Once fall arrives, it’s the perfect time to incorporate natural elements into your designs. Think colorful leaves, pods, fruited branches and grasses. These materials add rich seasonal hues, varied textures and dimensional interest, making flower arrangements more vibrant and dynamic. However, many natural elements are not hardy enough for everyday use. In addition, they can be difficult to source consistently.
Faux botanical materials offer an ideal alternative. Today’s options range from remarkably realistic, organic-looking stems to embellished varieties featuring sparkles, berries and decorative fruits in multiple sizes and styles. Here, I hope to inspire you to expand your design repertoire and create a distinctive centerpiece using faux elements this autumn.
Step by Step
Step 1
Choose various textured and colored stems of faux foliage, grass, sparkling leaves and fruited branches to use in your design. Select ones that harmonize well with your fresh materials—or container color and texture.
Step 2
Faux sprays often come with multiple stems. With heavy-duty wire-cutters, cut the stems to separate them as you wish.
Design tip:
To lengthen some of the cut stems for variety, attach wooden picks with wire. Secure the wired picks with corsage tape.
Step 3
Prepare a copper-colored tin bowl—or round vessel of your choosing—with pre-soaked floral foam.
Step 4
Place your long line faux materials first to set your structure, size and shape for the design.
Step 5
Because they’re usually made with wire, faux materials are perfect for creating curved or arched lines to heighten visual interest. Manipulate the wired stems to achieve the desired curves.
Step 6
Now that you’ve set your perimeter with faux stems, place some fresh blooms. Add short-cut cream-colored carnations to create a base and help cover the mechanics.
Step 7
Place a couple stems of tan-colored mums and some peachy Hypericum. Next, add textural accents with some orange strawflowers.
Step 8
Create your focal area with ‘Juliet’ garden roses. Then add some long stems of peach and coral Ranunculus to peek out. Finally, complete your design with a handful of orange tulips.
Materials
Botanicals
- Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation)
- Chrysanthemum × morifolium (disbud mum)
- Hypericum androsaemum (tutsan, St. John’s wort)
- Xerochrysum bracteatum (strawflower)
- Rosa spp. ‘Juliet’ (David Austin Wedding Roses garden rose)
- Ranunculus spp. Butterfly™ series (butterfly buttercup, butterfly crowfoot, butterfly Ranunculus)
- Tulipa spp. (tulip)
Hard Goods
- Faux botanicals, designer’s choice
- Floral foam, one brick
- Round container
Jeanne Ha, AIFD, CFD, CEJ
Jeanne Ha, AIFD, CFD, CEJ, of Design Studio by Jeanne Ha in Garden Grove, Calif., created, wrote and photographed this floral design tutorial.
