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Natural setting

Autumn flowers and foliage are all about rich colour and texture. Berries, seed pods, fruit and changing leaves are all easily forageable and provide a perfect palette for an autumnal arrangement. Here I used a combination of clippings from a Cercis tree, dried Scabiosa pods, Chilean guava, antique hydrangea, rosehip, Lisianthus, red roses, Montbretia, Alstroemeria and fuschias.

You will need
Secateurs
Scissors
A vessel for your arrangement
Foliage
Fruit
Textural seed pods
Small blooming flowers
Large blooming flowers

1. Dress your flowers
Strip each stem near the top, and take any thorns off your roses (this helps with the longevity of your arrangement). Keep stems long as you will cut them to size as you go. Take care to cut above a node (where the flower offshoots another stem), and at an angle.

2. Assemble your foliage
Add stems of foliage, letting some overhang and sit at an angle. What you are aiming for is a base for your other blooms to sit amongst. Visualise what kind of shape you’d like to create and how balanced you’d like it to be.

3. Add small blooming flowers
Creating a secondary base with small-budded flowers adds another dimension to the arrangement, while also acting as a filler.

4. Add your large blooming flowers and textural elements 
Create a focal point with the large flowers and add texture throughout with your seed pods and fruit, taking care to fill in any gaps, and adding interest as you go.

Foraging kit:
Metal scissors, $20, paperplanestore.com. Stainless steel secateurs, $24, fatherrabbit.com. Washable paper bag, starting at $13, paperplanestore.com.

Shaye Woolford is a floral, props and food stylist. Her aesthetic is inspired by the seasons and elements of nature. onmyhand.co.nz

Words and styling Shaye Woolford
Photography Greta Kenyon

 

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