Take a fresh look at dried flowers
As winter approaches, preserved blooms are a low-maintenance way to meet the season
At first glance, Euclid Farm’s storefront might catch your eye as just another stylish Queen Street boutique, but look a little closer and you may be surprised at what you see. The shop window is filled with a display of dried flowers — and containers of dried blooms and grasses wrapped in bouquets of brown craft paper are the first thing you see when you step into the shop located directly across from Trinity Bellwoods Park.
“I had been telling people that dried flowers made up more than half of my sales, and I don’t think anyone believed it, but now they see that over half of the shop inventory is dried and it’s selling quickly,” says owner Shannon Whelan whose newly opened flower shop includes a dried flower bar with more than 50 varieties in a rainbow of colours.
While the doors to the shop opened in early October, Whelan had already grown a loyal following of customers via Instagram, selling bouquets of fresh, locally grown blooms including many grown in yards in Toronto’s west end. If the flowers didn’t sell, Whelan would hang them to dry, incorporating them into fresh bouquets. Demand for the dried flowers grew and Whelan began importing flowers from Europe, where she found farms dedicated to producing flowers for the dried flower market.
From Pampas grass and Bunny tails to Lavender and Hydrangeas, they’re low maintenance (you can’t kill them) and they last pretty much forever, you’re just as likely to find dried flowers as you are fresh at many trendy Toronto floral shops.
Instagram is driving the trend, says Jennifer Fowlow, owner of Wild North Flowers in Toronto. “We’ve had so many requests for fully dried arrangements, so we’ve started offering them. There is a big dried flower push and like everything, it’s so tied to Instagram — because you see what other people are doing and get ideas.”
The natural element is also appealing, says Fowlow, who uses a combination of blooms that dry themselves, some imports and others they source from local growers who have started to offer dried botanicals as a way to extend the season. “Sometimes they look identical to what they looked like when they were fresh, and other times they look totally different. You can really be inspired by the seasons. The ones we are putting out now are very winter-inspired — more white-washed, an almost barren look that reflects the coming season.”
The trend has really evolved, says Kalynn Crump, the founder of ReBLOOM, a company that recycles and composts flowers from weddings and corporate events. “I’ve seen arrangements with grasses, feathers, leaves, ferns and all sorts of stuff,” says Crump.
To dry your own blooms, gently dry the stems with a kitchen towel and wrap loosely in newspaper, like a bouquet. The newspaper soaks up the moisture from the stem, which helps prevent mould, says Crump. Hang upside down and leave to dry, but if you can’t hang them, lay them flat over something that has airflow. Once dry, they’ll be very delicate. Some flowers, like hydrangea can benefit from a light application of hairspray to help hold them together.
Create a stylish arrangement by breaking the design process into steps. Start with choosing materials and then lay them out on a table to see how they
You’re just as likely to find dried flowers as you are fresh at many trendy floral shops
interact together, says Fowlow, who offers online workshops.
“Have all the elements next to you and consider the palette before you start so that you have a bit of a vision, because you can’t just take things in and out, they might break,” Fowlow says.
“Choose flowers with different shapes. You’ll need some line (like Bunny Tails, that are tall), some focal (unique looking dried cotton, feathers or mushrooms) and some filler (fluffy Baby’s Breath). If you want it to look like more of an arrangement, then think about the different elements that you’re using.”
Prevent the container from toppling over by placing small stones, sand or pebble glass in the bottom to give it weight. Hold stems in place using chicken wire bunched up in the bottom of a solid vessel or floral tape criss-crossed on top of a glass container. Avoid floral foam, which is not environmentally friendly.
“We’ve used dried grass crumpled up at the base to hold things together, or Spanish moss,” says Fowlow. Keep the arrangement away from water or too much humidity (no bathrooms) and out of direct sunlight or it will fade quickly, and shake it gently or blow on it every once in a while, to remove dust.
Toronto-based photographer Kristin Sjaarda, known for her Old Masters-inspired (think 17th-century Dutch still life painters) fine art photography, shared some tips to help get an Instagram-worthy shot using the camera on your phone.
Sjaarda recommends using natural light from a nearby window. “Indirect light is best, beside a window but without direct sunlight coming in, otherwise bright sunlight and black shadow will be a problem. Even if it’s a dark, rainy day, turn off the lights or you’ll be dealing with unnatural colour, shadows, and if it’s a shiny surface you’ll get some reflections,” says Sjaarda.
Make sure the horizon line is straight so it doesn’t look like the arrangement is going to slide off the surface, and control the exposure — point the camera at the arrangement, touch the screen where you want it to focus to even out the level of exposure. Adjust it until you can see that the brightest part of your photo has the texture and detail that you can see with your naked eye.
The photo might look too dark, says Sjaarda. “Experiment until it looks good to you. Toggle between shadow, brightness and contrast until it feels right. While it may be tempting to use filters, it’s a shortcut that doesn’t really bring out the best in a photo. It’s better to learn how to use the editing tools.”
The background can be as important as the subject. Prop something up behind the arrangement, use a plain wall or tack up a piece of cloth.
“For a really dark Old Masters-style background, use a piece of black velvet, it absorbs all light, you won’t see any drapes or folds and that can be really beautiful to see how the flowers come out at you from the darkness, Sjaarda says. “If you’re using indirect light, consider your background and if you’re careful about your exposure, you’ll probably get a really good result.”
Choose the materials and then lay them out on a table to see how they interact together