Friday, April 2, 2010

Flower Arranging Class

My flower arranging class sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association's Women of UGA was a success. What a fun way to spend my Wednesday lunch hour!

Owner of Ginger Lily Events and Florals and UGA alumnus, Ginger Bradshaw ('74), led a demonstration on creating floral arrangements for your home. Ginger was so open and honest about a range of topics from floral arrangement to small business ownership. Below are a few pictures from the afternoon:

For this simple arrangement, Ginger recommended using green waterproof florist's tape to tape the roses together just below the head before inserting in the vase to ensure proper placement.


For the arrangement below, Ginger used clear, waterproof tape to tape off a grid on the top of the glass vase. The grid allows you to place flowers exactly where you want them for the perfect display. I had never heard of this before-- but what a great idea! (I bought a roll of the tape from Ginger and plan to use it soon!)


Notice the loops coming out of the top of the arrangement as well as the coiled greenery inside the vase. Ginger used lily grass for these unique additions. For the "lily loops", simply insert both the top and bottom end of the grass into the vase. Then, adjust the height of each loop to add interest.

For the coiled greenery, simply roll several pieces of lily grass together and insert it into the bottom of the vase before filling with water and flowers. As Ginger pointed out-- oftentimes at a seated meal, guests are eye level with the glass portion of the vase so it's important to think about this space. She also recommended using grapevine for a more "woodsy" look. I love this idea!

The final arrangement uses hydrangeas-- my favorite! For this piece, Ginger used a pretty metal urn as a base. She soaked a block of florist's Oasis in water for five minutes and placed the Oasis in the bottom of the urn. Oasis acts as an amazing assistant, since it both waters the plant and holds stems perfectly in place. The arrangement below uses hydrangeas, roses, green hydrangeas, and ivy. This would look gorgeous on an entry table!


Ginger is based out of her home in Sandy Springs and was a delight to spend the afternoon with on Wednesday!

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