I got an "F" in flower arranging

This past Friday, my Master Gardener friend, Brandon, gave our MG group an impromptu lesson in flower arranging using random items we brought from our gardens.  This is an artistic endeavor that leaves me completely baffled.  I find it almost impossible to walk out into my garden with a vision of how to bring elements from the garden indoors to decorate my home.

Brandon may not have intended to teach me how create arrangements using alliteration on the letter "F" but that is how it resonated with me. 

Framework:  Decide on the shape of the arrangement.  Use sticks or large greenery to create the overall shape and size.   In class,  we used a jar brought in by my friend, Karen, that she stuffed with wet florist foam.  We created a large, one-sided triangular shape using sticks from her sweet gum tree and some eucalyptus from my garden.

Focal pieces:  Choose a few things to be the eye-catchers in the arrangement.  An odd number is good but we actually used four dried hydrangea blooms and grouped them together to create one large focal point.

Filler:  Then, fill in the empty gaps in the arrangement using greenery, with the purpose of adding complementary color and texture.  We used seed heads from several perennials in my gardens.

When we were finished, we had a gorgeous fall arrangement blending shades of green and brown.  Karen added a large, black Halloween spider just to add an element of fun. 

I'm ready to start bringing more of my gardens indoors.  Learning how to do it was fabulous fun!