The Perfect Bouquet
Nearly every day of my growing season finds me in the Gardens.
Tending to plants
Planting seedlings
Watering dry areas
Protecting from dangerous bugs
Trimming and dead-heading
Planning where to put new blooms
Weeding… endless weeding
And of course, cutting the flowers.
The list really goes on and on. Why do I do it?
In 2023 I realized I had spent hundreds, maybe thousands of hours in the flowers without creating a single bouquet. Why is that?
I grow flowers because I love them! I believe in the unspeakable power that flowers have on a human soul. It is amazing to me that we celebrate flowers at the peak of their life yet trivialize the time it took to get to that peak of beauty and minimize or perhaps disregard flowers as they age out. There is so much symbolism to our human life in flowers. There are parallels everywhere.
Even with all the time I spend in the flowers, I want… maybe even crave more. This is when I began a deep dive study of how to make the “Perfect Bouquet”.
I studied with several floral artists from Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia. I studied with the famous Amy Balsters. I studied the work of Korean floristry. All of it led me back to my own flowers. What do I see around me? What can I physically touch in my own Treasure Valley?
There is something powerful in using flowers we know where they came from. It ties us to the Earth around us. Trendy people now like to call it “Sustainability”. My grandmother called it “Seasonality”
So what do I consider “The Perfect Bouquet”?
Surprisingly, I have yet to make one. However I lean into perfection when I follow a few general guides I have created for myself whether it is going to be a bud vase or a large Sympathy design.
Use Local... and always seasonal
Begin with a structure in mind
Create Mechanics to match my structure
Begin with my focal point
Build with lines
Fill in with flair - lighter smaller flowers
Add aged and budding blooms for depth and richness.
Add foliage that compliments
Top with texture
Float with care
This is the year, I will experience my own Year In Flowers. Each week I will be creating my own design. Sometimes they will be preordered, but sometimes they will be available for purchase.
Do you want to deep dive into creating your own perfect bouquet? Join me in one of the workshops this season.
You are going to Love experiencing first hand the abundance and true beauty of local flowers.
