Cabbage and Hydrangea Arrangement

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Cabbage and Hydrangea Arrangement

What you need:

  • 1 purple cabbage
  • 1-2 white Hydrangea blooms
  • 4 stems Queen Anne Lace
  • 2 Lemon leaf stems
  • 6 miniature purple eggplants 
  • 4 miniature variegated eggplants
  • 1 bunch mixed flowers with white daises, yellow daises, purple cosmos, half a dozen yellow Gerber daises, purple status, and filler
  • 3 small Chinese cabbage
  • 1 piece wet pack floral foam
  • 13 six inch floral picks

Tools you will use:

  • pruning sheers
  • wire cutters
  • produce knife
  • spool of 26 gauge floral wire
  • dark green floral tape
  • large serrated knife
  • a salad sized plate to set the arrangement on
  • a cutting board

Steps: 8

Rated: Moderate Arrangement

 

Are you having a garden party or a fall harvest festival?  This is the perfect center piece for a main table for such an event.  It is colorful, unique and combines vegetables and flowers in a festive display.

You can find a regular purple cabbage and small Chinese cabbages from a grocery store.  You might have to go to a grocery store that carries a wide variety of produce for the miniature eggplants.  The flowers used were from a fall bouquet.  You might be able to find all of the flowers you need in one bouquet, or you may have to buy a bouquet and supplement with others.  I used one white hydrangea in the front.  It would have been nice to have 2 or 3 so you could anchor one in the back. 

If you look at the finished arrangement and analyze the lines in it, you will notice that it has a sphere at the bottom (the cabbage) with a triangular shape on top(the flowers) and the ends of the triangle extend down on each side.  You will be wiring the Lemon leaf so that they will make a graceful arc downward on each side.  This arrangement has a distinct front, back, and two sides.  You should place your flowers so that each side looks balanced and full when you are finished.  In that way, it is like a sculpture.

This is a relatively easy arrangement to make.  The difficulty lies in cutting the rectangle to fit the shape of your floral foam and removing the cabbage without cutting the sides off or cutting all the way through the bottom of the cabbage.  Cutting the lines of the rectangle through the center of the cabbage and hollowing out the rectangle will require some muscle power, and also control, so that you don't slice the knife through the edge of the cabbage!  Well, make you shopping trip, gather your tools, and lets begin making this garden centerpiece adventure.

Here we have everything assembled that you will use. &nbsp;Make sure to use a cutting board! &nbsp;You don't want &nbsp;a nice new purple color on your table now do you dear.

Here we have everything assembled that you will use.  Make sure to use a cutting board!  You don't want  a nice new purple color on your table now do you dear.

Slice a small sliver off the bottom of the cabbage so it will rest perfectly flat on a plate.

Slice a small sliver off the bottom of the cabbage so it will rest perfectly flat on a plate.

Hold end of foam on top of the cabbage and mark its edges with a produce knife.

Hold end of foam on top of the cabbage and mark its edges with a produce knife.

Like so.

Like so.

Soak your floral foam, making sure it is entirely submerged.

Soak your floral foam, making sure it is entirely submerged.

It wants to pop its head out of the water, so you will need to weight it down to soak it.

It wants to pop its head out of the water, so you will need to weight it down to soak it.

With a serrated blade, cut straight down, but don't cut through the bottom.&nbsp;

With a serrated blade, cut straight down, but don't cut through the bottom. 

Go slow and make sure you hands aren't in the way.&nbsp;Cut &nbsp;and twist. Remove pieces.

Go slow and make sure you hands aren't in the way. Cut  and twist. Remove pieces.

Voila! &nbsp;The inside is ready. &nbsp;The sides are pretty straight and the bottom's still there!

Voila!  The inside is ready.  The sides are pretty straight and the bottom's still there!

You may have to taper the sides of the foam down with the produce knife like this.

You may have to taper the sides of the foam down with the produce knife like this.

Push the wet pack down into the cabbage as far as it will go.

Push the wet pack down into the cabbage as far as it will go.

Cut the excess off, following the contours of the cabbage.

Cut the excess off, following the contours of the cabbage.

It should look like this.

It should look like this.

Cut &nbsp;the Hydrangea about 6.25 inches long. &nbsp;Insert on an about a &nbsp;30 degree angle in front.

Cut  the Hydrangea about 6.25 inches long.  Insert on an about a  30 degree angle in front.

You can cut pieces off the stems of the Queen Anne Lace. &nbsp;They should be 5 inches to about 6.25 inches.

You can cut pieces off the stems of the Queen Anne Lace.  They should be 5 inches to about 6.25 inches.

Insert the Queen Anne Lace at an angle to the right to counter balance the hydrangea.

Insert the Queen Anne Lace at an angle to the right to counter balance the hydrangea.

&nbsp;Cut (2) 10 inch pieces Lemon Leaf. &nbsp;Wire them &amp;&nbsp;bend them down a little.

 Cut (2) 10 inch pieces Lemon Leaf.  Wire them & bend them down a little.

But don't break them silly. &nbsp;We want them to arc downward in the arrangement.

But don't break them silly.  We want them to arc downward in the arrangement.

Insert on each side angling downward.

Insert on each side angling downward.

On the right, add 3 daisies cut at 8 inches, and then 2 in the front cut at 5 inches.

On the right, add 3 daisies cut at 8 inches, and then 2 in the front cut at 5 inches.

Cut (8) daisies at 5 - 8 inches. &nbsp;Put in back. &nbsp;Cut purple status into 7.5 - 8 inches. &nbsp;Place in the middle of the arrangement.

Cut (8) daisies at 5 - 8 inches.  Put in back.  Cut purple status into 7.5 - 8 inches.  Place in the middle of the arrangement.

Put blunt edge of picks into Chinese Cabbage like so.

Put blunt edge of picks into Chinese Cabbage like so.

Place largest Chinese Cabbage in front on right.

Place largest Chinese Cabbage in front on right.

Place 2 Chinese Cabbage in back on right, to counterbalance Queen Anne Lace.

Place 2 Chinese Cabbage in back on right, to counterbalance Queen Anne Lace.

Wire pick onto stem on miniature eggplant.

Wire pick onto stem on miniature eggplant.

Then wrap with florist tape, like this.

Then wrap with florist tape, like this.

Insert pick into variegated miniature eggplant and wire around stem.

Insert pick into variegated miniature eggplant and wire around stem.

Wrap florist tape around the stem and pick.

Wrap florist tape around the stem and pick.

Add picks in the front and back. &nbsp;Add yellow Gerbers, purple Cosmos, and yellow Daisies.

Add picks in the front and back.  Add yellow Gerbers, purple Cosmos, and yellow Daisies.

Put some of the yellow Gerbers and purple Cosmos down the center line of the arrangement. &nbsp;The side should look like this.

Put some of the yellow Gerbers and purple Cosmos down the center line of the arrangement.  The side should look like this.

Insert the filler flower down the center line too. &nbsp;This is how the other side should look.

Insert the filler flower down the center line too.  This is how the other side should look.

And here is the back. &nbsp;Don't forget to display this arrangement on a decorative plate. &nbsp;Glass works well. &nbsp;Have fun with this one.

And here is the back.  Don't forget to display this arrangement on a decorative plate.  Glass works well.  Have fun with this one.