The clocks have gone back, the nights are longer and we are already suffering from the winter blues. Although strongly associated with summer, flowers should not be underestimated as a powerful way to keep interiors fresh over the winter. Judith Blacklock has been teaching flower arranging professionally for over thirty years. Her flower school in the heart of Belgravia, London’s interior design hub, takes a relaxed approach to floristry which makes flower arranging accessible to all levels of experience. Judith tells WLL how flowers can make your home bloom this winter.
How did you get into floristry?
My mother was a very keen amateur spending her time competing at flower shows such as Southport and Chelsea and organizing events through NAFAS (The National Association of Flower Arranging Societies). I carried so many buckets I vowed I would never have anything to do with flowers!
What shapes should you consider when arranging flowers?
Roughly speaking, flowers and foliage can be divided into three main shapes: round (sunflowers, roses and peonies); spike (delphiniums, stocks and gladioli); and spray (wax flower, gypsophilia, astrantia). When mixing flowers in designs, I like to use at least one of each shape, which I think always creates the most pleasing design.
Do you use objects in your arrangements?
Accessories and props are all the rage these days. Sometimes I think that you can guild the lily, but I particularly favour candles, mirror plates as bases and fruit and vegetables.
What role does fragrance play?
Scent is so important – it can trigger memories (as with Proust’s madeleines), and it can also evoke strong feelings. When given flowers, the first thing that most of us do is to put them to our noses, but usually we are met with a disappointing lack of smell. Sadly, many varieties of flower have had their fragrance bred out of them, because scented flowers don’t last as long (sweet peas, lily-of-the-valley, stocks) as non-scented. However, horticulturists are doing wonderful things with roses these days and breeding varieties that smell – and look – just like garden blooms.
What colour schemes work well?
Monochromatic colour schemes are the safest. But, if looking at a colour wheel, always opt for adjacent or analogous colour schemes (so red, yellow and orange; or blues, purples and pinks; reds, pinks and oranges). Green acts as nature’s neutraliser and can bring flowers of many colours together harmoniously – it’s a sort of palate cleanser.
Favourite flower…
I love garden roses, hydrangeas (which I believe are set to be the next most fashionable flowers), chocolate cosmos with their beautiful scent and perhaps most of all Viburnum opulus and all flowers that are lime-green.
Should flowers be kept for special occasions or should we consider them as a day to day part of interiors?
Flowers are usually the necessary finishing touch for interiors. I wish that people would bring them into their homes and work spaces more – they can really brighten the day and the gloomiest room. A simple rose head picked from the garden and placed in a small vase can look heavenly, big displays aren’t always necessary. It is so rewarding to be able to create something beautiful yourself –especially if it is a present.
Which flowers would you choose to brighten the home for autumn/winter?
For autumn, I love to use richly coloured seasonal flowers and foliage. Rose hips, dahlias, berries, heather, ‘rusting’ hydrangeas… they all look stunning and warming for the longer nights. For winter, all of the festive foliage – spruce, pine, ivy, holly and mistletoe is lovely, and my favourite winter flowers are hellebores.