Even amid spring’s hectic bounty, flower arranging tips are always appreciated. Luckily for us, floral designer Ariella Chezar visited SHED last weekend to discuss her seasonally-inspired flower philosophy.
Ariella’s new book, The Flower Workshop, is an essential flower-arranging guide for all of us.
We were recently honored to host a large and experienced group of floral professionals from throughout California. Ariella worked with each attendee personally, but also offered overall suggestions for everyone.
Start with Color
Don’t know where to begin? Pick your palette with nature as your guide. SHED floral designer Sue Volkel favors the delicate, salmon hued-ranunculus from Front Porch Farm in early spring.
Keep stems in their place
Chezar prefers to use floral frogs (bottom right) to keep flowers in their place. These sturdy stem holders were commonplace generations ago and sit comfortably at the bottom of a sturdy Campo di Fiori pot (top right) to hold even the trickiest flowers upright, without the crumbly mess of floral foam.
Go green
In addition to colorful, seasonal flowers, Chezar loves to add in leaves, branches, and vines for both texture and character. These green, neutral tones add another element of visual interest to the arrangement.
Find your focus
Any arrangement needs a center point to pull it together. Start with stiffer stems and work towards the more delicate, and remember to work all the way around your shape. The pops of brilliant yellow and asymmetry in Chezar’s arrangement keeps the eye intrigued.
Grow together
On her Zonnefeld Farm in Ghent, NY, Chezar grows a mix of trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals, and bulbs. This harmony out in the field is reflected in her relaxed arrangements, inspired by how plants grow together, rather than tightly bound bunches. Here at SHED, we source lilacs, hydrangeas, dahlias, and roses from our own HomeFarm that grow alongside smoke bush, eleagnus, blackberries, honeysuckle, olive trees, and more.
Great article i really enjoyed reading it. I will say that the tips were spot on and are worthy of being picked up on for all of us florists. Its true that color is key to grabbing the attention of the audience and that is certainly a way to do it. At the same time I also enjoyed your tip on “staying green”. While it is true that color does grasp the attention of the consumer; it is great to pay an homage to where it all began and add simplicity to our plants with greens. Just as you mentioned that flowers grow together in harmony; we grow together as florists and this certainly is a great stepping stone for anyone who comes across these tips.