Beth's Review:
Erin Benzakein is one of the first ever farmer florists I recall coming across on Instagram when I started out as a florist back in 2013. I remember being amazed at all her pictures - she’d be standing in a field, her arms overflowing with bright dahlias, and they were colours and varieties I’d never seen before. She'd also create really beautiful ombre-styled flower flat lays, and the flowers were all cut there and then at the farm. Since then, her following just grew and grew and she now has almost 750k followers.
So when Erin released this book I’m fairly sure that like me a lot of florists around the world let out a little squeal of excitement! I already expected that the book would be visually stunning, but images aside this is such a useful resource for florists who want to perfect their craft, or like me, are just always curious about how other florists do things. In essence this book is a guide for selecting and arranging flowers in a free-form, natural and abundant style, and Erin does not skip a beat.
She covers all the basics; things like how you might set up a workspace, or rules to go by at the flower market. Colour theory is explained in a language more useful for florists, (I never noticed that “chocolate” and so many other colours florists use aren’t represented on the colour wheel!?). The “Design fundamentals” section, where she gives step-by-step instructions for creating all types of arrangements, is SO thorough, and there is an accompanying image for every single step. And finally, Erin visually sorts all the flowers she grows into structural, supporting, focal and airy accents so that you can clearly understand when each should be used.
This is such a giving book and I am flawed at how much time and effort must have gone in to creating this florist bible. Must own!
Publisher's Blurb:
From star flower farmer and bestselling author of Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, Erin Benzakein comes this gorgeous and comprehensive guide to enhancing every occasion with floral beauty.
With hundreds of stunning photographs and an inviting narrative style, this book offers approachable tips for caring for and arranging cut flowers, plus how-tos for designing more than 25 seasonal arrangements – including magnificent centrepieces, infinitely giftable posies, festive wreathes, and breathtaking bridal bouquets.
Plus, an A– Z flower guide provides photos and care tips for more than 200 varieties, making it easy to identify and use a wide range of beautiful ingredients.
Strikingly beautiful and full of authoritative advice, this book is an invitation to live a flower-filled life and the perfect gift for anyone who loves flowers.
