Johnny Seppanen's New Year Floristry Workshop (Finland)

2023 Author: Ashton Daniels | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 17:13

On November 2, 2011, 7 Flowers organized a New Year's master class by Jonia Seppanen (Finland), President of the Finnish Florist Association, eight-time champion of his country, multiple winner of various European floristry competitions, who took 8th place at the last World Championship in Shanghai.

Johnny Seppanen decided to show traditional Finnish floristic techniques for Christmas. Since the master is very close to wedding floristry, he is the author of one of the best books on this topic, you will feel this influence in his New Year's compositions. Several works were shown step by step, more complex ones were prepared in advance and required only the final participation. He was assisted in the show by his business partner, Perti Mariol, who is a co-owner of a store in Helsinki, and a student of the Flowers in Details florist school.

Christmas fashion has changed little compared to last year - shine of gold and silver, pastel shades of colors are still trending. For many of his works, the master used a greenish carnation, preferring a flower with a history, which is again extremely popular now in Europe.

For the first work, we chose teardrop-shaped silver vases filled with weights and water to avoid falling. Here is used the repetition technique that D. Seppanen often uses in his shop in Helsinki, displaying two identical bouquets. He loves to work with herbs (steelgrass, bergrass), but in this work he chose the more flexible bergrass. White hypericum buds were pre-strung on it, under the weight of which new lines appear, transmitting movement. It is enough to add 2 anthurium inflorescences and a pair of accessories in the form of delicate lilac needle-like chrysanthemums to the tightly knitted green carnations, so that the work becomes complete. Ready-made bouquets one by one can serve as an elegant gift, and in pairs can serve as an interior composition.

The second work is a vertical composition, also using herbs. For such a composition, you can successfully use not purchased, but natural material - herbs, twigs, stems).

Bunches of steelgrass are tightened with elastic bands, they allow you to insert plant stems of any thickness into them and do without an oasis, and also leave the possibility of replacing some part that is out of place, which is not always possible with an oasis. In this case, the branches of the Japanese plant Mitsudata are inserted into the bundles of greenery, they are sold in different colors. In this case, bleached branches are used as support for flowers - flexible calla lilies. Flowers can be used in more or less quantities, depending on the taste (for example, just two calla lilies).

This technique is now very popular, it allows you to take out details that seemed unnecessary at any time - twigs, bergrass or part of the flowers. It remains to trim the Mitsudata branches from above to make the flowers more visible. And, finally, the finishing touch - New Year's toys-icicles and a compliment from Russia - the tops in the form of golden church domes are put on the branches.

In the next work, pair of boat-shaped vases are again used (but you can take more, if you wish). The bunches of the same green carnations are tied with a thin wire, and the stems are cut so that they repeat the shape of a vase and do not lose life support. We place Christmas balls between round carnation flowers and decorate with toys on wires. Add falling branches of Phalaenopsis orchids. This is an example of not vertical but horizontal bouquet. It will look beautiful in the center of the New Year's table.

The next bouquet is made using the fan technique, which is very popular today in the Scandinavian countries, and will probably remain so for several more years. A carnation is used again, it is held together with laminated green wire. The fan can be large or small, positioned vertically or horizontally - it is important to emphasize its shape. There are just two of them - more and less, on a silver platter in the shape of a lotus leaf. In addition - wonderful graceful yellow gloriosa, which cheerfully break the geometric seriousness of the fan. Additional New Year's accessories - dome-shaped Christmas tree decorations in yellow-green colors - are attached using wire legs, positioned horizontally.

In this work, a bob-shaped frame is used, which can successfully play the role of a stylized Christmas tree. It is based on 4 bricks of a humid oasis, with horsetail stems fixed on it with decorative pins. In the part where there is an oasis, we stick gloriosa into the cone at a right angle (it is best to do this at the joints of the horsetail stems, this is the most reliable place of attachment). At the top of the frame, where there is no oasis, we insert gloriasis in test tubes with water. Additional pins can be used to position the flowers as desired.

The next work is with papyrus. The stems are cut in half lengthways so that the bundle of leaves can be unfolded horizontally. A simple bouquet of white carnations, such as is often used at weddings, is surrounded by papyrus like a cuff. The stems are tied, trimmed, and the whole bouquet is attached to the oasis in a vase (in a hole prepared in advance in the oasis, using hairpins). Around the composition is tied with hanging blueberry bushes (this material is very popular in Scandinavia - it retains its appearance for a long time and does without water). Bunches of blueberries are inserted at right angles into an oasis attached to a metal vessel. Further, from short lilac chrysanthemums and salmon-colored roses, the rest of the oasis closes in the form of a wreath, and the top of the composition is complemented by anthuriums so that their cobs directed upwards balance the hanging branches of blueberries.

A glass vase with a high leg of the "Martini" type was chosen for this composition. In the oasis, placed in a vase, are fastened two twisted fans of green carnations. The correct form develops with the help of bluish strelitzia leaves resembling spears. Cropped papyrus fills the base of the fan in the foreground. On the reverse side, instead of papyrus, aspidistra leaves are used. The caps of white hydrangeas and anthuriums at the base serve as the finishing touch on one side of the fan, and white roses and carnations on the other. The geometric rigidity of the structure is balanced by the flowing flexi-grass lines with strung white hypericum buds. The master regards this composition as a new reading of old techniques.

In the next work, according to the author, nothing new was used. A simple bouquet in an old technique in a vase of water. A wreath made of wooden sticks is a commercially available blank. This frame is not fixed by anything, it is held on the vase by the weight of the flowers. New Year's balls are chosen by their "vintage" look, with a touch of antiquity. A newly curved fan design of carnations, complemented by white lily buds. Hanging garlands are made of hypericum buds strung on a wire, on which they are held in knots. A light addition - yellow gloriosa, makes the bouquet airy, emphasizes the gold of Christmas tree decorations. But how light, reminiscent of a sparkling candelabrum, this simple bouquet turned out!

Two identical metal vessels of simple rectangular shapes, decorated only with texture, serve as the basis for the next composition. A dry oasis, decorated with moss, is fixed on them. Outside, glass test tubes with water are suspended on wires by the neck of the original shape, into which white nerines are inserted. A good interior decoration for lovers of minimalism style or the office of a reputable company.

This composition is based on driftwood, of which there are a lot of different shapes on sale (although you can find it just as well in the forest). It is installed on metal legs - holes are made with a thin drill into which pieces of wire are hammered, holding them with pliers and hitting them). Bricks of a dry oasis are reinforced on top. They are fastened together with wire and pierced with bamboo sticks passed through all 4 bricks. The wire from the supports is threaded not only through the snag, but also through the oasis, and twisted around to stiffen the structure. The oasis is decorated with moss with hairpins and glue. Cinnamon sticks, a traditional New Year's spice and decoration, are stuck on top of broth wires. Of the colors, only bright red nerines are used. An interesting replacement for test tubes - two rows of glass cones with water on the sides, into which flowers are inserted. They are not only not hidden, but even set a kind of playful tone for the whole composition.

Quite a simple work, the highlight of which is an original silver leaf dish with jagged edges. A little water is poured onto it and a round bouquet of white carnations and papyrus, already familiar from another work, is installed. The only subtlety is to properly cut the stems for contact with water.

This composition for a spacious room consists of 700-800 Stilgrass leaves with white hypericum buds at the ends and several lush branches of Phalaenopsis. All this is set in a large metal vase in the oasis. An uncomplicated composition, nevertheless evoking many New Year's associations - with pieces of ice frozen on the tip of the branches, snowfall or fireworks.

Well, a few wedding compositions in the master's favorite theme. Well, a New Year's wedding is not bad at all!

The first of them was assembled in front of the audience in a sink, in which holes were pre-drilled. Garlands of pre-strung white dendrobium flowers were fixed in them, and then on top of them several large white vanda flowers were planted on glue. All flowers are without life support, just treated with an oasis spray to prolong their freshness.

"Umbrella for the newlywed" - this is how you can call the following composition, made from some proteas. In the center of the frame made of knitting needles there is a single flower of pink protea, and the rays of the umbrella are decorated with proteus flowers disassembled into petals. An example of how a flower, rough in shape and texture, can serve to create an openwork, weightless design.

The feather bouquet is composed of white dendrobium flowers on a strelitzia leaf. You can dream up and present a bouquet for the bride and a fan for the groom.

The last composition is on a snag, mounted on metal legs using the technique described above. Decorated with dried fruit rings, traditional for New Year's compositions. There is also a dry oasis on top, which holds the red peppers. The master simply added pink anthuriums in test tubes to the blank, attaching it obliquely from above. The composition was completed in 10 minutes.

Johnny Seppanen refers to the world around him when talking about the sources of inspiration for the master florist. He observes nature while walking his dog, loves photographing northern landscapes, collects wild species of orchids, grows rare nepentes, as well as other indoor and garden plants. Therefore, it seems appropriate to us to finish this reportage with his words: "If you look at the world with the same enthusiastic eyes, you will be visited by the same extraordinary ideas."

Photo: Rita Brilliantova, Natalia Ryabova