Fall Pumpkin Centerpiece with Dutch Master Florist Robert Koene
Updated: Sep 23
Thank you to everyone who joined our live this weekend! We had a wonderful time with Robert Koene, who showed us how to turn a pumpkin into a fall centerpiece. Here's a recap of the conversation, plus the full flower recipe so you can make your own!
Meet Robert
Robert grew up in the Netherlands in a floral family. His father was a flower exporter, and he was at the Dutch flower auctions (Aalsmeer and Westland, two of the biggest in the world) by age five. He studied both horticulture and floral design, and he has now spent more than 35 years in the industry. He has designed for royalty and large weddings across five continents, and he teaches floral design. He's been living and working in the United States for the past three years.
What Robert taught us
Culture shapes color. Designing for so many cultures taught him that people see color differently. After designing flowers for royalty and weddings on five continents, Robert has noticed that where you live shapes what you love. Sunny places go bold and bright, while cooler, Nordic-style regions lean softer. The same split shows up in the U.S., where the South and the North have different color tastes. Weather changes the flowers themselves too: in the heat, designers reach for tougher blooms, and in cooler places, they can get away with the delicate ones.
Fall is the richest season for flowers. Most people assume spring has the widest variety, but Robert says fall offers more varieties of flowers than any other time of year. Winter is sparse, and summer can be thin when you rely on imports.
Go small, then multiply. Robert's favorite design principle is repetition, and it's simpler than it sounds. Instead of one big, extravagant centerpiece, make several small ones. He built six pumpkin arrangements and would line them down a rectangular table, because when small pieces sit side by side, they hit harder than one large arrangement would.
Work in layers. Don't build your arrangement on one level. Mix textures, such as roses under wispy grasses, and vary heights. Dark colors recede and light colors come forward, so use that to create depth.
It's never really finished. Robert adds finishing touches right at the table, and he says his tables are never done.
How to make it
Choose your pumpkin. Pick one from a local pumpkin patch or grocery store. Robert chose a color that would pair with his base colors of yarrow and hydrangea.
Cut the top off and scoop out the insides with a spoon (save the pumpkin flesh for soup). Cheap carving tools from a dollar store work fine.
Line the pumpkin. Use a garbage bag or any piece of plastic, doubled, so the pumpkin stays dry.
Add wet floral foam. Cut it to fit, then place it inside the plastic-lined pumpkin. Robert recommends doing this in the kitchen, since it gets wet.
Build in this order: greenery first, then the hydrangea base, then your textures and accent flowers.
Finish with height and movement, adding a few stems of grass or airy filler at the end.
The flower recipe
Greenery and foliage
Seeded eucalyptus
Oak leaves
Scented geranium (pelargonium) leaves
Galax leaves
Base and focal flowers
Hydrangea (base)
Roses, including an orange variety for warmth and tiny spray roses for texture
Dahlias
Yarrow (achillea)
Accents and texture
Scabiosa, plus scabiosa pods, which are what the flowers turn into after they bloom
Solanum 'Long John'
Limonium
Asclepias (the sap is milky, so wash your hands after cutting it)
Dried wheat
Panicum 'Fountain' (explosion grass) for height and movement
You don't have to follow this exactly. Robert encouraged us to use whatever you have on hand, including greenery from your own garden.
How long will it last?
In answer to a viewer question, Robert says it will stay fresh for about five to six days. Keep it watered, which is easy to forget when the foam is hidden inside a pumpkin.
Giving back
These centerpieces aren't staying on our table. They're going to the nurses at Lutheran General Hospital. Robert put it best: nurses take care of you when you're sick, so it's always good to take care of them. That idea is at the heart of That Flower Feeling. We're an organization on a mission to remind Americans of the beauty and importance of having and giving flowers. Every month we run giveaways, and we host pop-ups across the country where we hand out free flowers, because a bouquet really can change someone's whole day!
A huge thank you to Kennicott for sponsoring this live and providing the beautiful flowers. Thank you to Lutheran General Hospital as well for giving us the space to create.
Try it yourself
Robert's last tip for us: don't hesitate, just go for it. If you make your own, tag @thatflowerfeeling and Robert. We'd love to see it! We'll also be sharing more of Robert's work over the next few weeks.
Happy fall everyone!
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