Wreath-making with Diana Conklin
Posted in Learning Experiences, People on November 28 2011, by Joyce Newman
Meet Diana Conklin, one of NYBG’s Adult Education instructors teaching a variety of botanical craft classes for the holidays.
Holiday wreath-making expert Diana Conklin was born and raised on a potato farm along the east end of Long Island–that was before the area was taken over by vineyards! And coming from a farming background, Diana’s love of all things botanical is deeply ingrained.
Her studio, Everlastings by Diana, remains on the family farm in one of their barns. There she specializes in creating stunning dried flower arrangements, many of which are displayed at local craft galleries and events.
Diana’s artistic background earned her a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she studied ceramics and sculpture. That in-depth training is reflected in the amazing arrangements she creates. In her early work she would grow and dry many of the flowers that she used in her flower arrangements, but through the years her focus has shifted to the detail and styles of her final designs.
Many of these designs are influenced by established European styles, abundant with tightly-packed flowers displayed in rows or tiers.
However, the variety of her talents allows her to work within a traditional country style as well, often using simple but elegant flowers and grasses to create attractive pieces for occasions year-round.
Pictured here are intensely-colored celosia (also known as cockscomb) that were harvested on September 29, some of them measuring up to ten inches wide. They will be dry and ready to go into an arrangement just in time for the holidays, though the careful nature of their preparation will ensure Diana’s creations last well into the season.
If you’d like to meet Diana and learn a bit about wreath-making for yourself, sign up for one of the NYBG’s holiday classes:
Large Evergreen Wreath or Five-Foot Garland
December 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Pick whichever wreath-making class piques your interest! Diana Conklin will teach you to make wreaths and garlands from an assortment of materials, and help you design your very own creation.
December 10, 2 to 5 p.m.
Create a Tuscan garden pot for your next party centerpiece! Use fragrant herbs, hydrangeas, roses, lavender, and more. Diana’s know-how will give you the skills to fashion a winning arrangement.
To register for upcoming classes, call 1-800-322-NYBG.
To browse NYBG full course offerings at the Garden, Midtown Manhattan and other locations download our catalog.
Photo credit: Everlastings.net
What a home! Really sweet.