I wanted to create something that was inspired by the changing season and colors of autumn but not dictated by them. The palette, with its gold tones and turning leaves, nods in part to autumn but also rejects it with the introduction of the orchids and the dyed Japanese grass, both of which have no season. I wanted there to be harmony and tension in this piece.
MATERIALS:
- Dried dyed grass
- Seedpod
- Japanese maple
- Begonia foliage
- Carnation
- Marigold
- Phalaenopsis orchid
- New Zealand flax
- Various wild grasses
1 | Select a shallow container for this vertical arrangement. Take a strip of floral adhesive clay, fold it, and secure it to the bottom of the floral frog. Place the frog in the center of the vessel, and add water.
2 | Add the maple leaves, and place them so they fan out in different directions to show movement. Then add the two long stalks of New Zealand flax. Place one straight up and one close to the first but fanned out a bit.
3 | Insert the orchids low at the base, letting one stem drape over the side of the vessel to make the arrangement more dynamic.
4 | Take three carnations and cut the stem of one very short; position it at the base of the arrangement. Keep the other stems longer, placing one straight up and another with a slightly shorter stem at an angle.
5 | Add a couple of begonia leaves to the base. These fill in any blank spots while adding texture. Place the marigolds throughout the lower part of the arrangement at various angles, but don’t overcrowd; give them space.
6 | The dried pieces—the seedpods and dyed wild grasses—are placed last. They are the most delicate, and they add interesting color and another dimension to the composition.
See our Q&A with Taylor Patterson and more of her arrangements!
By Taylor Patterson | Photography by Monica Buck