg.”
STEP 2: Drill two holes into the tree-trunk slab, and insert the support legs. Secure them in place with hot-glue.
STEP 3 : Attach branches to the ”support legs,” and bind them with paper-covered wire.
STEP 4 : Drill two holes into the coconut shell. Wrap two 18-gauge wires with paper-covered wire, and insert them through the holes in the coconut.
STEP 5: Wire the coconut to the base of the branches. Line the inside of the coconut with cellophane, and place a piece of soaked floral foam into the coconut.
STEP 6: Wrap the plastic tubes (for the thick-stemmed flowers) with brown stem wrap. Wrap two bands of paper-covered wire around each of the glass water tubes, leaving lengths of the wire to attach the tubes to the branches.
STEP 7: Attach the water tubes to the branches with paper-covered wire, positioning them as desired.
STEP 8: Fill the tubes with flower-food solution.
STEP 9: Arrange flowers into the coconut and water tubes. Start with the dominant flowers like ornamental kale and bells-of-Ireland. Continue with the smaller flowers. Finish with English ivy to create flow and movement.
