Recipes don’t have to be limited to food. Here’s a great concept: simple recipes for floral arrangements that look as if they took hours to create.
Sometimes the best recipes have the simplest ingredients. Such is the case with The Flower Recipe Book, from the women behind the San Francisco floral shop Studio Choo. Jill Rizzo and Alethea Harampolis have put together an indispensable resource book and guide for creating arrangements with your spring (and summer and fall) floral bounty. In the book’s introduction, the authors explain: “We love flowers, and even though we work with cut (um, dying) flowers, we believe arrangements should have some life to them.” Mission accomplished.
N.B.: For a look inside their shop, see our earlier post Studio Choo Blooms in San Francisco.
Above: The Flower Recipe Book features “ingredient” descriptions, tips on choosing the right vessel, favorite floral and plant pairings, and practical how-tos; $16.10 at Amazon.
Above: The recipes are organized alphabetically by floral type, from Allium to Zinnia and 41 flowers in between. Each recipe includes the list of plant ingredients, a recommended vessel shape, and step-by-step instructions.
Above: A special occasion arrangement, the Allium Recipe 3 includes succulents, olive branches, flowering oregano, and smoke bush.
Above: Amaryllis Recipe 2 “with company” includes branches of cedar and snowberry, stem of kale and amaryllis, finished with an orchid and tucked into a vintage can with a liner.
Above: Sure to be the most dog-eared pages are the infinitely useful sections on stocking your toolbox, choosing the right vessel, and techniques (including stem care, wiring, skewering, arranging and stabilizing tips).
Above: My favorite ingredient, the humble artichoke.
Above: The Flower Recipe Book is a perfect spring gift; $16.10 at Amazon.
Peruse our other featured Garden Books for more ideas.
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