Hi, I’m Kelly! And I’m glad you’re here because today I’m addressing a couple of questions I get quite often:

1) How do I attach flowers to various objects/surfaces?
2) How do I design without a water source, and what flowers last out of water?

I’m designing on a windowsill using rocks and chicken wire. I love chicken wire! Not only is it moldable to various shapes, but it’s also a multi-use product (so you can use it more than once). I’m using dill and bupleurum as my base for this installation.

Starting with the bupleurum, I’m going to create the shape of my arrangement and camouflage the mechanics. Notice how I use the natural shape of each stem rather than forcing them to do something they don’t “want” to do. It’s important to balance the weight of the cascading flowers with even more flowers in the back of the arrangement. After my shape is established, I add dill to create depth and an implied line. Then comes a bit of explosion grass and dried astilbe pods for even more texture!

Key Points

• Make sure your chicken wire has a couple of layers to it (wrapped more than once) so that the stems have somewhere to rest and catch.

• Whenever you’re creating an installation without a water source, it’s important to be familiar with the product you’re using. This is something that comes with experience, but don’t be afraid to ask other floral pros as well as test things out yourself.

• It’s imperative that the product you use is in excellent condition and preferably from an older plant (no tender growth) if it’s not going to have a water source.

• Keep in mind that sometimes less is more! Don’t feel like you have to have 15 ingredients to create a lovely installation. You may only need two or three to make a statement piece!

Flowers that Last Out of Water

• Bupleurum

• Dill

• Viburnum berries

• Sunflowers

• Explosion grass

• Various dried pods

• Roses

• Dahlias

• Marigolds

• Billy Balls

• Strawflower

• Bunny Grass