Thanksgiving dinners require a WOW centerpiece to accompany the cornucopia of food. I recently attended a floral design class with Jane Godshalk at Longwood Gardens and created a centerpiece that was a fitting accent on the table. Short enough to talk and interesting and creative enough to adorn any dining table, I learned some new techniques for creating a stunning centerpiece.
Sustainable Base-Agra Wool
The base is very important in your design and the traditional green oasis is getting a bad reputation among floral designers as it is not a sustainable option because it does not decompose. Agra wool is a compressed rock wool product that you can reuse several times and when you are done, it will decompose. I was curious to see how this new oasis substitute would work. Another option for a sustainable base would be chicken wire covering moss, but that can be difficult to work with.
To set up the base, two blocks of agra wool are attached with tape and plastic pins to the base. Water is added to the blocks to keep everything hydrated and additional water is needed as it evaporates. Then I started greening the base with fresh cedar and pittosporum.
pumpkin accents
The base was quickly greened and the more interesting work of placing the pumpkins began. Pumpkins and small gourds have very tough skin, so you need to pierce them with a sharp punch or use a drill. I used bamboo chopsticks dipped in clove oil (to slow decay) and inserted two into each pumpkin so they would stay firmly in place and not move. Trying different color variations with the pumpkins is part of the design process and putting them together so they “flow” through the arrangement.
The icing on the cake: flowers
The pumpkins and greens made this a great centerpiece without any additions, but the flowers took it to the next level. Buttercups, blue speedwell, chrysanthemums, dried wheat and chocolate cosmos were added using floral water tubes as agra wool is difficult to pierce with soft flower stems. The addition of flowers made this a “garden style” arrangement that could be the star of any Thanksgiving table.
I highly recommend any of Longwood’s floral design classes as, although I am an experienced floral designer, I learned many tips. Afterwards, I got to see the Longwood Garden Christmas decorations! For tickets, go to Longwood Gardens.
This arrangement will last for weeks with additional water and you can easily swap out the finished flowers for new ones. For Christmas, you can swap out the pumpkins for pomegranates and apples, and add red roses, white lilies, and white ranunculus to create a festive Christmas centerpiece.
