Product Description

Paula Pryke is one of the world's leading floral designers and an inspiration to novices and experts alike. Her flower school in London, which attracts students worldwide, provides one of the most sought-after credentials for anyone serious about mastering the art of floral design. Now with Flower School, Pryke offers the essentials of her London program in gorgeously illustrated text, allowing readers to feel as if they have enrolled in her school. Simple step-by-step instructions and clearly defined photographs make even the most ambitious design achievable. Drawing on her signature designs, she discusses design rules, color concepts, equipment, and flower preparation, and then offers a series of formal lessons on hand-tied bouquets, the use of water in containers, wirework, and designing for special events. This impressive collection is rounded out with a flower directory detailing those flowers and plants best suited to Pryke's dramatic approach to floral artistry. Packed with original ideas and invaluable techniques, this comprehensive volume is an inspirational sourcebook for flower arrangers of any level.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31347 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-14
• Released on: 2006-02-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Paula Pryke has a world-renowned reputation for innovative and brilliantly colorful floral designs. Her previous books include Simple Flowers, Flowers! Flowers!, Living Color, and Wedding Flowers.

Customer Reviews

Paula Pryke's Flower School: Mastering the Art of Floral Design
I bought the book as a present for my wife who has an interest and talent in floral arranging, but no formal training. She loves the book. It has numerous wonderful color photos and discusses colors and texture in floral arranging. The book covers design ideas for shape and form; balance; harmony; scale and proportion; texture and contrast; movement; dominance; rhythm; repetition; massing flowers; grouping; bunching and bundling; carpeting; layering; manipulating plant material; structural designing; and season. It also has an excellent and informative section on color concepts. A key feature of the book is the step by step instructions for making decorative arrangements, along with photos of the arrangement as described in the steps. I cannot speak for what professional florists would like, but for my wife it was a perfect book. It would have been worth it just to see the beautiful pictures of floral arrangements, but the lessons really make the book what it is.

Very Informative
The step-by-step instructions in the book are extrememly helpful -- but she still allows for the reader to think creatively in their review of her information. It is a beautiful book with many, many photos, including step-by-step photos for the instructions.

Beautiful but General
I would never contest the beauty of this book, but I found the lessons section to be lacking in terms of specificity. After all, this book is meant to be instructive. The instructions were often much too general for someone actually trying to learn floral design. Sometimes the generality is along the lines of 'put the twigs in the vase, put the roses in the vase,' while at other times it is more specific. In essence, the real process of placement is sometimes excluded.

Also, many of the arrangements are of a similar style, round and mouned, and though this is a particular style, I would have appreciated fewer examples of this type of bouquet, which I consider to be less complicated to make. As a florist, I would recommend this book to other florists looking for interesting ideas for using alternative floral materials such as food. I would also recommend this book for beginners needing very basic informatioin, such how to use greeneries and basic floral tools.

I would not, however, recommend this book for beginners or florists hoping to make commercial sorts of arrangements. After all, her book is the "art" of floral design, not the "economics" of floral design. Many commercial floral arrangements make more economical use of stem length and amount of flowers. This is not universal, but it is something to keep in mind when deciding who to buy this book for.