NATURE NOTES ❘ FRENCH BLOOMS
ADDRESS BOOK
SOME OF MY FAVOURITE FLOWER SHOPS Whenever I am in Paris, I stop by certain flower shops and greet the owner with a kiss on each cheek. These florists have become my friends and I love catching up on their lives and seeing their latest designs. Surrounded by masses of fragrant blooms, posies, ribbons, and seasonal floral displays, these shops not only inspire me but are where I’ll treat myself to a hand-tied bouquet.
ADRIANE M. FLEURISTE PARIS
You can grow many suitable florals at home to make beautiful bouquets
They inject rhythm into their arrangements by placing flowers and foliage in ways that encourage the eye to move all around the finished piece. This means using round and linear flowers and cutting flowers in different lengths to place them high and low in the arrangement. Like the French, I love to create larger pedestal arrangements that have movement via their asymmetric shape. I do this by first arranging the foliage so that one side is higher than the other. Then, I insert the flowers along the same upward curve as the foliage, eventually creating a three-dimensional whole. Repeating colours, textures, and shapes also can add movement, along with adding what I call ‘dancers’. These are blooms, like scabiosa, that have a sort of wavy bounce to them. I like to add a few dancers to the arrangement’s lowest part, so the flowers almost look like they’re falling out of the container. You also can add liveliness to a bouquet by adding some curling, reaching, and radiating elements to an arrangement, such as corkscrew hazel, sprigs of pussy willow, or bells of Ireland. One of my favourite ways to create a sense of sprightliness to a tablescape is to march small bud-filled cordial glasses or vases down the centre of a dining table interspersed with votives.
Another element of French floral design is to edit the arrangement when it’s nearly complete to give it an airy, romantic looseness. This means pulling out greenery that’s blocking certain flowers and removing specific blooms that are crowding the arrangement. You also want to make sure each bloom is facing out.
The final secret touch is to add a unique visual bonbon, which I sometimes refer to as focal or face flowers. I learned this from my French flower shop mentors. For larger designs, it could be a rare or special bloom, like some gorgeous peonies, to elicit an “Oh, look!” sense of delight. FT
French Blooms by Sarah Sigman is published by Rizzoli USA, priced $40;
www.rizzolibookstore.com Principal photography by Kindra Clineff
40 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2023
4 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris This fleuriste is located on the corner of Rue Saint-Dominique and Rue de Bellechasse in the 7th arrondissement. With its expansive floral displays outside, you can’t miss it. Peek inside and you’ll be delightfully overwhelmed with the masses of flowers and plants.
L’ARROSOIR 80 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 This 100-year-old flower shop is now owned by a fellow American called Adrienne Ryser, who fell in love with France, a French man and flowers. When the shop’s previous owners retired, she jumped at the opportunity to acquire it. Every time I visit, the shop bursts with beautiful blooms and intoxicating scents.
Adriane M. Fleuriste in the 7th arrondissement is a delight
MAISON VERTUMNE 12 Rue de la Sourdière, 75001 Visit the chartreuse-painted Maison Vertumne in the heart of the 1st arrondissement of Paris to see why clients have been coming back to Clarisse Béraud and her prestigious shop for over 20 years. Her arrangements are voluptuous and exquisitely made with luxurious, seasonal flowers.
Maison Vertumne, on Rue de la Sourdière, is a floral paradise
OZ GARDEN POUR FLAMANT 8 Rue de Furstemberg, 75006 Located in the Saint-Germain- des-Prés district near the sweet Musée Delacroix, this gem of a florist is on the other side of the high-end home goods store Flamant. The shop boasts some of the prettiest florals in all of Paris. The last time I was in the square by the shop, I was surrounded by flowers and serenaded by an opera singer.
Helpful hints when buying a bouquet à la française Visit your favourite fleuriste on restock day, which is typically Saturday morning, for the freshest flowers.
Invited to a French dinner? Always bring flowers as a form of appreciation for your host.
When buying a bouquet for a gift, mention that it is pour offrir (to gift) and the shop will wrap your bouquet with a pretty bow.
Stay away from mostly all-white bouquets, as they are generally for weddings. Instead, create a bouquet with complementary hues that will translate into a clean and elegant design.
IMAGES © KINDRA CLINEFF, MAISON VERTUMNE/FACEBOOK
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