Bronze and Yellow Harvest Floral Display

Creating a Bronze and Yellow Harvest Display

Harvest Festival is a wonderful time of the year in the florists’ calendar. The colours are rich and warm and brighten up even the dullest of autumn days. Vibrant yellows burning oranges and chocolaty browns are firm favourites. It’s also a very popular time of year to used dried flowers with corn, seed pods and fruit in abundance.

The majority of harvest designs will be seen in churches, decorating the window sills, a special table displaying the harvest fruits or simply as a free standing display. But it is sometimes nice to give a gift of flowers at this time of year. A small wicker basket of flowers is perfect. It has a natural country feel and the idea of a basket full of glorious autumn colours reflects the idea of gathering in for the harvest. You can leave it on the table throughout the harvest period or perhaps on your window sill. You can even present it to your church for the local harvest festival.

How to Create Your Own Harvest Basket

You can make this as cheaply or as expensively as you want so long as you use flowers of autumn colours. Vibrant carnations and chrysanthemums are ideal and don’t cost the earth.

Materials

One handled basket; plastic sheet to line basket; block of floral foam; frog (plastic pin holder to secure floral foam); florists’ fix (adhesive which attaches frog to base of basket); pot tape; wires; fern; soft ruscus; solidago; bunch of spray carnations; bunch of spray chrysanthemums; bunch of alstromeria.

Method

• Cut the plastic sheet to fit the inside of the basket, ensuring the sides are covered, and neatly stitch it on. Also cut your floral foam to fit ensuring that it is at least and inch higher than the lip of the basket
• Attach florists’ fix to the middle of the base of the basket and place a frog on top.
• Wet your foam and place it onto the frog, pushing down securely. Round off the edges of the foam with a knife so the material sits more naturally
• For extra security attach a wire to the base of one of the handles, thread it through the middle of the foam to the other side and attach it to the other handle. Do the same with the other end of the foam but attaching it to the ends of the basket instead.
• Add a piece of fern to the four sides of the foam (generally the longest pieces as you are aiming for a diamond shape. Also place a piece of fern upright in the centre of the foam (this generally is not as high as the handle).
• Add more foliage within the outline using both the fern and the eucalyptus.
• Make a line of spray carnations from one corner of the foam to the opposite corner ensuring that the largest flower remains upright in the centre then take the spray chrysanthemums in an opposite diagonal across the centre. Remember to maintain a domed outline.
• Add the alstromeria all over the design to fill in any gaps; larger flowers should go towards the centre. Cover any areas of visible foam with the solidago and foliage.

If you want to accessorise your display you could cover the handle with ribbon and attach a lovely colourful raffia bow or perhaps use less flowers and add a piece of small fruit or nuts and seed pods. A basket display can be done equally as well with dried flowers. The principles are exactly the same.