Floral design and text by Frank Feysa, AIFD, CFD, PFCI | Smithers-Oasis
Photos by Sara Candle
Pairing OASIS® Floral Netting with an OASIS® Wedding Belle® Bouquet Holder produces a sturdy mechanic for larger bouquets and lets designers drape heavier materials securely into the design. Little material and little time go into the structure. Designers can build these bouquet backings ahead of an order: soak the holder, then store it in the cooler, even with fresh stems already added as the handle.
Assembling the Backing
Step 1
Trim a piece of OASIS™ Floral Netting to roughly 8 inches by 12 inches.
Step 2
Set the OASIS® Wedding Belle Holder in the middle of the netting.
Step 3
Bring the two longer sides of the netting up around the holder, overlap them, and fasten them firmly to the Wedding Belle cage with zip ties.
Step 4
Press the two narrow sides of the netting flat and zip-tie them tightly. Keep the space between the layers open so there is depth next to the holder, and tuck any sharp netting edges inward so no pointed wire is exposed.
Design Tip: The netting works well as a mechanic when weaving larger stems or branches into the holder. OASIS® Bind Wire can also secure long trailing stems or branches to the netting.
Step 5
Pick realistic permanent botanical leaves, such as ones resembling the leaves at the bottom of Hydrangea stems. Start at the outer edges of the netting (the back of the holder) and work toward the handle, gluing the leaves on with liquid floral adhesive. Build a circular collar around the outer edges of the wire, then glue a second ring of leaves closer to the handle. The aim is to hide all the wire on the back of the bouquet. Let it dry completely. When it is time to design, place fresh flowers and foliage as desired in the pre-soaked holder.
Design Tip: This holder, with fresh stems attached (see: “Elevate Your Final Design”), can be kept in a plastic bag in the cooler for a couple of weeks before the flowers and foliage go in.
Elevate Your Final Design
To get a natural hand-tied look, gather some fresh flower stems and attach them around the Wedding Belle handle with OASIS® UGLU™ Adhesive Strips. Then wrap OASIS® Waterproof Tape near the top of the stems to make a band roughly 2 to 3 inches wide. That wrap binds the stems securely and leaves a clean base to finish with ribbon, OASIS™ Bind Wire or OASIS™ Rustic Wire, depending on the bouquet style you want.
This type of backing also helps presentation: the bouquet sits beautifully on a tabletop. The exposed natural stems mimic a hand-tied bouquet, and the integrated water source helps keep the flowers fresh longer.
Materials List
BOTANICALS
Rosa spp. (spray rose), orange, white
Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s lace, wild carrot)
Phlox paniculata and spp. (garden Phlox, tall garden Phlox, fall Phlox), white
Hydrangea paniculata (panicle Hydrangea), mini green
Gaulteria shallon (salal, lemon leaf)
Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo, sacred bamboo)
Jasminum officinale (common jasmine, poet’s jasmine)
Asparagus setaceus/A. plumosus (plumosa fern, lace fern, Asparagus fern)
HARD GOODS
OASIS® Wedding Belle® Holder
OASIS™ Florist Netting
Zip ties, 4-inch, 8
Permanent botanical leaves, 10
OASIS® Floral Adhesive
