tutorial > flowers, fruit + foliage

Over the past months, the vine crew has rocked out a whirlwind of weddings, landscape projects, plantings, workshops- and everything in-between- and we're all enjoying a calmer pace for the dog days of summer. From Florida to France, Washington to Wisconsin, the vine girls are traveling to enjoy a little R&R with our families and friends. We'll be updating the blog with our adventures and inspiration from the beautiful places we visit.

Handpicked from my family's midwestern farmhouse, the amazing crop of dahlias that are just starting to open were begging to be shown off- and this tutorial was the perfect excuse! Its easy to recreate this loose, lush composition with a mix of garden clippings and blooming wildflowers commonly found in your own backyard.

h o w - t o :  fruit + foliage composition // farmhouse florals

s t e p  o n e : prep your container

Although a bit old-fashioned, this array of tools worked perfectly for this wild, handpicked style of arranging. I dug around in our garden shed and came across a vintage floral "frog", which was placed at the base of the container. I also cut a small piece of chicken wire, which I loosely folded inside the urn. This helps to keep your stems in place. I chose a wooden urn- shaped vessel, which I lined in plastic to prevent leakage.

s t e p  t w o : select your floral palette

I foraged the garden for berry- hued blossoms, which included dahlias, snapdragons, echinacea, bee balm, as well as touches of wild Queen Anne's lace, goldenrod, and daisies. For texture, I also gathered dill, mulberry + blackberry branches, and some grassy fronds from wild asparagus.

Branches heavy with mulberries, picked straight from the tree.

s t e p  t h r e e : create your base

I started with the foliage, placing the branches in an asymmetrical fan shape to serve as a backdrop for the rest of the arrangement. The asparagus was very lightweight, almost like a vine or fern, so I placed it so it could spill over the edge of the container, creating a sense of trailing movement. 

s t e p  f o u r : place your flowers

To fill space, I added a few hydrangea heads to help support the heavy-headed dahlia blooms.

I started with the dahlias, then filled in with snaps and coneflower, placing them at jaunty angles to create that easy, hand-gathered look. Daisies, blackberries, and goldenrod filled in the edges for a punch of color and texture.

Tall stems of Dill and Queen Anne's lace were added for height.

Lovely! Enjoy!