Floral designer Jane Winter draws rapt audience

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor tornado warnings can keep floral designer Jane Winter's fans away when she teaches a class at Bowood Farms. Last June a sold-out "From Vase to Table" workshop occurred in the midst of a severe weather warning. Those who threw caution to the wind, crowded into Bowood's interior "break room" while Jane created memorable arrangements unfazed by tornado sirens and the cramped quarters.

The weather was not a factor on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when the shop was filled to the rafters (see above) by eager observers anxious for the opportunity to get holiday decorating tips from this talented CWEnder. Jane's business, Wildflowers, is located adjacent to floral row off Chouteau. For Saturday's demonstration Jane incorporated fruit, twigs, berries, & flowers into a wreath (below). an arrangement for the entry hall, and holiday decoration for the fireplace mantel.

Jane secured fruit, including a cut orange, to the evergreen wreath with floral wire, available at Bowood Farms. Noting every detail, I saw a few attendees even count the number of loops Jane made in the bow on the wreath (there are 7).

Playing to the back of the house, above. Jane later arranged a grouping of Bowood's boxwood topiaries in an assortment of the shop's beautiful clay pots (on the table above) on a makeshift mantel as an example of a simple, beautiful, and long-lasting  way to decorate for the holidays.

Jane put chicken wire (or you can use floral oasis) in a stoneware vase above and then filled it with water. She crosscut the bottom of the red-twigged dogwood and ilex (red berries) with garden shears and then filled in with amaryllis, which she cut straight across, and tulips. We learned that when tulips are placed in water they grow an inch a day. See completed arrangement below.

The final shot shows a spectacular idea for the mantel. The floral designer used a casket saddle (not a pleasant thought but it's the right size for most fireplaces) which comes with its own floral oasis, Jane  covered with chicken wire. She placed pieces of long-needled pines boughs, fir, and other greens stem up, not down, into the oasis. Do not use highly flammable cedar over the fireplace. She added white flowers— stock for its fragrance, lilies, and hydrangeas. It was news to me that hydrangeas drink water through their flowers, so they can be spritzed, or placed flower side down in cold water for an hour if they look piqued. Cut the stem again before placing it back in the arrangement. All of the flowers should be spritzed with water every other day, and the oasis should be watered from the top.

If you've read to the end of this post, you're either thinking this is t.m.i., or you'll want to know that the greens, ilex, floral wire, boxwood topiaries, and clay pots used in the demonstration are available at Bowood Farms, 4605 Olive.