Experienced arrangerwows flower group

Her demonstration reflected some of the things experienced throughout her career, including changes in design, fashion, people she has met and places she has visited.

The first arrangement was inspired by friends met through a mutual love of arranging flowers and was assembled in a large basket. A variety of foliage including elaeagnus, golden privet, ferns and bergenia leaves provided a outline for pink “Aqua” roses, pink carnations, hydrangea heads and sedum.

Carolyn read a poem called Peace, often referred to as The Gardeners’ Hymn, and considered whether flower arrangers become gardeners or vice versa. She assembled a parallel design which resembled an autumn garden border with a pre-arranged ground cover effect using small pieces of foliage. Acer foliage, monbretia, arum berry spikes, garden and florist roses, dahlias, blue hydrangea heads and bronze chrysanthemums represented the planting.

After reading a poem about garden sheds, Carolyn mentioned all the strange but potentially useful things flower arrangers keep in their sheds including pieces of driftwood, shells, stones and more. She used some of her old treasures to create a seascape design which included liatris, pincushion protea, eryngium and blue trachelium.

The “flower arranging teacher’s lament” was the inspiration for a modern Italian style design created in a large ewer shaped container. This included phormium and fatsia leaves, curled aspidistra leaves, green “Anastasia” chrysanthemums and pink roses.

For her final design Carolyn read an amusing poem about two flower arrangers supposedly working together on a flower festival design entitled Peace and Tranquillity. Into a small dish of floral foam she placed ferns, camelia foliage, tree heather, Hosta and hellebore leaves, ivy, white Singapore orchids, white lilies, white mini gerbera and small pampas grass spikes. Carolyn had a pre-arranged identical placement and assembled an amazing finished design using a wrought iron church window tracery as a centre-piece flanked by the two arrangements, wrought iron candelabras with white candles and a Madonna figure.

Thanks were given by Pat Bramley and members were reminded that the next meeting is a special demonstration by National Demonstrator Ian Buxton entitled Let’s Celebrate Christmas. Visitors are welcome.