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Two new arrangements 8/15, after work. I started out with some elegantly aging roses I bought in Union Square the other day. They are charming because they're so droopy and whimsical, very English looking and with a strong perfume. I also got some lemon basil that I planned to use as supporting foliage/stems. Next I picked up some Ars shears (which the clerk assured me were the ones Serious Florists use), two flower frogs, and a few vases in different sizes. I started arranging the roses in the short wide vase and ended up with too little to fill the space and a lot of roses drooping in different directions. In the end I used a short glass cup, wider at the top than the bottom, for four of the roses in two colors, and then a similar cup for three other of the most lively ones. Photos below.

It took me more than an hour to put them in these cups like this.

That accomplishes this week's goal of creating a very simple arrangement with one type of bloom; "focal flowers." I ended up doing it having forgotten that goal to start with and ending up there anyway. I guess it's because when I bought the flowers in the first place I had that intention in mind.

The right tools make it a lot easier (shears) and also more confusing (frogs). Not entirely sure when or how to use them. I will refer to the book I have and observe patterns about when the frogs are used.

Am starving, time to make some eggs. I'll probably use some of the lemon basil since there are a bunch more leaves than there are blooms. It smells delicious and like lemony pot.

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First arrangement, Sunday morning 8/11/13.
The flowers are similar to astilbe, so I used the guide for an astilbe arrangement in The Flower Recipe Book (from Studio Choo). I will research to find out what kind of flower it really is.

The biggest challenge was finding the right vessels for the arrangements. The first thing I tried was a rectangular can, which leaked. Next I went for a ball jar, whose neck was too wide - so I tried another with a smaller neck. This worked great. I'm just using scissors at this point and have had no trouble.

Otherwise it was just that the flowers were expensive (Dean & Deluca - on the way back from a doctor's appointment on Spring Street I passed D&D, went in for some yogurt, and couldn't resist their flower display) and it was hard to find the right quantities and types. The small roses came in bundles of twenty or thirty, and were about $15. I decided against these because there seemed to be so many, but in retrospect I probably could have found a way to use them. It was nice to work with a smaller selection, though, despite there not being any "focal" flowers. I feel a nice calmness about all of this that keeps me from leaping beyond my capabilities which are obviously very limited and then feeling overwhelmed or unable.


I have two types of greenery and the almost-astilbe. Two have almost the same stem width - fairly thick and strong - so they are well supported and support each other.

Today I also ordered a book by Constance Spry called Winter and Spring Flowers. I saw it on Amy Merrick's blog. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Goals for the upcoming week, since I didn't write any yet: I'd like to make a few simple arrangements with focal flowers in isolation, to continue practicing with different vessel shapes and elegant lines. I'll be sure to ask at the store if I don't know the name of a particular flower. I would also like to have a better sense of what types of flowers are in season, so that I can plan my work around what materials are actually available, and not approximations (though that was a useful exercise, not to be scoffed at!).

Also learn how the eff to handle html on blogger.