Harvest tabletops - banquet floral arrangement

Sunset, Nov, 1997 by Ann Bertelsen

Celebrate in style with these magnificent centerpieces

* Floral designer Valerie Arelt will tell you that every season brings its own special pleasures for creating arrangements. But up on the secluded knoll in Sonoma, California, where she has her home and studio, Arelt's eyes take on an additional sparkle and her step gets a little brisket when she surveys the turning leaves of fall. The holidays are approaching, it's her busiest time of year, and the surrounding hillsides abound with treasures from nature. Arelt rarely misses a large liquidambar leaf tinged with burnished gold, or a gnarly twig that might be just the right finishing touch on one of her floral arrangements. Autumn's bountiful harvest inspired the centerpieces Arelt made for us using seasonal fruits and berries, clippings from her garden, and vegetables. The arrangements are equally appropriate for informal get-togethers and Thanksgiving banquets.

Kale and pomegranate arrangement

WHAT YOU NEED

* Seasonal materials: fruits, flowers, foliage, berries, and vegetables (see Arelt's suggestions above)

* Garden shears or scissors

* Florist's picks

* One block of soaked florist's foam

* Knife

* One 10-inch-diameter plastic or terra-cotta saucer with a lip

* Florist's tape

* Lazy susan (revolving tray)

Valerie Arelt selects fall fruits for their colors - red pomegranates and apples, and orange persimmons, kumquats, and mandarins. She incorporates clusters of fresh pink peppercorns and red berries such as nandina, and fresh flowers such as coral freesia. For foliage, Arelt likes chestnut, eucalyptus, liquidambar, magnolia, maple, and oak leaves mixed with citrus and grape leaves. Green winter wheat and dill weed also work well in this kind of centerpiece. If you use kale as a focal point, buy small plants from a nursery (they will be smaller and freshet than kale purchased in the produce department of the grocery), then remove the soil and submerge the plants in water.

For more holiday decorating tips, check out Valerie Arelt's video: The Glorious Art of Christmas Decorations. $29.95 plus tax and shipping; (800) 752-6896.

PREPARATION

1. Separate fruits, vegetables, and foliage into clusters. Cut greenery and vines into 12-inch-long sprigs and set aside. Select your best leaves and use florist's picks to wire a single leaf or small clusters of leaves together on one pick. Push the blunt ends of other picks partially into the fruits and vegetables, leaving the pointed ends to stick into the florist's foam. When all your materials are ready, arrange them within easy reach of your working area.

ASSEMBLY

2. Cut the foam block into two sections, one of them two-thirds of the block, the other one-third of it. Then cut the small piece in half widthwise. Slice 1/2 inch off the corners of each section of foam. Place the large section in the center of the saucer and position the two smaller pieces on either side. Secure foam to the saucer with florist's tape, keeping the center free for flowers and foliage, and set the saucer on the lazy susan (for rotation while you work).

3. Insert long strands of foliage or sprigs of berries at the far ends of the large section of foam. Stick foliage into the lower sides, using the rim of the saucer as a base; insert the material so it radiates from the center, like the spokes of a wheel.

4. Place large focal pieces (such as pomegranates and kale) near the center of the arrangement and put smaller or more delicate fruits and vegetables at the ends. Use bold leaves to accentuate fruits and berries and use flowers such as freesias for additional color if needed.

Harvest centerpiece

WHAT YOU NEED

* Seasonal materials: foliage, fruits, and berries (see Arelt's suggestions on opposite page)

* Garden shears or scissors

* Florist's picks

* Florist's wire

* 12 strands of raffia (strands are usually about 5-feet long), knotted together at the top (the length of the strands will depend on the size of your table - a 6-foot-long table would require a 4-foot swag; an 8-foot table, a 5-foot swag)

PREPARATION

1. Cut the foliage down to 3-inch-long stems with lower leaves and needles removed, and arrange it into small bundles. Use florist's picks to hold bundles together and to pierce fruit so that it can be attached to the swag.

ASSEMBLY

2. Thread the florist's wire through the raffia knot and twist the wire back on itself to secure. Run wire down the length of the raffia and cut at its end. Gather a small bouquet of mixed materials (selected from the bundles set aside earlier) and use the florist's wire to attach the bouquet to the raffia swag, below the knotted end.

3. Repeat the process, working your way down the raffia with varying bouquets of fruits, foliage, and berries. When you've reached the end of the strand, shape the swag into a circle and tie or tuck the raffia ends beneath the arrangement. If you prefer you can use the swag as you would a runner.