Flower School : Mastering The Art Of Floral Design

How is your flower garden doing?  Conditions have been great for my roses, daisies, and lilies, and I often cut some for the house.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a great artistic sense and my bouquets are a bit of a jumble.

I need to study Paula Pryke’s Flower School : Mastering The Art Of Floral Design (2006.  ANF 745.92 PRY) to see if I can do better.  Pryke runs a flower school in London, England, with students coming from all over the world to learn her signature style.

The book begins by talking about her signature style that appears to lean towards large colourful masses of flowers.  Photographs showing roses grouped around candles, inside boxes, towering over urns and spilling out of vases set the stage for the rest of the book.

Fundamentals of design rules and colour concepts are followed up with lessons on using equipment such as floral wire, sponge, and tape, and arranging flowers for best effect.  The Bunching And Bundling lesson has a lovely picture of fennel, hydrangea, lady’s mantle, roses, viburnam berries, and lavender all artistically arranged.  Who would have thought of that combination? For those involved in weddings there are also tips for boutonniers and bridal headpieces in the wirework section. 

A problem I always have is how to treat different kinds of flowers so they last for a while without drooping, wilting or fading.  Pryke has a section on how to cut and condition various blooms to last, including the tip on inserting a bamboo skewer or cane in the hollow stem to help support the flower head.

Now that I have some pointers, I am going out to gather rosebuds and make my own signature style.  Imagine the perfume as I sit and read with floral arrangements all around me. 

>> Find this book in VIRL’s catalogue

Taken with permission from Gloria Novak’s “Good Reads at the Library”