Top pic: Lana Bates’ floral presentation with Porta Nova roses and other top roses
From January 22nd to 25th this year, the floriculture world converged at Messe Essen for one of the biggest showcasing in horticulture, IPM Essen. The FTD World at IPM was a remarkable point of attraction where florists gave stellar presentations and invited people to gain knowledge about contemporary floral design and find out more about fresh trends for the year.
VIDEO Lana Bates Valentine’s inspired arrangement at IPM Essen FTD World
At the FTD World, well known floral designer Lana Bates created a Valentines inspiration piece using Porta Nova Red Naomi roses and other high quality flowers. We spoke to Lana briefly about her experience at IPM Essen and her amazing floral installment.
As a florist, what does it mean for you to be at the IPM Essen event working with colleagues in the industry?
IPM Essen is unmistakably one of the top global events for horticulture industry and is also considered to be a trendsetting event for florists all around the world. Personally, I have been visiting IPM for many years and during this time I have been working on stage with a variety of presentations. On other occasions I have been assisting my colleagues in their projects. What thrills me the most is the networking and constant search of the best products and inspiration. So it is only logical that it is a great point of achievement in the career of any designer to be a part of the IPM Essen exhibition.
Give us an overview of your floral presentation at IPM Essen 2019?
The invitation from Porta Nova to create the stand presenting one of the best roses in the world was a great honour for me. I have special personal feelings towards “Red Naomi” as I have always only been using these roses in my shop during Valentine’s Day. This special day requires a special product and “Porta Nova Red Naomi” always guarantees great success with its unique appearance and longevity.
What was the message behind the design?
In developing the design for the exhibition, I wanted to concentrate on the bold visual form of the circle with a heart shaped opening. Representing timeless life cycle with the heart as symbol of love. The heart opening as a window frame invites people to interact with the design, posing for photos and sending a clear message that Love and Red Naomi are two timeless components in harmony.
Take us through the ups and downs in bringing the creation to life
Challenges for the design were two – providing stability for the tall – 2.3m diameter structure and that was solved with the help of well balanced metal base and providing the water source for the flower material for the duration of the event. We have been using oasis deco sheets and this is something that should be improved for the future to provide the longevity for the roses. We used in total close to 1000 stems of the Porta Nova Red Naomi roses and 1500 additional flowers – different types of dianthus for the background and beautiful Vandas from Anco, orchids for the contrast in shape and color, some Gloriosa Rothschildiana, Hydrangea, Clematis, Santini and Red Edge cordyline. The idea was to present the rose “Red Naomi” in combination with the different colors and materials as a guide and inspiration to use.
Check out below more moments during and after the making of Lana Bates Valentine’s Day design
