We were certainly looking forward to the summer months ahead after Vicki’s ‘Alfresco Summer’ presentation – we could all associate and reminisce with the activities Vicki described – many from her childhood. A real feature of the evening was the amazing variety of plant material used (from cow parsley to pipthanthus nepalensis ) – it is impossible to mention them all.
Everyone enjoys a barbecue which was the inspiration for the first design, flames represented by broom, cherry brandy roses and flame red freesias together with bronze single spray chrysanthemums.
An exotic beach was our next port of call – a basket decorated with scallop shells contained an arrangement using bergenia and calathea leaves, grasses and rolled aspidistra leaves together with pink carnations (some rolled in bergenia leaves), white and pink oriental lilies. The inclusion of sea urchin shells on lily stems finished off the design beautifully.
Bright yellow gerberas representing buttercups and white lisianthus for ox-eye daisies set the scene for the Summer meadow arrangement which also included raspberry canes, cow parsley, phlomis and honeysuckle foliage. A picnic in Kent was next (with memories of primus stoves in a biscuit tin!) in patriotic red, white and blue using garrya ellipitica and rosemary with red Naomi roses, sweetheart roses, gypsophila and lavender blue freesias.
We visited a carnival for our fifth design – a multi coloured arrangement with mixed coloured gerbera, green and mauve striped carnations setting the vibrant scene against a collar of fatsia leaves with pittisporum, euonymus, and euphorbia. Throughout the design Vicki made creative use of cup holders, parts of a door curtain, glitter and baubles.
Finally we moved into a gazebo on the lawn for fine dining. This exotic arrangement used a large variety of foliage including manipulated iris foetidissima (stinking iris) leaves . Flowers included tellima, dolomiti roses, lilac, pulsatilla seed heads, gypsophila, white lilies, parrot tulips, September flower and cymbidium orchids.
The stage looked stunning at the end of the presentation. The design were varied in shape, texture and colour and there were some very happy and lucky members going home with beautiful arrangement . Thank you Vicki for a very enjoyable, entertaining and informative evening and for travelling all the way from Suffolk for your first visit to Bedford.
