Late August welcomes lots of hearty floral in the garden. Ornamental kale, sunflowers and dahlia are in full bloom as we enter September in Michigan. These showstopping, overscale flowers provide the perfect amount of warmth in arrangements and truly welcome the beginning of fall. Our lead floral designer, Mallory, shows us how to build a transitional garden arrangement with a color palette of deep purples, muted greens, and pops of yellow—perfect for the changing seasons.
Prep Your Space, Gather Your Tools
After deciding on your color palette, pick a vessel that is big enough for your desired arrangement. We chose a fun glass vessel with an olive-colored accent to liven up the piece. Next, chose the greens that will be the base of your arrangement. For this specific piece, we decided on Cotinus or smoke bush. This uncommon accent green has bicolor ovular leaves that add a rich and glamorous contrast to arrangements. Cut your greens on an angle, and clean your stems so that the leaves don’t touch the water. Add them to your vessel in a cross pattern to create a nice base.
Designing with Kale
Considering the seasonality, we have included kale in our floral design. Ornamental kale is such a fun accent to use in early fall arrangements. This lacey, feathered organic kale adds the perfect amount of whimsy. Their stems are hearty and require sharp floral shears to ensure a clean cut. Also note, this kale is grown specifically for ornamental purposes and should not be consumed.
Toffee roses grown in Ecuador make a great accent to the overall piece. They create warmth and add depth with their tan colored hue. Its muted tone makes it such an elegant, standout rose.
Michigan-grown sunflowers with their brown centers bring true happiness to this piece. Their earthy heartiness draw your eye in and creates a sense of warmth. Their scale adds deep dimension to our organic arrangement. When in season, sunflowers are amazing florals to design with.
Michigan-grown dahlias bring the fun punch of color to this piece. In shades of pinks and purples, these fun flowers with sleek stems are packed with petals. Together, the overall palette is warm and delightful with the right amount of earthiness.
When designing by season, look to see what’s being locally grown for that specific time. Your local florists’ coolers, farmer’s markets, and grocery stores are packed with seasonal floral. When choosing a desired look, don’t be afraid to mix in complementary colors for a welcoming fall arrangement. Keep your design fresh by regularly changing the water, and retrimming your stems. Using your design eye, you’ll be able to create a piece that not only features local floral, but is sure to make you smile!
