Create arrangements from fresh-picked blooms
British florist Paula Pryke has put her innovative spin on designs for royalty, celebrities and big events. Now a global brand, she draws students from around the world to her Flower School in London and fans to her presentations in Europe, the United States and Japan.
Despite her whirlwind pace, Pryke has also published 15 books. The latest, "Everyday Flowers: Flowers to Beautify and Decorate the Home," (Rizzoli New York, 160 pp., $34.95) is a most personal book. The down-to-earth Pryke uses blooms from her own garden and local markets to create arrangements that will inspire us to fill our homes with flowers, whether poppies in the kitchen or sweet peas in the bath.
Rachel Whiting's colorful photographs beautifully illustrate Pryke's message to keep it seasonal, scented and simple when arranging flowers for your home.
Q: Did you grow up in a family that grew flowers?
A: I grew up on a small poultry farm surrounded by water meadows in Suffolk, which is in East Anglia, the bread basket of the UK. It is mostly an arable farming area, so I grew up like most English people, discussing the weather before breakfast.
