Rose Garden Bouquet design by Bill Harper AIFD

wedding bouquet

Rose Garden Bouquet

Design by Bill J. Harper, AIFD Fellow, AAF

With a grand composite rose as its focal point—surrounded by open gardenlike blossoms; diminutive sprays; and a rounded, cabbage-inspired bud—this lustrous bouquet contains all the elements of a preeminent rose garden in full bloom. The mix of roses is replicated using only two types: sprays and hybrid teas. A trio of techniques applied to some of the blossoms modifies them into the gardeny imposters.

The spontaneous placement of the varying sizes of blossoms enhances the natural, garden-grown quality, as does the addition of preserved maidenhair fern. Its airy fronds add ethereal dimension and gentle motion to the rosy cluster. Fresh maidenhair would have the same airy qualities, but the preserved version may perform better. Place the preserved fern in the cooler for a day or two to soften it and make it more pliable.

MATERIALS: 'Cool Water' hybrid tea roses and 'Blue Moon' spray roses from Rio Roses; preserved maidenhair fern from Verdissimo; Floratape Stem Wrap from Bemis Company; Oasis Floral Adhesive and Elegant Bouquet Holder from Smithers-Oasis Company.
 

HOW TO 1:Carefully remove several petals from the centers of three or four spray roses. This will create blossoms that resemble wild garden roses.	HOW TO 2: To mimic a cabbage rose, insert two hairpin-shaped wires crosswise through the top of a rosebud, and snap off its calyx. Bend the wires' ends toward the rose's new base, and tape them together to form a stem.	HOW TO 3: Stack several petals together, and insert a hairpin-shaped wire through the base of the stack. Repeat with additional petals. Cluster the wired petal groups around a rose. Glue in additional petals as needed.