floralartmall.com



Tricia Legg is webmaster of Floralartmall.com, editor of floral design magazine and a keen floral artist. Always armed with the camera as she travels, she  is on the constant lookout for new ideas and excellent traditional designs to feature on floral design's pages.
Her recent design discoveries as she travelled through Singapore, France, USA and England inspire readers on the magazine's pages.

Tricia has also taught design for Polytechnic art students and has a design certificate based on textile design. This knowledge she brings into her designs and she likes to often extend the boundaries of floral art into the art word, and stretch the accepted design principles.

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Singapore is the island of orchids and magnificent palm leaves just begging to become floral art masterpieces. As New Zealanders we can't bring plant material or seeds back into our country, so all we can bring are pictures and inspiration. This piece was spotted in a Singapore cafe in January 2002 and is a very modern sculptural design. Try it as is, or use it to inspire you to try the idea with other plant material.


The design, all artificial.

The top of the bamboo		 Bamboo in a box- modern sculpture.
The entire arrangement was made with artificial materials including the bamboo. All the bamboo pieces were absolutely straight, until the cafe owner touched it as she was showing me how it was assembled. Then she couldn't get it straight again! Oops!!
To try this design you will first need to contruct a light, shallow box and paint it black. This was then mounted on the wall before the design was completed inside it.

The bottom of the box  had about 3" of sawdust piled into it and the bamboo was sat up in this to hold it in place. This was obviously not very stable as it moved so easily! It would be better to hotglue the bamboo into place.
Then mondo grass was pushed into the sawdust, a string of green berries  were put into the hollow tops of the bamboo and the design was done!
the bottom 
Back in New Zealand it was too hot to convince Mike to chop down some bamboo so I had to adapt the idea. Six weeks away meant the garden was a jungle and so I really should have been weeding, but I much preferred thinking about doing a design. 
I started by chopping back the hydrangea that had almost concealed the front door. Mike thought I was gardening as he was deep into washing the dinner dishes but I was actually gathering plant material for my design!
My personality is not as formal and disciplined as the Singaporean design required so I just had to give it a bit more rhythm, provide a few more places for the eyes to wander, although staying within the sculptural forms it used.

If you like soft, gentle symmetrical 
design styles this arrangement 
would drive you nuts!
At least you have reacted to it 
and that is what art is all about
Have a go using straight stems instead!		 The entire design is made with fresh Hydrangea parts and with a colour scheme that is all green the different textures and colour variation gives it interest. 

The bottom pieces are all controlled and perfectly placed with smaller leaves covering the container, rolled leaves with the back and ribs showing above that, and then the bigger upstanding leaves between the stalks. 

Then I went a bit mad! I stripped the stalks of the leaves and lay them out in a rhythmical way I liked. I cut each stalk to the length I wanted and in they went to the floral foam.I love the knobbly bits where the leaves were growing, the speckled brown  colour  and the wayward curves.
It is a cool fresh design perfect for a hot summer day,  suggesting a cool breeze moving through reeds by the waters edge.

Start with two baking dishes, with a strip of wet floral foam down the middle, and the dishes then filled with water 		  
Stripped stems sorted into the  rhythm I liked and the lengths that seemed right for the space I was going to put the design in. 

Push the stems into the floral foam, not all in a parallel row, but some slightly back to give the design more depth.
Adding the leaves upright around the stems and flat over the container back and front.

Rolled leaves with back to the outside go in next above the leaves
It is done!
Mike has finished the dishes and he likes it!
a Singapore's gardens, roadsides, motorways and  hotel entrances are all full of the most wonderful foliage plants. These two books will help you find this foliage, and the flowers too, that you may be able to grow in the warmest part of your garden, or indoors.
Click on the book cover for information reviews and to purchase online.