May 13, 2013 — Debra Prinzing’s idea-packed new book encourages flower lovers to think local for seasonal and local bouquets.
Following up on the popularity of last year’s The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers, Prinzing has created Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm.
The book follows Prinzing through 52 consecutive weeks during which she challenged herself to pick, arrange and photograph a seasonal bouquet using only local ingredients. She sourced flowers, leaves, branches and seedpods from her own garden, from friends' gardens, and from the meadows and fields of her favorite flower farms. Like an easy-to-use cookbook, Slow Flowers features vivid images of each finished bouquet, a thorough ingredient list and step-by-step design instructions. Special "takeaway tips" share expert flower growing advice and eco-design techniques.
"After being immersed in the 'slow flower' movement and documenting the dramatic transformation in how cut flowers are grown, designed and used, my own relationship with flowers – and floral design – changed," Prinzing said. "Gardeners and flower lovers have so many exciting botanical options to collect for their vases. Slow Flowers demonstrates that living in the moment – each season – is just as rewarding for flower lovers as it is for foodies who cook seasonally-inspired menus."
Prinzing celebrates each season's unique character with fresh blooms, ornamental twigs, colorful foliage, gorgeous vines and many other gifts from nature. Each of the arrangements begins with a design "muse," be it a beloved antique rose, a new variety of seed or a family heirloom vase. Prinzing photographed her bouquets in and around her home, close to the garden where many of her ingredients were sourced.
“There's a common misconception that it's impossible, or at least tricky, to find enough beautiful ingredients in one's own garden or region during certain times of the year for creating interesting seasonal floral arrangements,” said Prinzing. “Taking the do-it-yourself designer's point of view, I want to disprove that notion by making bouquet-a-week – all year long. My goal is to inspire others to create personal bouquets with what's at hand, if only they begin to see what's around them with new eyes.”
Organized around four seasons of the year, Slow Flowers is a guidebook for the gardener and flower lover in search of ideas and inspiration. For more information, visit www.stlynnspress.com.
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