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We love fresh flowers, but sometimes the blooms our clients are dreaming of are just not available during the date of their event. Permanent botanicals make the perfect substitute, and are crafted to look just like the real thing.
Caitlin MacLean, Florists Supply Design Consultant, shares how she mixes permanent and fresh flowers to create this beautiful burgundy bridal bouquet.
Recipe
Ribbon
Ivory Double Face Satin Ribbon 71-UDF58IV-IV
Permanent botanicals
Burgundy/Green Peperomia Caperata Hanging Bush 28-0S32438-BU-GR
Burgundy Smoke Bush Spray 28-0PSC145-BU
Burgundy Ranunculus Bush 27-0FBR549-BU
Burgundy Dahlia/Mum Stem 29-0S32724-BU
Burgundy Helleborus Spray 29-0FSH321-BU
Burgundy Euonymus Bundle 28-0S32581-BU
Plum Nigella/Cosmo Spray 29-0276623-PU
Fresh flowers
Seeded eucalyptus, sterling range, stock, spray mums, ranunculus, and roses
Permanent Botanicals
1) Prep the stems of the permanent botanicals the same way you would fresh flowers. Strip all the “greens”, and cut stems to desired length. If you end up with shorter stems, you can wire and tape them to create a longer stem.
2) Use fresh flowers to create the focal point of your bouquet. Clients are often hesitant to use permanent flowers as they’d prefer to see fresh flowers first when looking down at their bouquet. This helps avoid that.
3) Create your desired bouquet shape using permanent botanicals This then acts as a grid for the remainder of your fresh product.
4) Add more fresh as you’d like. Using a final collar of fresh greens will help create the appearance of an entirely fresh bouquet.
5) One of the benefits of using permanent botanicals is that if a bloom doesn’t look quite right, you can simply bend it into the shape you prefer. Once you’re happy with the final shape, tie it off with a ribbon.
Voila! A beautiful burgundy bouquet using fresh flowers and permanent botanicals. Want more fusion floral arrangement tips?
Find out how to design a permanent botanical and fresh flower centerpiece.