August Floral: A Dramatic Design

The vibrant colors and rich textural qualities of late summer flowers are perfect for transitional arrangements especially those that lead the way into fall.  Warm autumn tones like orange and purple-pink bring to mind the upcoming season as summer fades away...

This design was created with late hydrangeas from our garden framed by pink and white lisianthus, purple-pink peruvian lily and bright yellow-orange freesia.  The freesia has a heavenly sweet scent...

Pink hydrangeas that once covered the fence in early summer are now turning an olive color and will soon fade to a lighter green.  I included a few blooms in this arrangement to offset the dark plum color of the cylinder vase recently found at a floral shop.  Its deep purple hue and modern style make it very versatile especially during the autumn months.

This is an easy design to create because it has only four floral varieties and no additional foliage.  The key is to keep the overall arrangement in proportion with the container.  Place the largest blooms first, in this case the hydrangeas, and then use the remaining flowers as filler.  The grassy, wild sprigs of lisianthus add height to balance the tall vase while providing movement to keep the arrangement from appearing too structured.

Although I displayed this piece in our home near the embossed metal wall art shown, the dramatic color combination and streamlined vase give it a modern quality that would also complement contemporary or transitional home decor.  It may be recreated with similar flowers and a cylinder vase.  With fresh water added regularly, ours lasted long over a week.