Book Recommendation for January:
Flower School: A Practical Guide to the Art of Flower Arranging by Calvert Crary
I love my Kindle because it offers instant access into books I want to read! I downloaded this book onto my Kindle and read every page. It offers a complete introductory course to floral design and offers a multitude of professional tips along the way.
Why Flower Duet Recommends this Book
My favorite section is when Calvert tells you to have a plan before you even buy your flowers.
- Know what you want to make. Are you making this for a birthday? For a friend? Does it have a color theme like red? Then, make a plant for what you want to make in red. Decide what you are going to make and in what floral style. For example, you would first decide that you are going to make modern garden vase design for a friend’s birthday in a glass cube vase using white and green flowers.
- Make a list of the flowers you want to purchase so you don’t over buy or get overwhelmed at the Flower Market, grocery store or farmers’ market. You’ll need about 30–35 stems for a medium sized design in a 5x5x5 inch cube vase. So plan on 1–3 different white flowers and 1–2 types of greenery. Most stems come in bunches of 10. Some premium flowers are sold by stem only.
- Gather your flowers. Purchase from your list. Get the flowers home and condition the flowers — in other words, let them harden and rehydrate.
- Choose your vase and adjust if necessary. You may need more than one if the first one doesn’t work out. I love what he says about compote vases! I totally agree. His favorite vase is a tall rectangular vase and he prefers vases that are taller than they are wide (so you can guess where that leaves compotes on the list).
- Make your design by adding 1/4 of your materials at time. Keep rotating the vase after each addition. Step away between adding the groups of flowers to see how it’s doing. Finish with the focal flower and most delicate flowers.
From the Publisher About this Book
Create the flower arrangements of your dreams to keep at home, take to the office, or display on any special occasion using the simple tips and tricks and masterful techniques taught by Executive Director and professor Calvert Crary and the master florists at FlowerSchool New York.
FlowerSchool New York is one of the world’s premiere institutes for floral design and artistry, offering career development courses certified by the New York State Board of Education, and exclusive master class programs taught by celebrated master florists including Kiana Underwood, Remco Van Vliet, Lewis Miller, Emily Thompson, and Ingrid Carozzi.
Now, for the first time, FlowerSchool Executive Director Calvert Crary is publishing a book that will make it possible for even the greenest at-home arrangers to create gorgeous, Instagram worthy bouquets. This hands-on, comprehensive guide provides readers with step-by-step instructions that cover all the most crucial aspects of flower arranging.
For All of You “Duet” Yourself Flower Arrangers
Everything in this book is spot on from the advice, to the the guidance and tips from professionals based in New York City and Los Angeles where the Flower School is based.
If I were just starting out in floral design and didn’t have enough cash to go to in person class, I would buy this flower arranging book.