Beth's Review:
This is such a visually beautiful book written by Melbourne florist Fleur Harg who takes her 21 years of floristry experience and sums it up in 223 pages.
What’s inside:
The book has five parts, starting with background on Fleur herself.
The second chapter showcases 25 of of Fleur’s favourite flowers, all of which are traditionally very tasteful and timeless - not a gerbera or carnation in sight!
Chapter three focuses on the art of arranging, and Fleur’s tendency to use old school, eco-friendly mechanics is great to see and particularly useful for any florists trying to move away from floral foam.
Fleur’s specialty, colour, is the focus of the fourth chapter, and as a florist I found this particularly useful as it’s not something explored much in a learning sense once finished a floristry course.
The fifth and final chapter is my absolute favourite, and one that I think most florists will relate to and have a laugh while reading. It is a selection of anecdotes of Fleur’s favourite floral moments from her career, including high profile photoshoots and events where things felt disasterous, but turned out brilliantly in the end.
What I love most about this book:
- Fleur’s philosophy that the flowers are the stars of the show, not to be pushed into unnatural forms.
- The in depth chapter on colour, and real life examples of how colours create and impact the arrangements
- The flowers in the book aren’t perfect, instead very natural and organic looking. There are brown petals, dropped petals, flowers days old, and rather than pick away all the discrepancies Fleur has celebrated their aging with full double page spreads - so good!
This is a gorgeous book to own for anyone with an interest in flowers, certainly lovely to have on a coffee table, and if you’re a florist you’ll benefit even more.
Publishers Blurb:
Fleur McHarg is a florist in the true, traditional sense of the word.
Guided by the eternal wisdom of Constance Spry, the trailblazing early-20th-century British florist, Fleur believes in letting flowers be the stars of the show by working with the natural shape of a flower or branch.
When it comes to beauty, you can't beat nature - but you can learn how to showcase it for startling impact.
Fleur has cultivated a lifelong obsession with colour, beauty and flowers.
Here, she shares her astute flower philosophy, including: - Over 30 of her favourite flowers and how to use them - Why some combinations work and others don't - How to select a base and blend colours for a flower arrangement.
The Flower Expert is a stunning celebration of Fleur's artistry and her ability to fuse modern and classic to create a style that suits each occasion
