Red Rose Wedding Bouquet
Boxwood is best known as a shrub that can be carved into living sculptures. It has tiny green leaves sprouting off a slender stem and can easily be cut apart and inserted into bouquet designs.
It is available both in a variegated and dark green as shown below.
I strip the leaves off the bottom part of the stem so I can cleanly insert it into the wet foam.
I added in a few touches of boxwood at the upper left, topping the bouquet.
Here's a closer look.
Fill in the center, taking care to point the center piece of boxwood green straight out towards you.
Finally! My completely greened in design ready for flower insertion.
A side view shows the amount of depth and 3 dimensional look. You don't want a flattened look, but a more interesting design that flows backwards on the outer perimeter and gradually moves forward towards the center.
Here's the same shot without the red lines.
Same type of pattern from the opposite (left) side view.
I spray all my greens with a leaf polish. (I like Leafshine by Floralife). Greenery from the fields is dirty and usually rinsed when packed. If it is rinsed with hard water, you can see a dull, splotchy white residue.
Leafshine cleans that grime and dull finish, leaving a glossy sealant that makes all the greens gleaming and fresh.
Spray on BEFORE adding flowers. Using Finishing Touch (a flower sealant) that seals in petal moisture after designing. This sealant is for greens only.
Here is the finishing greened design freshly sprayed.
