"As deep midwinter recedes, the first tentative flowers of the year seem impossibly fragile as they appear from the frozen earth. Dainty snowdrops, scented Narcissi, tiny flecks of blossom on spindling branches. Flower arrangements at this time of the year strive to capture that cautious sense of emergence..."

From WINTER TO SPRING CUTTING LIST

"The ‘hand vase’ technique is loose, layered, organic and gentle. It has the effortless look of a bunch of flowers gathered from the garden but look closer and you can see that it has been composed with careful skill and utmost care for the ingredients. Consequently the bouquet is a unique and special object to hold, all the more precious for the delicate, ephemeral nature of the materials..."

From AN INTRODUCTION TO BOUQUETS

"Understanding how to achieve certain shapes in a vase begins with looking at natural materials and really assessing how the whole plant looks and behaves, in the soil, at the source. Close observation of the natural world allows us to absorb the subtleties of plants and flowers – heights and breadths, the angles they grow at, whether they spread or climb, clamber up through trees, clump together in dense clusters, self-seed and pop up at odd intervals here and there..."

From NOTES ON SHAPE

"Arranging flowers is an act of faith, love and gratitude. It has the power to heal, to comfort, to inspire, to re-energise, to take us to a place of quietude and solace. Flowers force us to slow down and take time. They encourage us to appreciate the beauty in small, everyday moments and in our surrounding landscape... Flowers have a place in moments of celebration and elation, but also in those of grief and sorrow. A flower arrangement is more than just a selection of flowers in a vase. It also tells a story - of the hands that made it, the provenance of the materials and the soil the plants grew in..."

From INTRODUCTION TO BACK TO NATURE

"Fortunately (for both florists and brides), the de-odorising function of Medieval wedding bouquets has given way in the modern age to a more romantic purpose. In the nineteenth century, bridal bouquets in Britain were still laced with sweetly scented flowers but with a different function in mind - each variety symbolised a certain attribute from the Victorian ‘language of flowers’: honeysuckle for devotion and loyalty, jasmine for affection, orange blossom for chastity..."

From A BRIEF HISTORY OF WEDDING FLOWERS