When it comes to flower arrangements, do you know your table centres from your pedestals?
When it comes to flower arrangements, do you know your table centres from your pedestals? Knowing where to start with event floristry can be a minefield but ensuring you’ve got the right arrangements for the right occasion and venue can be key to a successful event. Luckily our expert florists and project managers do know their pedestals from their table centres. I spoke to Senior Project Manager for Corporate and Private Events Penny Lindeque who talked me through the key flower arrangements you need to know when planning an event.
We use this to create a lovely wild garden design, like a meadow. We use a long, narrow tray so we can then bring in lots of texture with the flowers, as well as bringing in different levels using varying heights. For this type of flower arrangement, we would use lots of classic English woodland flowers like Fox Gloves and Delphiniums to bring in height then fill it out with lower ground coverage using foliage and smaller wild flowers.
If you’re having a sit-down dinner then table centres will be key to your floral plan for your event. At Lavender Green Flowers we do a mix of high designs and low ones, we might create one bold table centre with large, impactful flowers, or design a little cluster of smaller ones to create a very different look. While, if you’re planning on using long tables you might like to have a mix of high and low table centres.
Traditionally hand-tied bouquets are associated with weddings, but we do use them events quite frequently too. Hand-tied bouquets work brilliantly on poser tables and they are a more sustainable option. Because the flowers are tied together, we don’t need to use an oasis to hold the flowers in place (even though we always use sustainable oasis at Lavender Green Flowers). It also means that our events’ clients can take the flowers home with them or give them to their guests. We will arrange hand-tied flower arrangements in a ceramic vase or leaf-lined and – when possible – sit them in water. (Not all venues allow flower arrangements to be in water in case of spillages).
A nosegay, is a little hand-tied selection of flowers that you might place on a napkin at sit-down events. You can layer different scents together to complement the food you’re eating or to create a particular atmosphere. We often put the likes of rosemary and lavender in our nosegays but smaller flowers and grasses also work well.
Pedestals are used at most events as they’re such a flexible way of displaying flowers. You could have a freestanding design on a plinth with a large urn filled with tall spiking flowers and a collar of hydrangeas. The trend for pedestal floral arrangements at the moment is big and green. People want to be more sustainable so we’re using lots of natural foliage, tree cuttings and birch branches. We do try to encourage a bit of colour too as these particular arrangements lend themselves well to bold and bright blooms. Pedestals don’t always have to have vases on them, we also use trays to create the wild meadow look so the flowers look like they’re growing out of the pedestals. For something less traditional bowls can work nicely too.
Garlands can be used in so many ways. We do quite a lot on staircases and wrapping garlands of flowers around balustrades. Garlands also make a real impact hanging them from ceilings to create a curtain area down the centre of tables or wrapped around pillars and columns. Usually we’d use a lot of foliage to create a garland but the most amazing ones would be created out of a great mass of flowers, it couldn’t get better than lots of spring flowers; sweet peas and poppies. You can do so much floral garlands – have them tight, structured and traditional or create a fantastic wild garden look do something more modern.
Toparies are well-suited to sporting events such as Wimbledon or Royal Ascot . We tend to use a mix of topiaries and potted trees, depending on the event and venue. Both are useful as dividers if you are renting a big venue and need to split up the space.
We obviously make a lot of wreathes around during Christmas and Easter. The design of wreaths has evolved a lot recently. We are finding that clients prefer natural designs, using the likes of succulent air plants and greenery, rather than a lot of ribbon and gold. We create a mix of small and very large wreathes, for doors and hanging, as well as placed on tables.
Lavender Green Flowers is renowned as one of London’s finest florists, with over 28 years’ experience producing flowers for the country’s top galleries, museums and historic houses. From weddings and receptions to private parties and corporate events, thoughtfully crafted arrangements and installations take inspiration from the latest trends in floristry, fashion and art.
To make an enquiry, call 020 7127 5303, email [email protected] or visit the Chelsea flower shop at 46 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HH
This role is an integral role for the events team, which includes working collaboratively to ensure that the proposals and events that Lavender Green provide continue to be market leading with creativity at the core. This role will work within the events and sales team interpreting an initial client brief through to mood board and…
This role is an integral role for the events team, which includes working collaboratively to ensure that the proposals and events that Lavender Green provide continue to be market leading with creativity at the core. This role will work within the events and sales team interpreting an initial client brief through to mood board and…
FOR THE LOVE OF FLOWERS 22nd – 26th May 2023239 Kings Road, London SW3 5EJ . For five days only, Lavender Green Flowers in Chelsea will be transformed into an immersive, multi-sensory floral wonderland, presenting a visitors’ experience like no other for Londoners and tourists alike. In celebration of the start of the great British…
