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feature
designs
sentimental
journey
Help families and friends honor
loved ones with inspirational casket flower designs.
Designs by Walter Fedyshyn, AIFD, PFCI
Guiding family and friends through their final farewells is never
easy, but with care and some special touches, professional florists can
ensure that the flowers convey the sentiments of the bereaved.
Here, floral designer Walter Fedyshyn, aifd, pfci, demonstrates how
casket sprays, some of which offer mementos for loved ones, can pay
tribute to the deceased. And by graciously incorporating set pieces,
rather than placing them upright on an easel, Mr. Fedyshyn’s casket
sprays offer modern alternatives to traditional sympathy expressions.
 garden
of tranquility
Feminine sensibilities combine with a gentle garden aesthetic to
make this tender tribute ideal for a female flower gardener. An
open-heart set piece, comprising sweetly scented lavender roses
collared by Galax leaves, is tucked among the vegetative
“plantings” and signifies the dearly departed’s kind and loving
nature. The pair of dried larkspur bundles can be placed into
favorite vases as keepsakes following the services.
MATERIALS: ‘Avant Garde’ roses from California Pajarosa
Floral; Dahlias from Brand Flowers; ‘Camarque’ French tulips and
Freesias from The Sun Valley Group; dried larkspurs from LoveJoy
Farms; lady’s mantle, Queen Anne’s lace, lily grass, ivy,
myrtle, hyacinth stakes and chenille stems from favorite
suppliers; Oasis® Mâché Open Heart and Oasis® Small Casket
Saddle from Smithers-Oasis. |
 planted
presentation
A quiet garden offers rest for the departed, and featured within
it is a blooming plant, which lives on to comfort the bereaved.
Purchased with a mossy exterior, the plant-filled pot melds into
the floral landscape and is placed off-center to duplicate the
asymmetry of a lovingly tended garden. Likewise, the fresh
flowers are grouped to resemble structured plantings. Since the
color palette is neither overtly masculine nor feminine, this
tribute is a gracious farewell to any garden lover.
MATERIALS: ‘Akebono’ peony-flowered (double-late) tulips,
lilies and stars-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalums) from The Sun
Valley Group; Dahlias from Brand Flowers; Bupleurum, lily grass,
Kunzea, myrtle and other foliages, and chenille stems from
favorite suppliers; mossed pot from Aldik Artificial Flowers;
Double Artesia® Designer Dome™ from FloraCraft Corporation.
HOW TO: Cut a segment of floral foam out of a large
casket saddle with a sharp knife. Nestle a mossed pot into the
opening, and drop in a coordinating blooming or foliage plant. |
 blanketed
in love
After final farewells are spoken, words from a familiar hymn
emblazoned upon a fringed afghan comfort family and friends
through difficult times. Atop the blanket-laden casket, a lushly
covered open heart, with roses in a range of sun-drenched peach
and golden honey hues, captures the color palette of the woven
throw. Tucked between the blossoms are compacted clusters of
Queen Anne’s lace, which lend a downy texture and conceal the
form from view. Beneath the heart, white and green florals
visually separate the roses from the matching cover.
MATERIALS: ‘Peach Avalanche’, ‘Geneve’, ‘Kameleon’ and
‘Emanuelle’ roses from California Pajarosa Floral; callas from
CallaCo; bells-of-Ireland, Queen Anne’s lace, ti leaves and
other foliages, hyacinth stake and chenille stems from favorite
suppliers; 18” Never-Wilt® Snap-Fit Open Heart from The John
Henry Company; Oasis® Large Casket Saddle from Smithers-Oasis;
afghan from Giftwares Co.
HOW TO: Center an open-heart form atop a single casket
saddle. Elevate the top portion of the heart by securing it to a
hyacinth stake or other support with chenille stems. Arrange
roses into the heart form so the varieties’ similar hues blend
fluidly. Then arrange materials into the casket saddle to finish
the design. |
 condolences
updated
Exquisite pink-tipped callas, selected to reflect the feminine
color of the roses, along with fluffy spikes of heather and
arching blades of lily grass, surround a rose-encrusted heart,
which is assembled on a contemporary form. In the tradition of a
lacy ribbon to surround the heart, tiny alabaster waxflowers
echo the ruffly texture in a modern manner. With its updated
aesthetic, this combined casket spray and set piece can be used
to mark the passing of a younger woman.
MATERIALS: ‘Strawberry Parfait’ miniature callas from
CallaCo; ‘Amsterdam’ roses from California Pajarosa Floral;
heather, waxflowers, lily grass, salal, hyacinth stakes and
chenille stems from favorite suppliers; Oasis® Mâché Solid Deco
Heart from Smithers-Oasis; Foam Mate® Single Casket Saddle and
Aquafoam® from Syndicate Sales.
HOW TO: Secure the heart to hyacinth stakes with chenille
stems. Insert the stakes into the casket saddle, and arrange
roses into the heart. Conceal the heart’s edge with a collar of
waxflowers, and arrange callas, heather and grasses into the
casket saddle. |
 peaceful
repose
Tucked into a mass of scarlet carnations, tiny clusters of
Hypericum offer a new dimension for a traditional cross. The
blossom-covered form is laid into a dense bed of foliages and
surrounded by striking groups of tulips and roses that elongate
the spray for a full-couch presentation. A trio of additional
tulips, with their exquisite black centers visible, is suspended
from the cross like droplets of lifeblood, the heavenly promises
of eternity to those of Christian faith.
MATERIALS: ‘Tabasco’ roses from California Pajarosa
Floral; tulips from The Sun Valley Group; carnations, Hypericum,
salal, huckleberry, hyacinth stake, chenille stems and floral
foam from favorite suppliers; 24” Never-Wilt® Deluxe Snap-Fit
Cross and Never-Wilt® Double Cascade Casket Saddle from The John
Henry Company.
HOW TO: Place floral foam only in the horizontal platform
of the casket saddle, and lay the cross into the open angled
platform area. Secure the base of the cross form to the casket
saddle with chenille stems or zip ties, and prop the upper
portion of the cross atop a hyacinth stake or other support.
Secure the stake to the cross with chenille stems, and arrange
carnations and Hypericum into the cross form. Then arrange
roses, tulips and foliages into the casket saddle. |
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