A roomful of frogs greeted the members of the Plantation Garden Club when they met on Wednesday, March 9, at the Sumner Baptist Church. These were not the jumping kind of frog, but the kind that floral designers use to secure flowers in their containers.
In recent years, the use of flower frogs has waned because of the convenience of floral foam (often known as Oasis). But today, garden clubs and professional florists are turning to other design aids, especially the traditional frogs, because they are much more environmentally friendly than floral foam.
Cindy Ellis of Sumner, who has been collecting frogs at estate sales for years, demonstrated several different types and explained how they are used. She believes the devices are called frogs because they frequently sit halfway in the water and hallway out, but the origin of the name is not certain.
Pin frogs were probably the first to be developed and they are favored by ikebana enthusiasts because of their ability to hold stems precisely, as is required in Japanese flower arranging. The most versatile frog is the cage type, which allows florists to secure stems both at the top and the bottom of the frog, making it possible to use stems at different angles in massed arrangements.
Folded chicken wire works on the same principle as the cage frog and has the advantage of being flexible. Pins and cages are typically made of metal, but Cindy has one or two made of plastic, as well.
Glass frogs are flat and are almost invisible when in use. Ceramic frogs are pretty enough to become an integral part of the design, needing no disguise. Marbles, pebbles and tape grids are additional methods of controlling the placement of stems in a vase.
Since most of the club members were not practiced in the use of frogs, a workshop followed Cindy’s presentation. Four groups were formed, each choosing a container, a frog and floral material to create a design. Finished arrangements were delivered to Regions Bank, The Sumner Grille, Sumner Town Hall and Tallahatchie General Hospital.
After a brief period of announcements, the ladies enjoyed cheese wafers, nuts, double rum cake and coffee provided by hostesses, Amy Clark, Lydia Dunavent and Debbie Morrow. The table was enhanced by a vase of beautiful sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, entitled “Pray for Ukraine.”
Sherry Clark is the president of the Plantation Garden Club and Lyn Gates is vice president. The club gathers monthly and its members explore a different gardening topic at each meeting.
