GREENVILLE — The Darke County Association of Garden Clubs presented Garden Highlights at the 163rd Great Darke County Fair on Sunday. It featured four guest speakers to help those who may be interested in entering the flower show in the future. The presentations included a how-to on designs, tips on exhibits, and edible animal displays.
Ladybug Garden Club Vice President Irma Heiser, a member for about 20 years, began the highlight with a how-to presentation on artistic and traditional designs.
A traditional design typically includes a vase with one opening at the top, with the flowers placed in the vase with an Oasis, explained Heiser. An Oasis is a foam that can be cut to size and presoaked in water before placing it in a vase. It not only provides support for the floral arrangement but prolongs the life of the flowers.
Heiser showed how the Oasis sits above the lip of the vase. At least an inch and a half to almost two inches. The Oasis is hidden with greenery through a process called “greening in.” This process conceals the Oasis from view with greenery available at a wide assortment of locations from grocery stores to craft stores.
The arrangement overall, said Heiser, is one and a half to two times the height of the vase.
When it came to flowers for the presentation, Heiser chose a blue delphinium to match the color of her vase. She explained at least one flower should match the container, whether it is solid or multi-colored, followed by a complimentary color. In this case, she chose an orange lily.
All the flowers placed in a traditional design arrangement are in uneven numbers, and when it comes to traditional design, Heiser recommends taking out the stamens.
“Because they’re messy, and they look bad on the petals” explained Heiser, however, when showing in horticulture one does not remove the stamens, only in artistic designs.
When it comes to creative designs, Heiser explained how the containers generally have more than one opening. She had a unique combination of two ceramic vases designed by a couple from Yellow Springs. The dual vase had multiple openings and was made specific for artistic design. She briefly displayed a metal vase that came with a magnetized attachment to provide extra openings and design options.
“When you are making a creative design, you usually have one type of line material, one type of flower, and one type of foliage,” continued Heiser.
Line material creates a focal point with minimalist floral and foliage. Heiser pointed out the various type of line material a designer can choose from including bamboo and driftwood. She used ferns and black Calla lilies in her artistic design with copper tubing as her line material.
Heiser recommends a design with depth and states uneven numbers do not apply in artistic design.
Be sure to see the various floral displays and designs in the basement of the coliseum.
See the next edition of the Daily Advocate for more coverage of the Garden Highlights presentation by the Darke County Association of Garden Clubs.
