Tom Bowling AIFD PFCI continues to explore autumn collections from Pioneer Imports & Wholesale with this quick demonstration video. 

When we think about fall, we often think about texture – and this is one area that Tom really emphasizes with the permanent botanical arrangement he creates here. But that's not all. Tom also touches on the importance of color. He likes to step outside of the expected oranges and yellows by working pops of blue into his autumn compositions. 

For this arrangement, Tom begins with a planter that mimics the look and feel of a birch tree. It's a textural selection to go with a texture-rich composition. He has already prepared the container with floral foam and a light covering of moss. 

Tom begins by covering this moss with a permanent botanical maidenhair garland. He places this horizontally to get better coverage over the mechanics below. To secure the garland, he bends a bit of leftover stem into a hairpin shape and uses this to anchor the garland in place. You can see how some of the silk maidenhair cascades beautifully over one side.

But the other side ends abruptly. Tom takes some time to soften that edge with another placement. He uses a colorful artificial berry spray, tilting each placement outward through the other side. Already, you can see a rich palette of texture variation developing here.

Next, Tom adds some bright orange silk hydrangea. He places this opposite of the artificial berries, effectively balancing the color profile on both sides of the composition. He places two of these silk hydrangeas in a grouping to mimic a natural growing area. 

Artificial heather grasses are placed directly in the center – another incredible variation on texture. These placements help to build up the height of composition with ease. Tom pairs this with a little bit of silk heather fern in deep red to bring those saturated autumn colors upward. 

Tom's next additions are red silk marigolds, then large silk peonies in gold. He bends the stems of the heavier silk flowers into a hairpin shape to create a more secure insertion. 

Now it's time for a surprise. Tom adds deep blue silk ranunculus throughout, a gorgeous contrast against the warm autumn hues. These are varied in size, so he places the larger ones closer toward the center and the smaller ones toward the outside. He bends the outermost silk ranunculus so that they cascade over the edges and face up toward the sky. 

Tom rotates the composition so you can see the result. There are groupings of silk flowers, blocks of color, focused interest areas. There are areas that feel weighty and areas that feel light and airy. This arrangement showcases a fascinating interplay of shapes, forms, textures, and colors – all the principals and elements coming together.  

Explore the Pioneer Imports & Wholesale catalog to find these autumn-ready permanent botanical elements along with so many others. Pioneer offers a range of fall-themed silk flower collections, each one filled with coordinated building blocks to make your seasonal projects quicker and easier than ever. 

Shop the complete Vibrant Harvest Collection here.