Decorating & Design
July 18, 2019
Discover 9 Secrets From An Insta-Famous Florist
Anna Potter is the founder of Swallows & Damsons, a UK-based flower shop with over 180k followers on Instagram and big-name clients like Gucci. Her new book, The Flower Fix: Modern Arrangements For A Daily Dose Of Nature, catalogues 26 arrangements that include both large installations and small, simple projects. The book is designed to encourage playful experimentation with flowers. Take a page from Anna’s inspiring, eclectic and yes — occasionally eccentric — creations.
Known for bringing an unexpected and wild feel to floristry, Anna incorporates curiosities to her arrangements and installations. “It is my belief that we all need our daily fix of nature — whether that is getting out into a park or further afield, or simply a walk around the block,” says Anna, pictured here in her shop. “Taking the time to create an arrangement that works with your space and the season is in itself an exercise in self-care.”
“An eclectic mix of vessels might tell a story or add a new narrative to the overall picture,” says Anna. “All one tone or material will really show off the flowers, keeping it consistent allows the complexities of the flowers to shine.” Make an arrangement more personal by incorporating small objects from your home to complete the scene. “Working creatively with nature brings out the storyteller in us all.”
Wild and gnarly branches of foliage or weather-worn ferns and bracken can take everyday and common flowers and give them a more natural, organic look. “For me, a balance of wild and foraged and shop-bought blooms is my sweet spot. In this image, the branches are all foraged which adds an unruly backdrop for the more structured blooms. Most of my designs incorporate elements of both.”
Allow yourself creative freedom with a loose, romantic design. “I’m always on the lookout for the strangest, largest vessels that aren’t typical vases,” says Anna. “Constance Spry, a flower hero of mine would raid her client’s cupboards for new receptacles, the more everyday, the better. When we see a mundane and familiar object transformed with blooms, it can have an extraordinary impact.”
“The majority of my designs have a chicken wire structure with florists’ tape to secure it in place. The sunflowers here are also supported by the other flowers and foliage in the arrangement.” Anna admits sunflowers are particularly challenging to work with. “I snap at least three stems for each one I position correctly. Van Gogh’s patience must have been tested to the limit with the awkwardness of this bloom.”
A selection of fresh Celosia cockscomb, Thalapsi, Amaranthus, Heuchera, Alchamilla mollis and Curry plant can be dried perfectly. Anna tends flowers in an arrangement for a week or so, refreshing the water every few days and trimming the stem so they can drink effectively. “But after a time I sometimes like to let the water dry up and naturally dry the flowers.”
Not every bouquet has to be perfectly balanced. “I love to include elements of the unexpected in my designs. This asymmetrical look has derived from my love of old Dutch Masters paintings where every season’s finest are all tumbling out of vases, jutting out in expressive dances or cascading onto a table. To me, it’s more reminiscent of nature, an overgrown wilderness or garden in full bloom.”
A mantelpiece loaded with treasure is the ideal spot for displaying the simplest stems and branches. A combination of collected objects, vases and curiosities can bring life and narrative to a flower arrangement, creating a still-life scene to conjure sentiment, memories and nostalgia. “There is little financial cost involved in creating this kind of arrangement. Scraps from hedgerows, the odd stem of this or that from a garden or local flower shop and windswept branches found on a walk all add to its uniqueness and give a personal touch to your creation.”
“Play and curiosity are such an important part of creating,” says Anna. Here a medley of yellows accents the clocks on the shelf and create a tonal effect. “Two large, statement clocks with bold shapes and block color provided inspiration for this arrangement. I wanted to cut across their rigid lines with something soft, blousy and full; something fleeting and seasonal in nature, to relate to time and transition.”
“Mixing fresh, delicate and fleeting blooms with dried out seed heads and foliage is something I love to do. The combination of the old and new is significant and a representation of patterns in life cycles and the nature of seasons.” Sometimes only very little foliage is necessary. “Generally smaller, more delicate leaves work best, rather than anything too stiff and solid.”
India Hobson
The Flower Fix: Modern Arrangements For A Daily Dose Of Nature by Anna Potter, White Lion Publishing, 2019
Anna Potter