Floral designers committed to environment-friendly foam-free arranging have long turned to Accent Decor for containers to support their unique mechanics and needs. In partnership with renowned floral artist and instructor, Sue McLeary, aka Passionflower Sue, we’ve developed a collection of solution-focused vessels, stands and accessories designed with sustainability in mind. Read on to learn more about Sue, the stand-out Conservatory Collection and a step-by-step Conservatory design instructions from Florists’ Review.

Get to Know Sue McLeary
Sue McLeary is a floral designer, artist, and instructor with over 20 years of experience. After 13 years dedicated to wedding and event design, Sue dove heart-first into her passion of teaching, presenting and writing about floristry. Her respect for the natural world inspires her to use floristry to spread knowledge about sustainability and advocate the usage of more responsible design principles. Whether she’s creating extravagant floral headpieces and wearable flowers or presenting a masterclass to an audience of floral enthusiasts, Sue approaches her work with grace and unwavering passion.

A Blossoming Partnership
To concept and design the Spring 2024 Collection, Accent Decor’s Product Development Team gathered customer feedback to inform the assortment’s composition. While eco-friendly florists have long utilized Accent Decor products, there was a clear want for intentionally designed products and event decor to meet their unique needs. There was no better partner to consult than Sue McLeary. Together, a synergistic and creative partnership grew.

The Ultimate Showstopper
Within the Spring 2024 Collection is the striking and graceful Conservatory Collection. Comprised of stands in two heights, 72 inches and 95 inches, they can stand alone or create an asymmetrical shape. The Conservatory Stand is a welcomed solution for eco-friendly florists seeking a versatile floral stand for weddings. Typically, large-scale event decor products require the usage of foam to create lush, impactful designs with a water source. Alternatively, the Conservatory Stands feature removable vases (sold separately) sized to hold water and support unique foam-free mechanics. The water-tight vases can be arranged in advance and inserted within the stands during event set-up. When the event wraps, the stands break down easily for tear-down and transport. A breakdown of helpful how-to design steps, specifically for the Conservatory Stands, is provided below by Florists’ Review.

A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Get to know the Conservatory Stand’s unique and flexible features. A breakdown of helpful design steps are provided by Florists’ Review.

STEP 1. Form a length of florist netting (chicken wire) into an orb, and place it into the vase. Repeat this process for each vase.

STEP 2: Secure the chicken wire orbs into the vases with waterproof tape, and then fill ach vase with properly proportioned flower nutrient solution.

STEP 3: Arrange stems and branches of foliage into the vases to create the shape and dimension of the design and to conceal the mechanics.

STEP 4: Arrange flowers and additional foliage into each vase. Be mindful of stem length, utilizing blooms in lower vases to conceal the bottoms of the vases above them. Also arrange some of the botanicals downward to help camouflage the vases below them.

STEP 5: Continue to arrange flowers and foliage until the composition feels full and abundant.

DESIGN TIP: You can arrange flowers into all of the vases, or you can omit a few vases, to create negative space.

BOTANICALS

• Rosa rubignosa ‘Juliet’ (garden rose)
• Chrysanthemum x morifolium ‘Linette’ (disbud decorative mum, cremon mum)
• Alstroemeria aurea / A. aurantiaca [flecked petals removed] (Peruvian lily, lily-of-the-Incas)
• Cymbidium aloifolium (Aloe-leaf boat orchid, Aloe-leaf Cymbidum)
• Ranuculus spp. Butterfly™ series ‘Artemis’ (butterfly buttercup, butterfly Ranuculus)
• Tagetes patula ‘Harlequin’ (French marigold)
• Solidago altissima (tall goldenrod, Canada goldenrod, late goldenrod)
• Quercus nigra (water oak, possum oak, black oak)

HARD GOODS

• Conservatory Stands
• Florist Netting (18 inch)
• Waterproof Tap (1/4 inch, Green)

Discover the full assortment of Accent Decor’s wholesale decor, wholesale event decor and eco-design friendly products at accentdecor.com. 

Keep up with Sue McLeary on Instagram @passionflowersue. Stay up to date on the global floral industry at Florists’ Review and @florists_review.

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