Class title: Antarctica
Staging: Bench, space allowed 60cm width, judged from front and sides
With an interpretive design, it is important to “tell the story” with your plant material so that anyone viewing the design will understand the picture being presented by the design.
Here, I wanted to emphasise the cold, stark nature of the frozen landscape of Antarctica so have chosen a white ceramic boat shaped vase as the container for my design. The colours of the plant material are in keeping with this – white, pale green, yellow/green.
The container is filled with white pebbles and one piece of dry floral foam in which I can anchor some of the plant material. I do not need a water source for any of the plant material in this design as they will all remain turgid (full of moisture) for the duration of the Show.
A lichen covered branch is placed horizontally across the container and wired into the floral foam. Thinner branches with interesting twists and bends are placed in front of the large branch. One taller branch has the main section wrapped in fuzzy white wool with the side branches left natural, giving the effect of ice on the branch.
A grouping of Australian native woolly bush is placed at the back of the design for some height. Without a water source this will naturally dry to a paler green, almost white, adding to the “cool” effect of the design.
Full and sliced banksia flowers are placed vertically in the design as well as glued at various angles to the container and the main (horizontal) branch. Finally an arum lilly is bent across the design. This is not in water so the flower will not open any further, although it will last for about 5 days. If it were to open fully, the flower would dominate the design – not the effect I wanted.
For judging this design was placed at an angle of 30 degrees on the bench to give it some depth and enhance to judges perspective of the sides of the design.
Judging feedback: This design makes you shiver a bit just looking at it – a great interpretation of the class title. The container is very dominant (as happens with white containers, so there could be more plant material against it to lessen this effect. The design would benefit from a tall placement of another arum lilly both for height and rhythm in the design.