Floral Arranging

Camellia Flower Arranging Notes
by Claudia Marshall, Woodside-Atherton Garden Club

Flower arranging with camellias has been avoided for many enthusiasts due to several difficulties: the weight of individual blooms render them prone to dropping from their stems at the most inconvenient times (particularly when a judge is approaching), and using them within a general arrangement means cutting long branches which (unless you are shaping the plant) tends to disfigure a specimen. So, what to do?

My advice is not to use long branches unless you are shaping the plant, or don’t care that your plant looks a bit lop-sided. But more importantly, DO use the individual blossoms utilizing just a few of arrangers’ mechanics tricks.

Pinning the blossom into the stem is the easiest and quickest way to ‘hold’ a blossom in its place. Just use a small hatpin that can be hidden inside the blossom’s interior and be sure to keep the pin invisible. This may mean that you have to daub the head with a colored sharpie that matches the color of your blossom.

The second trick is somewhat messy but guarantees the use of camellia blossoms in different and unique applications. This employs the use of floral glue to position the blossom wherever. Floral glue will hold anything, dries quickly and can even be used to anchor a blossom that ends up under water.

Below are photos of two uses of camellias in arrangements from the 2005 Camellia Show that was held at the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. As a side note for the table arrangement, each camellia blossom was glued individually onto its stem before being inserted into the oasis inside the candlestick holders. And Rooster’s coxcomb was dark red camellia blossoms; this entry won ‘Best of Show’.

                     Camillias, Crystal & Candles                        Rooster's Coxcomb