Lush Natural Garden Arch

The luxuriant look of untamed growth captured in a sustainably designed floral structure

Floral design, photography and text by Paulina Nieliwocki

Blue Jasmine Floral, Berkeley Heights, N.J.

Presented by Danziger

Inspired by the enchanting beauty of Danziger’s new ‘Enchanté^™’ variety of sea lavender, I set out to craft a sustainably designed wedding arch, manifesting the natural aesthetic of a lush, uncultivated garden and infused with the charm of these delicate-looking yet hardy flowers. Limonium perezii ‘Enchanté^™’, developed by Danziger–one of the world’s most innovative and prolific breeders of cut flowers, annuals, perennials and foliage plants, with facilities in Israel, Kenya, Colombia and Ecuador–captivates with its striking deep blue/purple inflorescences and strong yet flexible stems. Plus, it has absolutely no odor! Its impressive longevity makes it a florist’s dream to work with, adding a delightful aesthetic to any flower design.

I also incorporated Danziger’s new ‘Skyler™ Splash Pink’ variety of Veronica, which is a fabulous spray type of Veronica, into this design. Each stem has at least four bloom spikes; has a vase life of 14 days or longer; and, in addition to the pink variety I used, is also available in blue (blue-violet) and white.

STEP BY STEP

Step 1

Secure several Holly Heider Chapple 6” Oval Installation Mechanics to an arch, with cable/zip ties (I used eight Installation Mechanics in this design). At the top, I secured “balls” of chicken wire as additional mechanics, to accommodate the placement of flowers in water picks or water tubes.

Step 2

Fill each container with properly proportioned flower food solutions, and then arrange stems of ‘Enchanté^™’ Limonium, short and tight into each, to create a base of flowers.

DESIGN TIP: This variety has sturdy and long lateral stems that are easy to separate and use in the design.

Step 3

Arrange longer stems of Enchante into each container “on top” of the base of blooms, to add length, create dimension and start growing the design outward.

Step 4

Visually connect the various mechanics units by wiring or zip-tying additional stems of Enchante directly onto the arch, maintaining some negative space.

DESIGN TIP: I clustered stems of Enchante on the front of the arch.

Step 5

Layer in stems of ‘Skyler^™ Splash Pink’ spray Veronica to add more texture, movement and dimension to the design.