LYONS – Fresh cut flower arrangements that have the look of wildflowers or garden flowers have been popular for decades. These kinds of flowers have universal appeal.

We seem to enjoy the unfettered spontaneity and the casual appearance of such floral designs, reminding us of a walk in the woods or a stroll through the garden, whether or not the flowers really are wild or gathered from a perennial border. But cutting wildflowers isn’t always practical or even permissible, and not everyone has access to a garden full of lovely blossoms just waiting to be picked. Fortunately, your professional florist has the skills and the materials necessary to create an arrangement, which evokes the feeling of a meadow lush with wildflowers or the nostalgia of Grandma’s colorful flowerbeds.

While the flowers found in a typical flower shop aren’t truly cut from the wild, there are many floral materials available which can give the impression that they are. A wildflower design will usually be composed of delicate-appearing blossoms that are often relatively small in size or delicate in texture. Such flowers as alstroemeria, freesia, yarrow, or crocosmia might be incorporated. The slender, curving stems and frilly petals of flowers like scabiosa or lisianthus can enhance the mood of the arrangement. Small-scale line flowers, such as veronica, lysimachia, or even certain grasses mix well with the others. Filler flowers like Queen Anne’s lace, Monte Casino asters, or Misty Blue limonium add depth and texture. For foliages, choose willowy fronds of asparagus “ferns” (they aren’t truly ferns), wispy blades of bear grass or branching twigs of huckleberry. Visit the Society of American Florists website to see pictures of some of these wildflowers.

Jeralyn Edwards-Berner has been a master floral designer for 32 years. She owns Living Arts Floral Designs, at 431 Main St., the home of the Fairy Gardens. Previously she owned Bloemenhaus Florists in Boulder. She is an accredited instructor and teaches floral design and floral design history for Living Arts and for Front Range Community College in Westminster. She studied European design with Dutch master designer Dries Alberts. She lives in Lyons with her husband and 15-year-old daughter.

Back to Top