THE FLOWERBOOK
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THE FLOWERBOOK
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Contents
Preface 6
Designing with Flowers 8
Winter & Early Spring 28
Late Spring & Early Summer 80
Late Summer & Fal 142
Tropicals 204
Index & Acknowledgments 220
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Foreword
I consider myself one of the lucky few who get to stage, showing how they help me to create all of my do what they love for a living. Arranging the flowers arrangements. I have also included more specific notes I have worked so hard to grow is, for me, the ultimate on the principles of arranging front-facing displays expression of creativity. In this book I want to share and centerpieces, as well as il ustrated, step-by-step with you how I create my natural-style arrangements.
instructions on how to create a hand-tied bouquet.
I chanced upon this career after some years of working in horticulture. My last job brought me to a wal ed kitchen garden where I was employed to grow produce, including flowers, for the big house. I was able I like to create arrangements
to grow and forage whatever I liked in order to create with plenty of space for
arrangements inspired by this quintessential y English pol inators to wing their way
location. After six years of experimentation and learning, I took the leap and set up my own flower between the stems.
farm, Green and Gorgeous, in the Oxfordshire countryside. At the farm, we offer a local, seasonal, and natural alternative to more commercial suppliers. I have no formal training and do not claim to be a florist.
The main section of the book has sixty profiles of my My style is intuitive and soulful, guided by how plants favorite cut flowers divided into chapters by season.
grow and interact with each other in the garden and in Each profile contains information on why the bloom nature. This leads to arrangements that are airy and makes a good cut flower, how it is best displayed, and abundant, with plenty of space for pol inators to wing what to look for when buying or harvesting stems.
their way between the stems. I consider my work to be Accompanying half of the profiles are step-by-step an expression of my love for flowers.
arrangement recipes that il ustrate one of the ways The opening chapter of this book works through in which I feel these flowers are best displayed.
my arrangement process step by step. I start with the I hope you enjoy this book, and that it inspires you to container, considering the size, shape, and material.
seek out and arrange seasonal flowers, perhaps local y, The next stage is selecting my palette of flowers and or even to grow some in your own garden.
foliage. I always work with what is in season as this helps to narrow down the overwhelming range that is available. What is more, this practice provides immediate examples of natural combinations as flowers that are in season at the same time tend to look more at ease with each other.
I break down the arrangement process itself into three stages, which I refer to as the three “F”s: “foliage,”
“focal flowers,” and “final flourish.” I will expand on each Rachel Siegfried
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DESIGNING
WITH FLOWERS
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DESIGNING
WITH FLOWERS
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10 Designing with Flowers
MUGS & PITCHERS
Choose a
I love the simplicity of glazed ceramic mugs or pitchers.
They come in an endless variety of shapes and colors, and their domestic nature works well with a straightforward bunch of one type of flower, al owing you to create an easy, affordable centerpiece.
Container
For me, every arrangement starts with the
container, so this should be your first
consideration. Think about what mood or style you want to evoke, and the flowers that may be available to you. Here are examples of different types of containers and what types of flowers work well in them. Remember, anything can be a container as long as it can be made watertight.
FOOTED CONTAINERS
Urns and footed bowls are wonderful
shapes for natural-style floristry. They
lift up the arrangement so that the
foliage and flowers have space to
trail and arch—bringing movement
and providing a sense of
natural growth.
MULTIPLE CONTAINERS
Clusters of small containers with just a few stems each are a good way of displaying different varieties or colors of a flower. They are also an effective way of spreading color and texture across a large surface area—such as down the center of a long table.
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Choose a Container 11
LARGE-SCALE CONTAINERS
TALL, NARROW CONTAINERS
An enamel bucket is the perfect example of a large-scale The cylindrical shape of this giant jar
container. This shape demands a bold approach, so use beautiful y displays tal , spire-shaped
large-headed flowers and plenty of branching foliage to flowers. It has a narrower rim that
ensure that the design is in proportion to the container.
al ows the flowers to fan out,
giving them space and
creating a pleasing
overall outline.
FAN VASES
My favorite shape of container, the fan vase has a formality that I like to contrast with wild, unruly compositions. Its wide, open shape can hold lush, abundant arrangements with plenty of variety in flowers and foliage.
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12 Designing with Flowers
Choose Your
Flowers
Look for variety and contrast
in texture—such as spiky
The range of flowers in a florist or at a flower thistles next to silky petals.
farm can be overwhelming, and you may not
know where to begin. Follow these steps to
ensure that you achieve a good balance of
shapes, textures, and colors when selecting flowers for your arrangement. When
considering individual flowers, hold them up The hornbeam will
to the materials you have already selected to act as the woody,
framework foliage.
judge which will work together. I get a
“buzz” when I find a good combination.
I begin by considering
shape and form before
selecting color.
1CHOOSE YOUR PRIMARY
FOCAL FLOWER
These are the flowers that will take center stage in your design—they are normal y eye-catching in color, shape, or size, such as dahlias, sunflowers, or tulips. Also consider the container that you have chosen. Large, globe-shaped flowers work well in low, wide containers where they have plenty of elbow room, while a container with a dark, metal ic finish can make bright, vibrant colors real y stand out. Choosing a focal flower can be very This
apricot-colored waterlily dahlia
simple—just go for one that you real y like.
acts as the primary focal flower.
It is big enough and showy enough to
demand center stage in an arrangement.
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Choose Your Flowers 13
3ADD A FINAL FLOURISH
Choose the final flourish flowers next as they will relate to your focal flowers. These wispy, more delicate flowers will often have small heads and wiry stems, adding direction and movement to the composition. Good examples are small The zinnia will be a
daisy shapes, grasses, or umbel-shaped flowers. I often select harmonizing focal
these to pick up a color in the focal flowers, creating a Red-leaved rose acts
flower, matching
connection across the arrangement.
as decorative
the dahlia in color
foliage, providing
and shape, but
a contrast in color.
smaller in size.
The chocolate cosmos will be a final
flourish. Its deep burgundy petals pick up the color of the freckles inside the bel s of the foxglove.
4CHOOSE FOLIAGE
To create an abundant, lush
arrangement, plenty of foliage is
important. I usual y aim for three different types, which al ows for a good variation in texture. First select the woody framework
foliage, which consist of longer branches,
such as hornbeam or hawthorn, that will
dictate the size and shape of the finished
design. Then look for filler foliage, which is used to add volume to the arrangement.
This will have shorter stems with plenty
of branching side shoots, for example
choice is a decorative foliage, which
will have a contrasting shape or color,
or something to add movement to the
arrangement; good examples are red-
leaved rose, jasmine, and other climbers.
The foxglove will be
a contrasting focal
flower. It varies in
both form and color
with the dahlia.
2COMBINE FOCAL FLOWERS
Once you have your first focal flower, you need to select a couple of other secondary focals.
These can either harmonize or contrast with your primary focal flower in shape, color, and texture.
They must not upstage your number-one choice, Now move on to Create Support
but act in a supporting and enhancing role.
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14 Designing with Flowers
Create Support
The first step of the arrangement process is to prepare the container for the flowers. Most containers need some work behind the scenes to help anchor the stems and ensure a loose, natural-looking arrangement. For most of my arrangements, I create a cage by making a ball out of chicken wire and placing it inside the container. This provides a mesh surface for the stems to be threaded onto.
The chicken-wire support
al ows you to create
“airy abundance”—ful
arrangements with space
between the stems.
1CONSTRUCT A
CHICKEN-WIRE BALL
Create a chicken-wire ball that resembles
a concertina, with multiple layers of wire for the stems to rest on. Don’t make the ball too open, as it will struggle to support the stems, or too tight, as you may be unable to fit the stems through the gaps in the wire.
Chicken wire can be
found online or in good
hardware stores.
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Create Support 15
OTHER SUPPORTS
TAPE LATTICE
FLORAL FOAM
Chicken wire doesn’t work in glass
When a pin holder isn’t big enough to
containers as it will be visible from
support large-stemmed flowers in an
the outside. In situations where you
arrangement, I use a small amount
need to construct support, create a
of floral foam in the bottom of the
lattice of clear tape over the top of
container to mimic the a floral pin
the container. To do this, stick two
holder's effect. The foam is fixed in
or more paral el lines of tape across
place by being pushed onto a pin holder, the container's opening and another
which is itself tacked to the bottom of two or more paral el lines of tape
the container. However, I use floral
perpendicular to the first set.
foam only when absolutely necessary as
it can cause flowers to wilt more quickly and it is not environmental y friendly.
Floral pin holders can be used
on their own or as a secondary
form of support for arrangements
with a chicken-wire bal . The
base of the flower stems are
pushed onto the pins.
2PLACE FLORAL PIN HOLDERS
For some arrangements, chicken wire alone is not sufficient to support the flowers—particularly if you are using heavy, berried 3PLACE THE CHICKEN-WIRE BALL
Ensure that the ball of chicken wire is sitting flush with the rim of the container. Place a cross of tape over the top of branches. For extra support, put a metal pin holder into the bottom the container to secure the ball in place. The container is fil ed of the container, fixing it in place using floral tack.
with water at this point.
Now move on to Position the Foliage
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16 Designing with Flowers
Position the
Foliage
The first stage of the arranging itself is
2ADD THE FILLER FOLIAGE
Fill the space between the woody framework
the foliage. The foliage is as important as the branches with shorter stems. Their purpose is flowers in achieving a natural floral style.
to create cover and volume in the main body of the arrangement, connecting it with the container and It acts as the foundation of the arrangement, providing a backdrop for the focal flowers.
outlining its shape and creating a neutral and supportive background for the flowers, as wel as connecting them to the container. The
leaves add variety and texture, and, of
course, beauty in their own right.
1CREATE THE FRAMEWORK
Start with the framework foliage—these are the longest, sturdiest branches that will outline the highest and widest points of the composition. Take your time to position these as this initial structure will be the guide for the rest of the arrangement. For wide arrangements, form a rough triangle shape by taking three woody branches and positioning two horizontal y and one vertical y. For dome-shaped
arrangements, create a rounder, more
symmetrical framework.
Hornbeam is my favorite
framework foliage. It can
be used from spring through to
fal , it has beautiful pleated
leaves, and it’s a good fresh green.
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Position the Foliage 17
3ADD A DECORATIVE TOUCH
Keep the length of your decorative foliage stems fairly Eucalyptus acts as
long, and let them sit in the container in the direction a filler foliage with its
smooth, rounded leaves
they would natural y grow, al owing them to arch or trail and branching growth.
as they would in nature. These branches will provide a contrast color or texture to the rest of the foliage.
Red-leaved rose is a decorative foliage.
Its plum-colored leaves are produced on arching, deep maroon stems. Elegant and feathery, it is a colorful addition to your foliage palette.
Now move on to Place the Focal Flowers
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18 Designing with Flowers
Place the
I decided to display the
Focal Flowers
back of ‘Totally Tangerine’
dahlia—with its intense color
and bold form, it is equally as
interesting from this angle.
The next step is to add the focal flowers.
Think about how flowers grow on the
plant—often in clusters or layers and facing in different directions. Use the plant’s natural growth habit to inspire your own choices.
You should also consider the arrangement’s
final position and the angle from which
it will be viewed.
1PLACE THE LARGER
FOCAL FLOWERS
I tend to place the leading or largest focal flowers first and then work down in size from there. For low, wide arrangements, tuck the largest focal flowers into the foliage and slightly off-center. I have used two large dahlias in this asymmetrical arrangement, but I do often work with odd numbers, which are general y easier on the eye. Prop up heavy-headed flowers by resting them on the rim of the container or foliage stems.
The daisy shape of ‘Zinderella
Lilac’ zinnia with its dark centrer
makes it a great little focal—
because it is smal , it can be used
as an accent dotted around
the larger flowers.
Before cutting and placing a stem,
hold it up to the arrangement to get a feel for where it will look most effective.
The color of ‘Warm Wishes’ rose contains shades of all the other focal
flowers—the soft peachy pinks of the ‘ Cafe au Lait’ dahlias and zinnias, and the corals and apricots of the other dahlias.
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Place the Focal Flowers 19
The ‘Cafe au Lait’ dahlias are undoubtedly the main focal flowers. I cut the stems short and nestled them in low—almost resting their heavy heads on the rim of the container.