To Grace My Mantel

Week 40, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers

Week 40 Slow Flowers Revisited
Week 40 Slow Flowers Revisited (side one)

There are some common threads between my 2013 footed bowl arrangement and this week’s 2023 footed bowl arrangements. For one, I faced similar challenges to designing in a wide-mouth vessel, without floral foam to hold the stems in place.

Page 76 Slow Flowers book 2013 "To Grace my Kitchen Counter" arrangement
Page 76 Slow Flowers book 2013 “To Grace My Kitchen Counter” arrangement

I used a vintage metal cage-style flower frog in the original arrangement (above); it was the type of piece you’d normally see filled with chicken wire. In fact, my new 2023 design uses a ceramic bowl, which is even larger than the pottery piece I used in 2013. It was a gift from a Slow Flowers member who used chicken wire to design a stunning sympathy arrangement for a family member we lost.


A hand-tied foliage bouquet, with stems cut very short, becomes a seasonal green mechanic
A hand-tied foliage bouquet, with stems cut very short, becomes a seasonal green mechanic

After learning from Shane Connolly last weekend, though, I thought I’d try a new green mechanics method that’s 100% compostable — no chicken wire or floral tape needed. I gathered seasonal greenery from the #slowflowerscuttinggarden — Viburnum opulus (Snowball viburnum), Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark); and Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’ (golden Cotinus) into an informal, hand-tied spiral, tying the stems with natural jute twine and cutting them very short.

Spiral stems, tied with twine
Spiral stems, tied with twine
Greenery bouquet placed inside bowl
Greenery bouquet placed inside bowl
Side one
Side two of the arrangement – from the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden to my living room mantel.
bowl detail
The ceramic bowl measures 10 inches in diameter — an incredibly challenging size! Love the little “feet” and the ribbed texture.

Then, I placed the piece inside the ceramic bowl, filling in a few gaps with extra foliage. Following this method and remembering how Shane used the foliage “bouquet” as the base of a large centerpiece, I began placing vivid, late-season dahlias in between the greenery stems. The sunset hues blend beautifully — copper orange, plums and eggplants, coral pinks — all seem to naturally coordinate with the deep burgundy Ninebark, the Viburnum’s reddish foliage, and the lime green Cotinus.

Dahlias, seemingly in all the fall colors!
Dahlias, seemingly in all the fall colors!

Honestly, I originally intended on a trip to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market to pick up ingredients similar to my 2013 arrangement — zinnias, artemesia, celosia, and the button-green boltonia. But it has been a whirlwind of a week, as we wrapped up several wonderful days hosting Shane here in Seattle for a successful lecture and two all-day workshops. I decided to save myself a round-trip to Seattle, and limit this arrangement to only include what I could clip from my own backyard. I mean, that’s what “Slow Flowers” is all about, anyway!

I decided to limit this arrangement to only include what I could clip from my own backyard. I mean, that’s what “Slow Flowers” is all about, anyway!

Reminded by Shane to follow my ethos of designing with the SEASONS, I did not feel limited by what I had to work with. I also designed for both sides of the vase, resulting in two pretty dahlia vignettes.

Johnny's Selected Seeds' Jazzy Mix Zinnias
Johnny’s Selected Seeds’ Jazzy Mix Zinnias

At the end, I thought of adding some late-season ‘Jazzy Mix’ zinnias — the stems are getting a little unruly, but the crimson petals are perfect accents for the dahlias.

Debra Prinzing

Debra Prinzing is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for American-grown flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, she has convened a national conversation that encourages consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the weekly "Slow Flowers Podcast" and the American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4) campaign. Debra is author of 11 books, including Slow Flowers (2013), The 50 Mile Bouquet (2012) and Slow Flowers Journal (2020). She is the co-founder of BLOOM Imprint, the boutique publishing arm of Slow Flowers.

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Slow Flowers Journal is brought to you by SlowFlowers.com. Slow Flowers is an award-winning online directory created to help consumers find florists, studio designers, wedding and event planners, supermarket flower departments and flower farmers that supply American grown flowers. Founded in 2014, the site has grown to 850 members across the U.S.

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For more information, please contact Debra Prinzing
at 206-769-8211 or 844-SLOWFLO (844-756-9356); debra(at)slowflowers.com.