Fresh flowers really do make an event special. From a single orchid on a place setting to a swathe of rose petals down a wedding aisle, flowers signify celebration, decadence and beauty.

We recently made a hanging carpet of fresh roses which we used as the backdrop to a wedding ceremony. This beautiful carpet of roses in shades of pink were wired through a fine garden mesh which we picked up at a hardware store. To make this work, you’ll need to ask your florist to cut the stems off your roses, essentially leaving only the rose head along with about 1cm of stem to wind the wire around. Take some thin wire and wind it tightly around the rose from just under the head to the bottom of the cut stem. Start weaving the wired flowers about 20cm from the top of the mesh. Secure each bloom at the back of the mesh with a simple loop of the wire, so the flower can’t escape back through the front. You don’t need to worry about being too neat if noone will see the back of the hanging. You should aim to have the heads of each bloom touching slightly on every side at the front of the mesh, so no green mesh can be seen from the front.

Once you’ve finished weaving the flowers through, take a piece of dowel approximately 6cm wider than the width of mesh, wind the mesh over the dowel until the blossoms are at the very top of the hanging. Secure the mesh over the dowel with more wire or staples until the hanging is secure. Remember, flowers en mass are heavy, so you will probably need some help with this part.

To hang your creation, use some beautiful woven rope with tassels on the ends in a colour complementary to your floral carpet. Using the 3cm of dowel you have on either side of the top of the carpet, secure your rope evenly and hang from an appropriate hook. Alternatively, you could use picture hanging wire and hooks which can easily be purchased from a framing shop.

Depending on the size of the carpet you’re wanting to create, this is a job which will take some hours! However, the outcome is stunning and we guarantee it will look divine in wedding photos or as a backdrop to a swanky dinner party.

If fresh flowers aren’t available or your budget and time doesn’t stretch to fresh, you could also use tissue paper flowers to create a similar effect. Martha Stewart has some great step-by-step paper flower ideas over in her craft section.

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn