We welcomed ‘A Man and his Box of Flowers’ this month as Doug Howard demonstrated and explained his love of flower arranging and how he came to combine this with his ‘day job’ as a barber. We also recognised how he is enjoying his retirement and how his travels and activities are providing inspiration and influence on his designs.
Throughout, it was Doug’s passion for and knowledge of foliage ( as well as beautiful flowers) that I remember most from the demonstration – I would have been delighted if I had won several of the designs before a single flower was added (sadly I didn’t!).
A variety of colour and texture was provided within the foliage and he also showed us several techniques of leaf manipulation. Heuchera, bergenia, fatsia, eunonymous, aspidistra, mahonia, larch, steel grass and several different ferns and palms are just a few examples of the foliage he used. His arrangements were then enhanced by roses, carnations, gladioli, chrysanthemums, agapanthus, gerberas, lisianthus, calla lillies and dahlias.
There was also variety in size – from a coffee table design using just three gerbera to his final arrangement which was a stunning centre piece on the stage.
Doug has kindly agreed that we can share the pictures of his designs.
