I’ve got some lovely blog posts lined up for you, from real weddings to creative ‘how to’ guides – and today I’ve got a fantastic DIY tutorial created especially for you by Jay of Jay Archer Floral Design.  Jay has created this beautiful floral pomander ball using homegrown muscari and garden herbs, along side pretty white ranunculus.

So here’s over to Jay:

The pomander ball has been traditionally carried by flower girls and bridesmaids. However, a bride may also carry a pomander ball as a modern replacement to a traditional bouquet.  Making your own pomander ball is really quite easy.  Maybe spend an afternoon practising one with your Mum, friends and bridesmaids over a glass of vino or cup of char.

You could make a pomander from almost any flower; hydrangea florets, spray roses & rose buds and dahlia are just some examples. I would opt for smaller, more rounded flowers to give a better shape. 

It’ll look something like this…

At least 24 hours before you make your pomander ball, you will need to have conditioned your flowers and foliage.  To do this, take any off plastic wrapping, strip the flower stems of any foliage and  cut about 10% off the end of the stem at an angle with a very sharp knife.  Place the stems in fresh, cold water, out of the way of drafts, heat and passing traffic.  The flowers need to ‘settle’ and this process is called conditioning.  If you pick garden flowers or foliage they will wilt quickly and conditioning them will ensure they become strong and last.

Step 1

Soak your sphere in a bowl until it is wet through- you should never push the oasis under the surface, let it absorb the water.

Next, take your ribbon and fold it in half- the looped end will become the handle (photo 1).

Align the middle of your wire with the centre of the folded ribbon and wind this around the ribbon, pulling tight and twisting into position (photo 2).

Treating the two ends of wire as one single piece, push through the centre of the foam until the ends come through and the ribbon is snugly inside the foam (photos 3 + 4).

Fold the ends of the wire over and push back up into the foam (photo 5 + 6).

At this point, I usually cover the ribbon in a sandwich bag to protect is from marking or getting too wet (photo 7).

Step 2

Next you need to prepare your flowers and foliage (photo 8).

Each stem should be around 2 inches long. Cut the stems at an angle, stripping 1/3 of the foliage (photo 9).

No foliage should be pushed into the foam, just clean stems.

Started at the ribboned top, begin to add your flowers and foliage. Because I have used ranunculus, mint and fennel, the stems are quite soft and I have had to make a hole first to push the stems into (photo 10).

Thicker stems such as rosemary and roses wouldn’t need you to do this. To make a hole for the softer stems, use a woody stem, not much thicker than your flowers and push into the oasis about 1cm deep. Then push in your flower or foliage stem (photo 11).

Step 3

Using a mix of foliage and flowers begin to add all the stems, keeping the blooms tightly packed so no oasis peeps through (photo 12).

Stop every so often and move the ball around and look at what you’ve done, to ensure the balance is consistent and even on the eye (photo 13 + 14).

When you get to a point where there is just a small piece of oasis left, it can be tricky to hold. To manage this, cup the whole ball in your hand so your weight isn’t concentrated on one part of the flowers and doesn’t crush them.

Step 4

Once your pomander ball is completely covered and you have filled any gaps, you can take the bag off the ribbon- you have finished! (photo 15).

Arrange the ends of the ribbon and cut the ends at an angle so they look neat. To transport the pomander ball, fill a small box with tissue paper and place the ball gently inside- the smaller the box the less it’ll move around.

Final tips…

The flowers are in wet oasis so they will last all day and up to a week after the wedding- provided they’re not too thrown around on the day. Experiment with different ribbons, textures and flowers- you could even add succulents or lollipops!

If you loved this tutorial from Jay Archer Floral Design and like the idea making your own cake stand table centre, flower crown or wrist corsage, take a look at all Jay’s DIY tutorials.