Obama's White House florist gives tips on holiday wreathmaking

Dowling (seated) with (l to r) Jazmin Perez, Destini X Shakur, and Bianca George

"Wreath Magic" with the former White House florist, Laura Dowling, was held in Building 1 of AmericasMart yesterday afternoon as part of a Creative Workshop series for members. 

Dowling was the chief White House floral designer from 2009 - 2015. Before her service at the Obama White House, Dowling was senior manager of strategic communications at The Nature Conservancy. Dowling has a Master's Degree in public administration. She studied French floral art in Paris and also studied floristry in Germany. As creative director for flowers and decor at the White House, she managed thousands of official and private events, including the iconic White House Christmas.

Dowling said you can use almost anything to make a wreath as long as you have layers and imagination. (pictured here in front of wreath using marshmallows)

"Christmas at the White House was a year long planning process," Dowling said when I asked her about how culture and colors were interjected into floral designs while the first African American family lived there.

"Mrs. Obama selected the theme... she loved holiday planning. It was important to her that each member of the family was represented, even their dogs! Designing for her involved personal aesthetics coupled with traditional White House expectations. There were Kwanzaa as well as Hanukkah decorations," Dowling said. 

The Obama White House was about hope and change, and Dowling dealt with floral diplomacy. According to Dowling's bio, she believes that "flowers can be more than just decorative objects, conveying important diplomatic messages, cultural meaning and symbolic metaphor."

Since Michelle Obama had her own White House garden, many organic elements were used in decorations. Also, Dowling repurposed and recycled items from the White House warehouse and collected soda and beer cans to use in decorations, since aluminum is a wonderful material to use, she said. Mrs. Obama's major Christmas theme was "Simple Gifts".

First Ladies add their own flair to White House decorations amidst all male portraits of Presidents.

Every First Lady puts her stamp on the White House, Dowling said. First Lady Caroline Harrison in the late 1800's was the first to decorate with Christmas trees lit with electric lights, and simple wreaths were placed in White House windows. 

In 1964, garlands on the portico added simplicity and synergy. Nancy Reagan used popcorn and tinsel in the Executive Mansion Christmas Tree. The Clinton's wreaths were too heavy and created a flower emergency. 

Donna Murray was one of three lucky participants who won a door prize - a wreath made from purple cabbages, petite potatoes, and orchids.

Dowling said thousands of people apply to be volunteers each year to decorate the White House. Those who are selected know how to use color, layers, and a variety of elements, including bulbs, vegetables, fruits, preservatives, water tubes, flowers, branches, feathers, pods, fur, ribbon, acorns, snowflakes, heather, berries, coxcombs, leaves, and peppers.

Tangerines, leaves, and orchids make a beautiful wreath.

A very memorable time for Dowling included a volunteer losing her diamond ring amidst hundreds of decorations which was found after a Secret Service man utilized a metal detector. Another memorable event was her designing a floral arrangement with hot peppers without gloves which resulted in her hands burning for 10 hours.

Dowling's book, Wreaths: with How-to Tutorials, was introduced at the AmericasMart event. To watch her TEDx talk, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcUzE7t_3o8