Barrett Patti - The Flower Arrangers Garden

by Patricia R. Barrett

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Cover illustration by Elayne Sears
Cover design by Carol J. Jessop (Black Trout Design)
Text illustrations by Alison Kolesar

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Barrett, Patricia R.

The flower arrangers garden / by Patricia R. Barrett

A Storey Publishing Bulletin

ISBN 0-88266-513-8

The flower arranger is an artist whose materials are those things that grow around him or her. Choosing and growing your own materials can be as creative an experience as making the finished arrangement.

Successful flower arranging and gardening for arranging take practice and experimentation. But once you have tried it youll be thrilled to have a work of art on display in your home your own arrangement.

Growing your own plant material for flower arrangements allows you to plan ahead. With some forethought, you can grow certain flowers for a special event such as a wedding or a flower show, have enough foliage for large arrangements, and decorate your home year round with bouquets of homegrown flowers.

A flower arrangers garden does not, however, have to be large. A garden can be created on a small scale that will give you flowers and foliage throughout the year. Trees, shrubs, edging plants, and even herb and vegetable gardens can be planted with a flower arrangement in mind. Chive flowers dry beautifully and work well in small bouquets. A few leaves of a red lettuce can be tucked into a bowl of green Envy zinnias for a striking, and maybe ribbon-winning, arrangement.

Before planting something you should consider not only how it will look in the garden but also how it will do when cut and brought into the house. In addition, there are other questions to consider when choosing a plant:

Does it flower?

When will it bloom?

What is its lasting quality when cut?

Is it fragrant?

Is it available during the barren seasons?

Does it have a good form or color when viewed up close?

Does it have interesting branches or foliage?

Can it be dried or preserved for continuous use?

Will its color work in the home and with the other plants already in the garden? Will its color work in the home and with the other plants already in the garden?

At first, this thought process seems odd to some gardeners, but once accustomed to considering plants in this manner, the question, How will it look in an arrangement? comes naturally. Not all of the plants you grow will be suitable for cutting. Some flowers wont take up water and will quickly wilt when placed in a vase of water. (Sometimes, however, the container you want to use will be the problem. It may have too slim a neck or not enough space for water).

In planning your garden you may first want to consider what already grows around your home. If there are evergreens planted near the house, you may have enough foliage for winter arrangements. Perhaps you have lilacs for May bloom and need color in July and August. Or, you have only yellow flowers in a perennial border and yellow is the one color that does not work in your peach living room. Make a list of the kind of plant material you already have and another list of what you would like to have. Then, think about where you could plant this.

Whether you have room for an entirely new garden or just a few new shrubs, the style of your home will help dictate what to plant. Plants selected for containers on an apartment rooftop might be very different from those suitable for a seaside backyard or a country house surrounded by meadows. A city home may want more formal flowers, a seaside cottage may like roses to mix with shells, and a country house may need only foliage plants in the garden to combine with neighboring wildflowers.

Design principles apply to landscaping projects as well as to flower arrangements. Each composition should have the same characteristics: balance, a proper size relationship of all the parts to each other and to the composition as a whole, contrast, for the sake of interest, rhythm and harmony, and the proper scale, or size and proportion.

When selecting plants for your garden, think of these design principles and of the questions previously listed. If you do, the plants you choose will more than likely work well together when picked and placed in that tall art deco vase your great-aunt Sally gave you. Some plants will work better than others. Dont be afraid to experiment and to change the garden after its been planted. Some plants, especially in a small garden, will spread too freely and take up space that could be better used by something else.

Trees and shrubs are the backbone of every garden and can provide excellent foliage for flower arrangements. They are also very useful in the autumn, winter and early spring when there isnt much else in the garden. Since they will probably be the biggest plants in your garden, it is wise to consider them first.

If your garden is small you will have to be careful of the eventual size of the plants you choose. The small yew purchased at the nursery today might take over the garden in five years and have to be pulled out. In addition to size, check the plants hardiness, freedom from disease and ease of growth. And something that is often overlooked what does the plant look like in each season? Is a lack of flowers more than offset by brilliant red foliage in the fall? Does it have berries that last all winter long? Is it deciduous? Is the foliage variegated or plain? Is the bark interesting? Do the branches grow in a curving pattern?