This time of year the flowers are in abundance – peonies, iris’, garden roses, flowering branches – you name it! It is by far my favorite time for flowers. Although it makes it quite hard to decide what to highlight here for all of you. Thank goodness Natalie has an incredible eye for what works well together. This spring arrangement has some of my favorites – I just wish the iris photo was a scratch and sniff. Enjoy this months installment!
What florals or greens do you like to use during this funky Spring/Summer transitional period?
ALL of them! Ha. The transition between Spring and Summer is one of my favorites. For a couple of short weeks we see peonies and roses used at the same time and this seems almost crazy. In early May the buckeye blooms and I like to sue it in everything. It have beautiful foliage and soft pink plums that pair wonderfully with every other flower this time of year, yet they can stand alone perfectly, too.
What sort of fillers do you recommend when you want your arrangement to feel robust but not tacky?
The buckeye I mentioned above is perfect as a Springtime filler that feels abundant yet not as if it is even filler. The key is to find greens that don’t feel like filler but actually feel like a textural element that lends to movement and leads the eye throughout the arrangement. I have been also loving catoneaser, as it is blooming this time of year and honeysuckle! I can’t use enough honeysuckle.
What are some good tips you have on how to know what sort of florals go well together aesthetically?
I find that paying attention to size differentiation is a key to making an interesting arrangement. When all the flowers are the same size, it is hard to have any one flower stand out. When the flowers are small, medium and large, your eye will move from one flower to the next, allowing each to have a moment to shine. It’s not so much about the varieties as it is about the size, texture and color.
When playing with multiple colors in one arrangement be sure to give attention to the “bridge color”. That color is the one that links the two opposing colors so that they seem to flow and blend rather than oppose one another.
With wedding season about to be in full swing, what are some floral trends we can expect to see this yet?
I’m starting to see arrangements come back in to a more contained look and I’ve heard fewer requests for wild arrangements. I’m seeing a continuation of the trend to use color (which makes me so happy) and we’ll see a lot of blush/peach/coral and burgundy/oxblood paired this year.
To get inspired by past Blooms in Season posts – click here.
Flowers by Natalie Bowen Designs | Images by Caitlin Flemming for Sacramento Street