Product Description

Packed with ideas, skills and techniques, "Flower School" enables you to explore the latest trends in floral design, and learn colour-arranging skills by assimilating Paula's signature style of cutting-edge floristry. This is a practical and inspirational source book of floral designs and techniques for those who would like to recreate the essence of Paula Pryke Flowers at home or for a special event. Simple text and step-by-step instructions for every project make even the most ambitious floral design work achievable. Originally trained as a teacher, Paula is a natural instructor and has the ability to explain professional floral techniques and to inspire a bold approach to colour that is the hallmark of her success. Signature Style: To begin the course, we examine the defining characteristics of Paula's flower style by analysing a selection of 'signature displays'. This will include hand-tied bouquets, grouping flowers, the unusual use of accessories and using unusual containers. Design Rules: Here Paula explains the fundamental rules that underpin all her floral designs and formed the basis of her classic floristry training. These golden rules include clever visual tricks, like how to balance the proportions of the flowers with the container, using odd numbers of flower stems rather than even, and how to tailor the shape of the display to the site. Colour Concepts: This chapter explains how to use flower colour for maximum visual impact the 'Paula Pryke way'. A host of projects demonstrate different colour concepts. Paula also takes time to explain the effect green foliage has on petal colour and the overall display, and why massing flower-heads together to achieve pure colour intensity is such a successful device. Equipment and flower preparation: As well as floristry tools, equipment and advice on conditioning your flower stems before use, Paula takes time to explain why certain items such as florist's wires, tape and foam are of use when constructing floral displays. Seasonal Flower Directory: This indispensable directory for any keen flower arranger acts as a quick reference to when your favourite flowers are available. It offers seasonal alternatives in similar shapes and colours to avoid disappointment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82714 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Paula Pryke runs a successful flower business that has a reputation for innovative and brilliantly colourful floral designs. She launched her internationally successful Flower School based in London eight years ago. Students come from all over the world, including Europe, Japan, South Africa and USA to study at the school.

Customer Reviews

An excellent book!
This is my second Paula Pryke book, and just like the first (Flowers for weddings), it is excellent.

Perhaps a little challenging for an absolute beginner, but a definate "must buy" for any floristry students or keen amateurs.

This book was full of ideas, inspiration and made me feel that nothing I would want to create is impossible. Fantastic photography and lots of "how to make..." pages. If I could give it 6/5 I would!

Inspirational!

I have only been doing a flower arranging course for a couple of terms & I find this book so inspirational. As long as you have the basics of ' how to do the mechanics' then you can follow the instructions & work out how to do the designs. They are all so beautiful & you can adapt the idea to suit the budget for yor arrangement. There are also quite a number of very easy, basic, cheap but stunning arrangements in there as well as the more expensive ones. Fabulous book to own, I can quite literally spend hours looking through the book & feel totally immersed in the beauty of the flowers. A must for a flower arranger!

Ideas rather than lessons
Paula Pryke's 'Flower School' is a beautiful looking book packed full of imaginative ideas that are truly inspiring! However, if you are looking for a book that will help you recreate these flower arrangements then you are going to be disappointed. The step by step photography is very unhelpful and if you have no flower arranging experience then you are going to find these flower displays difficult to achieve. This book is really a source book for ideas.