Fresh Choices BY KATIE HENDRICK VINCENT


FEAST FOR THE SENSES > In the “Big Flower Fight,” an international design competition that launched late spring on Netflix (see Industry News, p. 38), 10 teams of two faced off in a series of challenges constructing massive sculptures made of grasses, plants, fruits, vegetables, salvaged metal pieces and, yes, flowers. “It was definitely a big departure from our comfort zone,” said contestant Sarah Campbell, owner of Maryland-based Intrigue Designs & Decor, who partnered with her communications manager, Jordan Marx. “I had never worked with a lot of these materials and had to learn, on the spot, in a high-pressure situation.” Among their creations: a ring-tailed lemur (“Huge Hairy Beasts,” Episode 3) fashioned out of ophiopogon, Festuca glauca and Festuca gautieri grasses, and a fiery volcano honoring the Hawaiian goddess Pele (“Giant Edible Thrones,” Episode 4), in which the women “painted” a backdrop with a turmeric-based paste and adorned it with foods such as chile peppers, coconuts


and pineapples. The experience, Campbell said, has inspired her to incorporate some of these unexpected elements into future work for her clients. While large-scale installations might not be on the


docket until people resume hosting big weddings and events, you can steal ideas from the show to shake up your everyday designs. “Mixing fruits, veggies, herbs or plant materials with fresh flowers is a great way to add interesting color, texture and form,” said Sharon McGukin, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, design director for Smithers-Oasis and an instructor for the Floriology Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. Reluctant to embrace edible products for fear of ethylene damage to flowers? That’s more apt to happen in closed, tight quarters (i.e., your cooler), she explained. “When an arrangement is designed or displayed in an open room, the ratio of ethylene to fresh air goes down drastically,” McGukin said. “This makes it safe to mix the natural elements in your design.”


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FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2020 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


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