"With the green movement in play, floral designs are taking on a more respectful interpretation of Mother Nature," says Petal Harvill, president of Petal Designs in Boca Raton.
ALL NATURAL With an emphasis on earthy tones and elements such as twigs, vines, berries, and feathers at events, attendees will be celebrating the abundance of nature as this year's season kicks into high gear. Designers will also feature fruits and vegetables prominently.
Cut greens like bird's nest fern leaf and variegated monstera leaf, and exotic ornamentals such as mini pineapple and protea pincushions are also on the radar. In addition, Brian Joyce of Flourish Floral Productions in Winter Park sees the use of herbs, such as the dusty miller, and organic elements like horsetail and seeded eucalyptus adding to the green trend.
COLOR CONSCIOUS As for what you'll want to request this fall, Steve Duke, floral director at conceptBAIT in Tampa, says that colors will stay fairly traditional with a tropical twist in the flower choice, for a more Floridian feel. Jose Graterol of Jose Graterol Designs Inc. in Miami echoes those sentiments, predicting browns, red-oranges, yellows, and greens will be once again be very popular. Others suggest that colors like copper, gold, burgundy, and chocolate will take the stage.
With a rich palette of colorful, tropical flowers-such as the popular birds-of-paradise and tropical ginger blooms-entering the fray for fall, lush cymbidium, mokara, and vanda orchids will also be in demand, as they come in many colors and have a hearty strength that is important to designers.
"Floral trends for the fall are moving towards opulent, European-inspired palettes and patterns, and moving away from stark contrast and minimalism," says Karen Cohen, president of Always Flowers and Events in Miami.
PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING With the invention of battery-operated candles that have realistic flames, florists are getting more and more requests for candles-in many forms. New hollow wax containers, as well as LCD lights and stylish votives, can make a difference in the overall look of a table, says Steve Levine of Jose Graterol Designs.
Pave-style arrangements are consistent crowd-pleasers-the more colors, the better. And with the popularity of Zen styles, the resurgence of ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), and the availability of quality orchids, Oriental styles have once again become more popular with designers.
DOUBLE DUTY Finally, earth-friendliness doesn't have to end with the event: Levine, along with other floral companies, donates flowers from centerpieces to hospitals or charities.
