Back to Basics

Always in demand, our expert flower designers Florence Leyssène, Fran Ackerly, and Barbara Baletti once again led our provisionals and novices through the basics of flower design in a workshop on Thursday, October 15.

One of the best things about our club is our monthly competitions which allow us to hone our skills for our breathtaking flower shows. What our teachers did on Thursday was to explain not only what the National Garden Club judges are looking for, as well as practical information on what kind of tools to use, but they also communicated their joy in the sheer process of creating designs.

They focused on Traditional American design, bringing their own designs to critique and deconstruct, since those are on the schedule for the upcoming October competition for provisionals and novices. They talked about height, width, pots, Oasis, and more abstract concepts such as space and grace. "Let a butterly move through your design," said Florence, and "Have fun!" said all three.

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