Interiors
Create a work of art with blooms
Get lots of petal power with a masterclass in flower arrangement
The beautiful vintage metal urn that’s to be used as a vessel for our arrangement sadly doesn’t hold water, Sophie tells me. “So I’m going use a watertight plastic pot to line it.
This means you can use pretty much anything to display your arrangement in regardless of whether it holds water or not” Firstly, lightly scrunch up a piece of chicken wire (available from all good garden centres) and put it in the plastic container, then tape it in place with some floristry tape (available from florists and garden centres nationwide). “This is to replace the traditional floristry foam, which can be quite expensive and isn’t great for the environment,” says Sophie. The wire will give support and hold the foliage in place. Fill the plastic container with fresh water and put in the urn The next stage is “greening up”, a traditional floristry term for defining the shape of the arrangement with foliage. Sophie is using magnolia foliage (with quite strong stems) to add structure and support the flowers that she’ll add later. “The idea is to try to create a lattice with the stems so that the foliage will support the arrangement,” she says Sophie is creating an asymmetrical arrangement, which allows you to use
more random flowers and gives the finished arrangement a beautiful organic look. Make sure you give the foliage structure with an off-centre high point balanced by a left or right, lower point
The next stage is to start filling out the arrangement. “You can use any foliage that takes your fancy, maybe something that is growing in your garden or you can forage. I’m choosing stems that have a natural curve to give the arrangement flow and movement,” says Sophie, who is using mimosas, gorgeous, spring-flowering plants, whose small, fluffy flowers have a heady marzipan scent
Now start to add flowers to the arrangement, which Sophie describes as “painting with flowers”. There are no rules as to which blooms you should choose but using something seasonal will be cheaper, she suggests. Strip the lower foliage from the stem, remove any thorns and trim the ends, even if you just take off a centimetre, as this will prolong their freshness. Try to ensure that colour runs all the way through the arrangement If you decide to use smaller blooms, such as the highly scented narcissi martinette, group them together, as this will add more impact
Sophie has used magnolias, mimosas, poppies, tulips, roses, narcissi martinette and white anemones Mcqueens Flower School celebrates spring with an exclusive and experiential series of inspiring seasonal flower workshops. A one-day flower workshop costs
£225 per person. For more information on courses, visit mcqueens.co.uk or call 020 7251 5505