Bex Partridge - Flowers Forever: Celebrate the Beauty of Dried Flowers with Stunning Floral Art

One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic for so many of us was that it afforded us a deeper appreciation of the natural world, whether as a result of spending more time outside or the slower pace of life. This temporary pause allowed us to stop and take notice of each and every bud of hope that appeared during the bright, nurturing spring of the UKs first lockdown. My garden and my approach to gardening has always been led by and in harmony with nature, but that spring shifted something in me and made me realise the importance of the way we choose to live our lives. With endless weeks at home, I discovered the joy of drying tulips, peonies and ranunculus. As my flowers and garden became my safe place, as well as giving me the gift of escapism from the increasing stresses of everyday life, I experimented and created more than I ever have before and began to break down the walls I had built around the idea of drying flowers.

This is when Flowers Forever was fully conceptualised from a meeting in London with my Publisher in the weeks before we were locked down, to writing and growing during the darkest depths of the restrictions in preparation for the final book. It has been brought to life at a time in our lives when nothing is as it was before, and at a time when my family and I went through one of the biggest changes we have ever made.

Spurred on by the temporary change in our pace of life and with more time to access nature, as life in our busy town came to a halt we made the decision as a family to move to a more rural location offering space and tranquillity. Leaving behind our home town dwelling and settling in the depths of the lush green hills of East Devon, in the south of the UK, has been the best decision we ever made. This move has allowed me to go from growing my flowers in a small, yet incredibly productive town garden and allotment, to growing in a wild half-acre of fertile soil. The space has really elevated my growing capacity and capabilities and also further increased my knowledge of working with dried materials.

It has inspired my work immensely and with a studio in the garden, nestled under a gathering of mature trees, I spend hours and hours out there each day focused on my work.

Flowers Forever was my creative constant throughout the turbulent year of 2020, a beautiful project to focus on and to challenge me and my imagination. Many of the designs in these pages were imagined in the days spent out in my cabin studio watching the seasons change around me, and with nowhere to go and no one to see, I was able to focus all my efforts on creating this book.

With Flowers Forever I want to share the complete process involved in my work, from the sowing of seeds and the nurturing of the soil, through to the growing and harvesting, and finally putting together my designs. My aim is to leave as little impact as possible on this precious world and, where I can, use my practices to give back in exchange for that which I take. I am strict with my values and I will always stay true to them in the way that I garden, source materials and create my designs. With Flowers Forever I want to showcase these values and how they come together to form a constant thread throughout my projects. I am so grateful that I get to call this work, that my hands and mind are busy every day with the fruits of the natural world and that, on any given day, I can be growing or drying or creating something from the land on which we live. I know how very lucky I am.

In this book I will share the breadth and depth of my knowledge as it stands of flowers and foliage to dry, including my approach to growing. I aim to inspire you and show you how to work with materials throughout the seasons to lift your home environment or special occasion by creating sustainable, long-lasting installations. By working with the seasons and reflecting the outside world with everything I create, I hope to show you how to bring the outside in and how to sit a little closer to the natural world.

I love nothing more than to change a persons opinion about dried flowers. For many there is still a huge amount of negativity around them, and I do understand why after all, there is a fine line between a modern, visually captivating creation and a staid, dull and dusty display best suited to a dark corner of the house or perhaps even the compost heap. For this reason Im conscious when working with dried flowers that I continue to push my designs to ensure they stay fresh and enticing, and challenge peoples expectations and beliefs.

Dried flowers can be dramatic and awe-inspiring, particularly for those who havent experienced them before. I continue to be amazed by how fascinated people can be by flowers in this form. The beauty is in their decay, in their translucent petals that catch the light and their soft kaleidoscope of colours and textures. Nature belies belief, especially when preserved in this way.

There have been studies showing that stopping and noticing small (and enjoyable) aspects of the natural world activates the para-sympathetic element of our autonomic nervous system. This is the opposite of the sympathetic responses which include our flight-and-fight response and, for many, is the default state. It seems flowers and nature in any form can help us to pause and calm ourselves just by the simple act of observing them. I see this reaction when visitors come to my studio. I watch them visibly relax when they step through the door, pausing by each and every flower head to take a closer look and marvel at all the beauty and wonder. Of course, this response is not unique to dried flowers, although perhaps its magnified by the fact that these flowers are preserved to be enjoyed forever more.

VARIETY: Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) in a state of decay

VARIETY: Garden dahlia drying in the warm sun

I think it is safe to say that dried flowers are no longer a trend. They are, in fact, forming an important part of the slow flowers movement. Its been incredibly encouraging to watch peoples acceptance and understanding of dried flowers grow over the past few years, to see them evolve from something relatively niche (or on trend, depending upon how you view things!) to something that is now widely accepted and sought after. With the world in such a state of flux from an environmental, political and societal perspective, and the fact that we are still feeling the impact of the pandemic as I write, more and more of us have a heightened awareness of the origins of the things we buy and bring into our homes. After food, flowers in all their forms are the next in line to be scrutinised by huge swathes of people who are awakening to the realisation that the way we have been consuming in recent years is simply unsustainable. We know that fresh flowers are scarce in the depths of winter, but that doesnt mean we cant enjoy flowers throughout this season.

Dried flowers for many are not being sought out as a replacement for fresh flowers. I adore a bunch of fresh flowers as much as anyone else (although I admit to mostly going on to dry them). Dried flowers are an interior design choice for the savvy and nature-inspired collective, a way to add texture and tones to a living space, and can be considered as a purchase in much the same way as a piece of art or an artisan cushion would be.