Top flower tips for your Garden Day table
The date is set and your guests are joining for a joyful Garden Day celebration on Sunday 20 October. October. Now it’s time to create a table that will impress your guests! What better way to adorn it than with vibrant spring blooms?
We reached out to Lana Fredericks, a contemporary floral designer and the artistic director behind Myuzu (@myuzu.by.lana), to share her top tips for using flowers to decorate and beautify your Garden Day table.
Photo: Jana Wasserman (@janawasserman_studio)
1. What are your top tips for creating beautiful flower arrangements using store-bought blooms?
· Always look through the lens of colour and shape. This will help you achieve a unique look. Take a peony rose for instance, the natural shades will create an immediate starting point. You can then look for other roses that match those shades. Think cluster roses, roses in a lighter shade, complementary flowers or a rose plant. At home, you could pick a simple branch, rose vine or some rosehip that will allow your arrangement to feel softer.
· Never underestimate how simple and graphic using only one type of flower can be. Try three bunches of tulips in a simple vessel on a coffee table.
· Keep longevity in mind when selecting flowers. Choose flowers that aren’t fully open, this way you will have a longer vase life.
· Don't be afraid to take mixed bouquets apart. Sometimes the greenery or foliage might not fit the look of your dining table, and serve better in a vase elsewhere in your home.
· Plants can immediately give a homey or “cottage” feeling to a space. Placed in a basket or ceramic pots, they can be used for your table, coffee table, ledge or even creating a moment outside your front door.
2. What are your favourite flowers to use when decorating a table?
At the moment Ranunculus is my top must have for spring. They come in an array of colours and varieties, and they work in both sculptural and relaxed floral displays. They have a great vase life and as they open they continue to puff up. I like to combine various varieties together to create an unusual floral statement.
My other favourites are tulips. I always try to source tulips on the bulb, as well as cut stems. This way I can play around with creating various shapes on the table. Tulips also don't need much water so they tend to hold up quite well. Remember, tulips tend to grow, so I always cut them slightly shorter than I want to give them time to grow into their shape.
Photo: Jana Wasserman (@janawasserman_studio)
3. Do you have any decor hacks when decorating a table with flowers?
Keep in mind the food that you will be serving. That way you can consider whether smaller or bigger centrepieces will serve better. You could also make the food your focal point and just bring in a soft floral accent with your place settings.
Also, think about the linen as your canvas. Simple, minimalist linen can be completed with more dramatic flowers, while brighter patterned linens will look better with something simple and structural.
Photo: Jana Wasserman (@janawasserman_studio)
Stylist Assistant: @deejeekruger
Shot on location: @johnmanstellenbosch
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