Summer Confections, 2023

Week 34, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers

Slow Flowers Revisited with inspiration from 2013
Slow Flowers Revisited with inspiration from 2013
Queen Red Lime details
Queen Red Lime Zinnia details with sedum accents.
Detail of Dahlia
Dahlia detail 2023
2023 palette details
The pink-green-and gold palette comes together beautifully, as every botanical element echoes the Queen Red Lime zinnia’s unique petal colors

File this endeavor in the “win” column.

When I look at the 2023 version of my “Summer Confections” arrangement, first designed for the 2013 publication of my Slow Flowers book, I can’t help but notice how much I’ve learned about floral design techniques in the past decade.

I loved the original design, arranged in a buttercup yellow Frances Palmer vase from her Pearl Collection (now discontinued). I loved the ‘Queen Red Lime’ zinnias, that echoed colors in the vase, the companion salmon pink dahlias, the green sedum, the golden ninebark and the green millet — all grown by Jello Mold Farm and sourced via Seattle Wholesale Growers Market.

Then (2013) and Now (2023)
Then (2013, left) and Now (2023, right)

But when you compare the two arrangements — then and now — there’s an obvious contrast that symbolizes how much more relaxed I’ve become in my design efforts.

The earlier arrangement is tight and too low in the vase (in my viewing). The new arrangement “breathes,” as the stems are cut longer and encouraged to stretch out beyond the 5-inch vase opening. The proportions are more appropriate and my 2023 efforts clearly represent an improvement.
[That said, the 2013 version was one of my very favorites in Slow Flowers, and book designer Holly Rosborough thought so, too, because she included the photo on the back cover!]

Summer Confections from Slow Flowers Book, 2013
Summer Confections from Slow Flowers Book, 2013

New Ingredients

Zinnia elegans ‘Queen Red Lime’, grown by Diamond Day Bouquet (a Slow Flowers Member)
Dahlias (salmon pink), grown by Ojeda Farms
Anemone-style dahlias and feathertop grass, grown by Free Range Flowers (a Slow Flowers Member)
Golden ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Luteus’), grown by Jello Mold Farm (A Slow Flowers Member)
Sedum from the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden

Debra Prinzing

Debra Prinzing is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for American-grown flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, she has convened a national conversation that encourages consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the weekly "Slow Flowers Podcast" and the American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4) campaign. Debra is author of 11 books, including Slow Flowers (2013), The 50 Mile Bouquet (2012) and Slow Flowers Journal (2020). She is the co-founder of BLOOM Imprint, the boutique publishing arm of Slow Flowers.

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Slow Flowers Journal is brought to you by SlowFlowers.com. Slow Flowers is an award-winning online directory created to help consumers find florists, studio designers, wedding and event planners, supermarket flower departments and flower farmers that supply American grown flowers. Founded in 2014, the site has grown to 850 members across the U.S.

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at 206-769-8211 or 844-SLOWFLO (844-756-9356); debra(at)slowflowers.com.