In honor of the May Older Americans’ Month theme of “Unleash the Power of Age,” Bessie Bassitt, a retiree of Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio, Bluffton, volunteered at Maple Crest last week and demonstrated the art of arranging live floral bouquets. 

Bassitt’s mother loved flowers and instilled in her daughter the knack for growing them.  Perhaps, too, Bassitt’s 35 years as a beautician, (before her 11 years at Mennonite Memorial Home in the activities department), gave her the eye for symmetry and style necessary for flower arranging. 

Mostly, though, Bassitt credits her ability with flowers to her 35 years of participation in garden club with a very strong influence from the talents of Phoebe Clapper, (Maple Crest resident), in that club. 

Bassitt said that her guiding rules for floral arrangements come from the regulations used by judges at the Allen County Fair.  The first time that she entered the fair with an artistic display titled, “Grandma’s Bean Pot,” she won first place, so she picked up on the requirements right off the bat.

The afternoon session at Maple Crest resulted in the designing of four bouquets made out of a variety of flowers and greenery, from roses to miniature lilacs, and spider mums to carnations.  Each of the four works of art had their own specific style – the L-shaped design at a right angle, the triangle design, the colonial (round) bouquet, and the “Spring Basket.” 

Bassitt’s three main secrets to the process are: 
1. Always create your “line” (the visual shape) first. 
2. Make a “bed” with plenty of greens and “put your flowers to bed.” 
3. Always place an odd number of flowers in the bouquet.

All four masterpieces, along with three Victorian nosegays or “tussie-mussies” (created ahead of time), were given as door prizes to the residents who attended the event. The first choice went to Phoebe Clapper for being Bassitt’s mentor in the world of gardening. 

Clapper is pictured with her choice of the “Spring Basket.”