It’s that time of year when everything seems to change!
The nights are drawing in, the leaves on the trees are turning into some spectacular hues, the weather is just ever-so-slightly more unpredictable and the floral palette takes on a much more cosy and warm feel.
Of course we call it Autumn and some parts of the globe call it Fall - or you may even know it as Herbst, Efterår, Syksy or Jesień depending on your heritage!
Despite the looming winter months, many of us love this time of year and as we prepare to hunker down and our natural instinct to hibernate kicks in, we turn to comforting elements of warmth of cosiness. The Danes and Norwegians even have a word for this feeling - Hygge and although not specific to just Autumn it certainly sounds right sounding as it does like the English word Hug!
So, how can we bring flowers into our lives at this time of year? Fortunately there are some amazingly beautiful floral stems available during the Autumn months. Late summer Hydrangea mature into statuesque balls of botanical textures, Berries and Hips abound and the more natural season for classic blooms such as Chrysanthemums means the russet tones of pom-pom chrysanthemums are set to make a big impact for all interior styling.
https://www.marthastewart.com/8141096/signs-hydrangeas-done-blooming-summer
It’s a great time to harvest some autumn stems from the garden if you have one. Even matured seed heads give a slight edge to shop bought stems and the fading trails of clematis and honeysuckle will add interest and movement to the simplest of displays.
As a florist I do love this time of year - possibly more than any other - there are so many options available to us and I just love to play with the colour combinations and different materials that can make the most simplest of designs packed with seasonal va-va-voom!
Away from the smaller High Street type florist though there is whole other world of high profile designers showcasing their craft to the world.
These floral designers work needs to be seen to be believed and the scale of some of the installations (they are working beyond just bouquets and arrangements you understand) is mind-blowing.
In London we have superstar florist (and good friend of mine) Neill Strain. His Floral Boutique in Belgravia is a palace of exquisite flowers and luxurious good taste. He also goes above and beyond when decorating the Boutique for various times of the year (see right). Always stunning and invariably over the top but in a very good way! Clearly the wealthy clients in Belgravia expect nothing less and it’s clear to see why Neill is the go-to Luxury Florist in this part of the capital
On the other side of the Atlantic there are many floral designers who also excel in this kind of work. Certainly not one to do things by halves B Floral Event Management supply unique and lavish floral displays for events and functions across the New York City metropolitan area. Whilst not just specialising in florals this image below just shows how effective the use of flowers and foliage can be for an event or marketing campaign. The simplicity of the set is bought to life with the use of Autumn (or Fall) coloured botanicals and it is quite simply breath-taking!
BFloral Installation - NYC
Born to Bloom Bouquet for Autumn
Autumn Installation -Neil Strain Couture Flowers
So as we head into Autumn and the darker evenings come along quicker than perhaps we’d like; the rain is falling maybe more than we’d wish for and the temperature outside is dipping to levels we’d rather not endure, let’s take comfort in that cosy feeling that the warm shades of Autumn bring and embrace the season with open arms, cook a nice comforting casserole and open a bottle of spicy Shiraz; put our feet up and relish in the fact that Autumn is only with us briefly and that darkest season Winter is knocking on the door!
Grab a bit of Hygge if you can, get yourself a bundle of floral hugs and bring some Autumn blooms into your life at this time of year.
It makes all the difference you know!
Written by David Ragg - Founder of Born to Bloom October 2022