Visual Essay 12 — Floral sourcing & styling with Sophia Kaplan
Fascinated by nature in all its wildness, floral stylist Sophia Kaplan uses locally grown cut flowers and potted plants along with unusual fruits and vegetables to create beautiful botanical sets.
For our latest Visual Essay, we asked Sophia to interpret Hive Vases’ new colours with a beautiful floral display — and at the same time provide some tips on preparing a perfectly understated seasonal floral arrangement.
I made a decision early in my career to only choose flowers that really sang to me — even if it fitted the colour brief or shape I was searching for. Without this special affection for the flower, I found it hard to arrange.
Another important factor when selecting flowers is choosing locally grown blooms. These flowers, which will grow in rhythm with the seasons, will always be fresher, less likely to be treated with chemicals and will have travelled far fewer miles to get to market. Some of my favourites of this time of year include bright blue cornflowers, shy hellebore, cymbidium orchids, ranunculus, sweet smelling sweet pea, magnificent magnolia, miniature pansies, violets, and lily of the valley, natives like wattle, grevillea, giant pink Waratahs, and paper daisies, brilliant weeping wisteria, and bulbs like daffs and muscari.
If you’re buying from a florist or farmers market, simply ask what has been grown locally and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Don’t forget to consider the size of the vase you are wanting to fill when choosing your final selection.
Once you’ve got your flowers home it’s time to process them. Remove any leaves that would otherwise sit below the water line, and recut the stem on the diagonal using clean, sharp secateurs. Quickly plunge the flowers into water, to allow them to re-hydrate.
Most importantly, continue to learn and research. I draw inspiration by reading books about (or better yet, visiting them in person) famous garden designers like Piet Oudolf (landscape designer of The High Line in NY and the much lauded 2011 Serpentine Gallery courtyard), and the great gardens like Great Dixter in the UK is endlessly inspiring. And I really admire the work of many other creatives. Florists like Ruby of Mary Lennox in Berlin, Jardine Botanic in Sydney and Eliza of This Natural World in Tassie, and stylists, art directors and photographers like Stephanie Somebody Lauren Bamford, and Imogene Roche among many others.
Shop Hive Vase - available in 2 sizes and 8 colours
Hive Vase Medium
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Medium
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Medium
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Medium
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Large
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Large
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Large
0Available in 8 colours
Hive Vase Large
0Available in 8 colours