Gregor Lersch at ISFA '13

Another excellent Illinois State Florists Association Spring Conference! The ISFA board does an amazing job bringing in world class design educators, vendors, provides scholarships and generally strives to keep the floral industry vibrant and forward thinking, not to mention showing us all a great time - thank you guys! This year I had the amazing opportunity to assist German designer Gregor Lersch (a big deal for a flower nerd like me!) When Gregor wasn't being completely charming (which was always,) craftsmanship was the name of the game. There were no pre-existing containers, everything was handmade, including that basket and stand in the first photo - wire wizardry. In the second image I am weaving curly willow through a wire armature created on a stand made from fencepost and rebar. The willow served as not only a device to attach water tubes for the gloriosa lilies and lily grass ( finished design 3rd image) but also as a visual counterbalance to the fencepost. The last image is a piece of fencepost attached horizontally to a rebar stand wound with ficus roots (lovely,) gloriosa lilies, senecio (string of pearls plant) and green trick. Just 2 of many amazing pieces - more later. Ciao!

Silk Bouquets

Outside of holiday work permanent botanicals have not been something I spend enough time showing here on florissimo. Time to change that.
Silk and dried flowers of course have their place in interior decorating but are generally only thought of in bridal work only in relation to being more cost effective. Unless you are buying low end silk blooms prices are very comparable. In my opinion permanent elements must be chosen even more carefully than their fresh counterparts, in wedding photography there will be close up shots of the flowers and inferior quality blooms just don't show well.
  Top - A cascade bouquet of; roses, ranunculus, mini hydrangea, maidenhair fern, hops and pearl strands. In the modern cascade movement is key.
Middle - A clutch of peach roses, spray roses, ranunculus and seashells (photo by Rachel Bader.)
Bottom - A lily-of-the-valley bouquet.
  There's nothing wrong with wanting to have and hold your bouquet forever, I just suggest going to your design professional first.

Emily Shackelford

Here we have the wonderful Emily Shackelford. She's carrying white polar star roses and picasso calla lilies. Her girls are carrying polar star roses, purple lisianthus and lavender ocean song roses. A picasso calla with ruscus and wire make a sleek boutonniere. Photos by Travis Duncan.

florissimo butterflies

A few summer garden butterfly images from '12 to combat the deep freeze blues; sulphur on phlox, great spangled fritillary on alium, monarch on zinnia and a beautiful buckeye.