Imagine a sphere of bright-red flowers sitting on a pedestal or floating in a pool. Whimsical globes consisting of hundreds of orange, red, fuschia, and yellow Gerbera daisies are one of the specialties of Avi Adler Flowers in Brooklyn, New York. Large or small, in groups or alone, these fanciful flower balls are like nothing you or your guests have ever seen.

Dipping the flowers into preserving solution seals moisture into them, prolonging their life. This is the magic that makes it possible to place these centerpieces almost anywhere without worrying about wilting. Sturdy flowers such as carnations and Gerbera daisies must be used to ensure a clearly defined form. You can also use Styrofoam in the shape of pyramids or cubes as a base to create a different effect.

Making a Floral Sphere Centerpiece
Chicken wire
Wire cutters
20-gauge wire
Shallow glass container, such as baking dish, for submerging flower heads
Water
Flower-preserving solution
Flower clippers
Flowers, such as Gerbera daisies or carnations, approximately 500 per ball
Drying rack, such as a cooling rack for cookies
Styrofoam ball (Oasis ball if you are using carnations)

1. If you would like to hang the ball, wrap it with a 2-inch belt of chicken wire before you begin. Once the ball is covered, you can loop a piece of wire through the chicken wire to hang it.

2. Cut the 20-gauge wire into approximately 4-inch pieces. Bend each wire into the shape of a bobby pin.

3. Mix one part water with one part flower-preserving solution in shallow baking dish.

4. One at a time, cut the stems off each flower so only the heads remain, and immediately submerge the blooms in the solution, then turn them over. Anywhere moisture can escape must be sealed. Set them aside on drying rack until you've done a batch of 50 or so.

5. Pass both ends of each wire through the center of a blossom and then into the Styrofoam sphere, attaching it to the sphere.

Repeat this process, working systematically around the ball. Overlap the petals slightly to ensure that the Styrofoam is completely covered.

David Stark
Avi Adler Flowers
87 Luquer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-243-0804

Crowning Glory (polymer-based floral preservative)
Available at local floral-supply stores