On November 10th, a small but festive group of twelve ladies met at the beautiful home of Joanne and Jim Anglin. The morning was mild but comfortable with the sun peeking through the large trees along the driveway where work tables were arranged for our “Seasonal Centerpiece Workshop.” The ladies arrived toting containers in all shapes and sizes and fresh cuttings from their yards. Joanne offered pruners to those wanting cuttings from her blue spruce, pyracantha and native sugar bush, to add color to their arrangements.
We started by soaking floral blocks in a large bucket of water, then cut the blocks to fit tightly inside each container. Once the blocks were in place, the rest was a simple matter of arrangement of each cutting into the container. The cuttings were stripped of lower leaves and then pushed into the floral block. Each arrangement quickly took shape as more foliage was added to the container. Some of the foliage used was juniper, pine, heavenly bamboo, protea flowers, gold-dust bush, and a variety of succulents. Final additions to the pieces were decorations to make them appropriate for the Thanksgiving holiday.
While working, the group discussed how to care for their festive creations. The consensus was that the centerpieces would last at least a few weeks with weekly, or more frequent, water changes. The same piece can then be refreshed with new cuttings and Christmas or Hanukkah decorations as those holidays approach.
The conversation was lively throughout the morning, with everyone admiring and praising the beautiful work of their neighbors. After the taking of many pictures, the group adjourned to the Anglin’s back patio and ate our bag lunches under the shade of a gazebo. The conversation continued on a variety of topics while we also enjoyed Vicki Walters’ Pumpkin Dump Cake (yummy) and Joanne’s fresh baked cookies (also very yummy.) Thanks ladies for such an enjoyable time.
December has no scheduled event, so the next meeting of the club will be January 19th when we will plan the events for 2018. Happy holidays to all and we’ll see you next year.