The type of arrangement you choose will most likely be dictated by where the arrangement will be. For the holidays, arrangements generally fall into four categories: low profile, garlands, tall focal, and short focal.

Types of Arrangements

Low profile are perfect for centerpieces and are low to allow guests to talk to each other across the table. Depending on the table shape and length, they can be round or long. Candles and/or lanterns can also be incorporated into these types of arrangements.

Garlands are a great option if you have a very long table or are working within a budget. If you need most of your table space for dishes, you might want to choose a thinner garland that just adds a line of texture down the middle of your table. Garlands can be all or mostly greenery such as ruscus, eucalyptus, pine, or cedar. From there, you can add woodier herbs such as rosemary and thyme, pine cones, or flowers to pick up the colors in your room or add seasonal festivity.

A tall focal arrangement is perfect on a table in a large foyer to welcome guests or in the corner of the buffet table. You could go with appropriate holiday colors or choose a palette that compliments the home or room that the arrangement is in. These type of arrangements can be three-sided so the flat side backs up against a wall or all-the-way-around. The all-the-way-around variety, when tall enough, can be used as a centerpiece as it allows people to see under the arrangement while talking to other guests.

A small focal arrangement is a good choice for smaller entryways, a guest room, a powder room, or anywhere that you would like to add a pop of color and a festive spirit. These can also be used as centerpieces for smaller/round tables, or several can be used for longer tables.

Thanksgiving Flowers

I love Thanksgiving arrangements because of all the fun textural items that can be added. Mango calla lilies, red roses, orange gerbera daisies, bronze mums, and burgundy dahlias, bring gorgeous fall tones. Add a combination of cat tails, chocolate queen ann’s lace, wheat, dried lotus pods, hypericum berries, salidago, or bupleurum, and you have a unique arrangement from fall’s bounty.

Christmas Flowers

Of course red and green reign supreme in Christmas Arrangements, and mother nature has no shortage of offerings. Almost every flower comes in red such as roses, gerbera daisies, lilies, mums, and carnations. The winter season adds another layer of dark greenery that look and smell like Christmas–pine, cedar, spruce, fir, and juniper. Put these together in unique and whimsical ways. Maybe add beautiful white calla lilies for a more romantic contrast or sparkly ornaments and “ting ting” for playful festivity, and you’ve got a special arrangement to grace your home for the holiday!

Hanukkah Flowers

Mother nature doesn’t have a lot of flowers that are naturally blue, but what she does have are beautiful! Blue delphinium bring a bright royal blue that lends height and dimension to arrangements. Hydrangea come in dark and light blue hues, offer a lot of bang for the buck, and lend an elegant garden-style touch. Blue thistle is long lasting and adds fun texture, or you could try white anemones with their gorgeous blue centers. Whether you’re looking for a tall focal arrangement or a shorter centerpiece, there are plenty of holiday flowers to choose from!

Of course we are here to help! Just give us a call, and we’ll help you come up with the perfect holiday flowers!

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Slight of Hand

Our arrangements are stunning in person! Sometimes a photo does not do justice to our arrangements, which is why we have relied on stock photos. Recently we decided that the natural beauty of our arrangements is more important. The added bonus is that our photos don’t set unrealistic expectations. Seriously, count the stems in the vases of some of those stock photos compared to the flowers! Or those flowers at the top of the arrangement that don’t look like they’re attached to anything—a little like elongating Gigi Hadid’s hand.

Wonderful Idiosyncrasies

If you have ever tried to arrange flowers in a vase, you quickly realize that flowers are like people—they don’t always do what you want them to do. You might want that sunflower to face front, but it is going to curve right no matter what you do. A talented designer knows the quirks of each flower and has learned to work with their idiosyncrasies so that each arrangement is balanced and artistically beautiful. Our own photos represent the wonderful idiosyncrasies of flowers, not unreal photoshopped perfection. And isn’t that one of the reasons we love flowers?!

Updating Our Website

Not only are we replacing stock photos with our own photos, we’re also generalizing the descriptions. This way we can focus on the look and feel of an arrangement instead of specific flowers. Sometimes we aren’t able to source specific flowers, especially if they are out of season. Sometimes the flowers come in, but they’re not up to our standards of quality.

The “Frankie,” a lovely arrangement of hot pinks and greens, is a good example of the changes we’re making. The stock photo and original description contained hot pink peonies. Peonies are only in season for about 6 weeks in the spring so I would take the arrangement off the website by the middle of June. But that combination of vibrant colors is stunning, and we get other premium hot pink seasonal flowers throughout the year such as ranunculus, dahlias, and zinnias. Now the “Frankie” will be up all year round. These are the photos you will see on our website of variations we have done using peonies, ranunculus, zinnias, and cymbidium orchids. The arrangements all have the same look and feel, but the flowers differ in each arrangement.

Sustainability and Signature Designs

In our quest for sustainable practices, we source flowers from local regenerative flower farmers. As a result, we receive so many wonderful flowers that you will never see in stock photos. This is another reason we are transitioning to our own photos, and it is the reason we encourage our customers to choose our Signature Designer’s Choice. It allows our designers to use absolutely gorgeous flowers that you might not have heard of such as scabiosa, gomphrena, chocolate lace flower, monarda, or fuzzy teddy bear sunflowers! Most of our long-time customers love this option. As they say, “Work your magic! We love every arrangement we’ve received!” For those customers that really like to know the kind of arrangement they are ordering, we are happy to provide options, like the “Frankie,” for you!

As we update our website and transition to our own photos, we’d love your feedback!

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Every time I make an arrangement, I learn something new about the wide world of floral design. I often find that while I’m so focused on getting one thing right, another slips through my fingers! I’m grateful to have Trevor and Kristi here to help me see the full picture and encourage me to think about things in different ways. It also helps highlight different things, like shape and line, that I can talk about with customers when they order!

Sometimes, it’s difficult to remember that I’m just starting out. I’ll see an arrangement that Kristi or Trevor puts together and think “Wow, my arrangements don’t measure up at all!” But part of the joy of this new experience is the learning itself. It feels a lot like learning how to play an instrument. It’s impossible to be concert ready the first time you pick it up! The fundamentals, like where the notes are and how to make sound, come first. Then, once those become rote, you can move on to being musical. But you have to learn to play before you can learn to play well. 

Something else that I feel is lost in the day-to-day of adult life is the refreshing feeling of failure. I know that sounds a little strange, but hear me out! When we’re in school, mistakes feel like they’re the end of the world. A failing grade can set you back, and there’s immense pressure to do well. This environment leads to a fear of failure, and a drive not to learn for the sake of learning, but to learn for the sake of passing. We forget that sometimes, in order to appreciate the sky above us, we need to fall on our back to see it. I’ve come to treasure the mistakes I make at Fantasy Floral, because each one teaches me something new!

Even if you’re not particularly interested in floral design, continue learning to grow. I highly recommend trying something outside your wheelhouse for a bit. Learn an instrument! Pick up a language! Challenging yourself to do something you’re not used to will expand your horizons and make you into a more well-rounded person.

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Do they have any favorite flowers or colors? We’ll focus on those.

Are they more traditional or artistic? They’ll know the arrangement was made just for them!

Are there any flowers that we should not include? Some are allergic to lilies.

Some recent requests have allowed Trevor and Kristi to work their creative magic!

Can you create an arrangement that will remind her of this painting?

I think Trevor nailed it!

Her favorite colors are yellow and orange.

Kristi incorporated happy sunflowers and springtime’s gorgeous ranunculus.

She loves gerbera daisies and calla lilies!

Kristi used a lot of fun spring flowers including peach gerbera daisies and bright yellow calla lilies.

We’d like a modern arrangement to greet customers as they come into our business.

Ti leaves create interesting planes while safari sunset adds depth and height. And who wouldn’t love those fun yellow billy balls?

Just give us a call to order your own unique Designer’s Choice arrangement! Or you can order an arrangement online. Just use the “Order Notes” field on the checkout page to specify colors, flowers, and styles that you’d like us to incorporate. We look forward to working with you!

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Shape

Our first order had bicolor snapdragons in pink and coral. The snapdragons we get from our wholesalers are tall and very straight. These snapdragons dipped and curved. You could see their progress following the sun in each curve of their stems! The arrangement that our designer created took these dips and curves into account. Instead of being vertical, the design was more horizontal and asymmetrical. The addition of the whimsical billy balls perfectly compliment the asymmetry.

Varieties

As summer progresses, the flowers offered each week change. This week there are a lot of varieties of dahlias, zinnias, and celosia as they come into their own. Along with these familiar flowers are varieties of flowers and greens that I associate with our local woods and fields. Fern, chicory, and porcelain vine are all things I see when I run at Walney Pond. I found myself smiling at a childhood memory when I saw pokeberry on this week’s list. As a little girl, I used to forage in the woods near my house and come back loaded with “ingredients” to make “dinner.” Of course these dinners weren’t edible, but I had fun making them. Pokeberry was one of my favorite ingredients!

What Sets Us Apart

I love the artistry in our flower arrangements. You can find beautiful flower arrangements at your local grocery store, but you won’t find the floral works of art that Trevor and Kristi create. They are truly inspiring! We are so excited to be offering one more aspect that sets us apart from other florists. Our goal of incorporating greater sustainability practices led us to purchase from local flower farmers. To our delight, the unexpected bonus is that these local flowers lend a unique signature look. What a wonderful combination—amazing artistry and unique flowers! Give us a call or place an online order! We’re ready to create YOUR beautiful Summer Designer’s Choice!

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Goodbye Spring

I had a customer call this week from Nova Scotia. She was asking what spring flowers we had blooming in Virginia gardens right now. Nova Scotia is quite a bit behind us with daffodils and tulips just starting to emerge. These were the flowers she was hoping to get in an arrangement. That’s when I realized, at least for flowers, spring has really come and gone. What flowers coincide with Virginia Reopening?

Hello Summer

While our daffodils and hyacinths are becoming harder to find, some of my favorite flowers are starting to emerge! My mom always planted spring bulbs so our yard was a beautiful canvas of crocus, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth, but she didn’t really plant summer flowers. Since working at Fantasy Floral, I’ve come to love late spring and summer flowers–dahlias, peonies, gerbera daisies, gladiolas, and irises! While you can always go to a website and pick an arrangement from the array of photos, the best arrangement to order is a “Designer’s Choice.” Give the designer a budget, specify a color palate, and request any favorite flowers. You’ll be guaranteed a beautiful, seasonal design that captures mother nature at her finest.

Off to the Beach

Spring for me also means a quick beach trip before the tourists arrive. The warmth of the sun and peace of the water always bring renewal of the soul after the cold of winter. This Memorial Day weekend, all of the beaches within driving distance of Virginia are reopening. There is something special about coastal and island towns that sets them apart. I think the flowers and vegetation have a lot to do with this. If you want to give someone a gift that brings the same feeling as a trip to the beach, consider an arrangement with tropical flowers. You’ll have to plan a bit ahead for this as these flowers need to be special ordered, but they are so worth it!

You’ve probably seen Hawaiian leis made out of dendrobium orchids as well as the iconic birds of paradise. There are also some lesser known, but still stunning, tropical flowers. Heliconia, also known as lobster claw plants, originates in the western Pacific. King protea has become a favorite in bridal bouquets and originates in South Africa. These flowers are always show-stoppers that make for stunning arrangements. They are sure to bring a peaceful island vibe!

Virginia is reopening, and the weather is finally getting warmer! It’s the perfect time to plant stunning summer flowers around your house. And for your friends that need a bit of cheer, we’re always here to provide beautiful arrangements of seasonal designs or stunning tropic vibes!

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Last Saturday was our family’s annual Vitamin D Party, where we chase away the post-holiday winter blues by bringing the islands to our home. For one night we don Aloha shirts, flipflops, and sunglasses and crank the heat and the island tunes. Somewhere between the laughter, the vibrant colors, and the tiki bar atmosphere, you forget that it’s cold and grey outside. What sunshine does for our bodies, that’s what flowers do for our soul! Flowers are a vacation for the soul!

Vintage photograph of a tiki bartender with exotic drinks in the 1960s. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images)

Soul

I realized this as I was mingling during the party. Our house was decorated with flowered plates and tablecloths and strings of flower lights. Our guests were decorated in flower shirts and dresses and leis. Being surrounded by flowers helped make us feel like we were on vacation! Last year I wrote a blog post on Why We Love Flowers which cited all of the scientific studies detailing the benefits of flowers. I think this is true especially in winter. The days are shorter. Many go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. It’s too cold for flowers to survive outside. The sun doesn’t shine quite as bright, and let’s face it, after all the joy of the holidays, winter just make us feel dreary. It’s the perfect time to send someone flowers, a vacation for their soul.

Surprise

Recently, we’ve delivered flowers to a daughter who was “having a rough week,” flowers to a partner who “needed some cheering up,” and flowers to a mom who had just gone back to work “to brighten up the office.” Whether the workplace is an office or the home kitchen; whether the recipient is a woman or a man; a bright burst of color is just the ticket to soothe our dreary souls! Especially don’t forget the men in your life! As I deliver flowers, men comment on the arrangements just as much as women do. And the best occasion to send someone flowers is for no occasion at all–just because! The best smiles are the surprised smiles when someone realizes they received a beautiful bouquet of color for no reason at all except to bring them joy and let them know they are loved.

Send

When I think about my favorite vacations, those are the feelings that are front and center–being immersed in joy and surrounded by love. So pick up the phone or go to our website and send someone’s soul on vacation today!

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Color trends show up on all of the products around us, including flower colors. Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year is Living Coral. Because it’s such an unusual color, I found myself asking, “What other colors would go well with coral in an arrangement?” More importantly, how do you choose these colors? I did a web search for the color coral. Of course, I found lots of images of coral reefs and fish!

If we look around us, we’ll see that Mother Nature provides an abundance of examples of stunning color combinations. Interestingly enough, the color combinations that I found in those images of reefs and fish correspond to the science of color harmonies.

Complementary Flower Colors

On a color wheel, the complementary color is found directly across the color wheel from the original color. When complementary paint colors are mixed together, they cancel each other out–creating an almost white color. Alternatively, complementary colors placed next to each other provide the highest contrast.

The complementary color for coral is lime green. As you can see from the goby fish and the colorful collection of coral colonies, nature is full of examples of this vibrant combination.

If you’re looking for an eye-catching arrangement, complementary flower colors will give you the wow-factor you’re looking for. Our own “Bravia” (pictured above) is a vibrant example. Bright green pom button flowers combined with warm coral flower colors, create an arrangement that speaks both to bright spring as well as the warmer tones of autumn. Are you including coral in your wedding theme? The pops of lime green colored flowers are so festive next to the coral of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Triadic Flower Colors

Triadic colors are three colors spaced evenly apart on the color wheel. This color scheme offers vibrant contrast while maintaining balance. For flower arrangements, this color scheme is perfect for celebrating special days while fitting in with most decor.

Royal blue and bright yellow are coral’s triadic colors. Once again, our oceans provide vivid examples of this color combination. The mandarinfish (top) and filefish (bottom) are absolutely stunning!

Not many flowers come naturally blue, but the ones that do are gorgeous. They also have great texture! The top arrangement has tall blue delphinium that contrasts nicely with the coral roses and green trichilium. While it doesn’t have the vibrant royal blue that we see in a coral reef, this bride’s bouquet still stays true to coral’s triadic colors. I just love the combination of flower colors and textures. The blue thistle and berries hint at fall and winter, while the coral roses and blue hyacinth add the brightness of spring. This bouquet is perfect in any season!

Analogous Flower Colors

Analogous colors are found on either side of the original color on the color wheel. The analogous colors for coral are the warmer tone of orange and the cooler tone of hot pink. If you are looking for a flower arrangement that does not command the spotlight, this is the color scheme for you.

These colors are showcased beautifully in the anthias fish shown above with its gradient of color going from orange to coral to hot pink. A reef colored in shades of orange and coral and hot pink provides a perfect hiding place.

I love the combination of coral ranunculus, as well as the lighter peach colored roses, paired with the hot pink dahlias in the centerpiece above. Adding the green hydrangeas for a pop of color is brilliant!

The flower colors used in these bouquets allow the brides and bridesmaids to be the star of the photo. I also like how the bride’s bouquet is just slightly different. It has a bit more bright greens and whites to make it stand out. Brides should stand out!

Today, coral reefs were my inspiration. Just look around you! Nature is full of inspiration to help you choose flower colors.

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