Floral Media - Book Review of Paris in Bloom by Georgianna Lane

Paris in Bloom is a wonderful book that brings to life the floral splendour of Paris. Georgianna Lane has produced a unique insight in words and pictures of a city we all love.

I fully agree with Audrey Hepburn when she says: "Paris is always a good idea". 

Georgianna takes us on a floral trip around Paris and shows us some of the many parks and public gardens.

In springtime she has captured the bright yellow daffodils, the colourful tulips and the flowering cherry trees.

During the summer months at the Musée Rodin, the sculpture of The Thinker is surrounded by topiary and a beautiful rose garden.

We are taken for strolls along the paths in Palais-Royal, Georgianna's favourite location in Paris, and the Jardin des Tuileries, a close second.   

Her descriptions of the Parisian flower shops are delightful. Many with charming interiors, flowers displayed by colour, vintage props and even some rose petals strewn on the ground welcoming you to make your custom selection of a bouquet of flowers.   

Paris is also famous for its street markets offering seasonal plants and flowers. Markets like Marché aux Fleurs has for many years been a destination for anyone in need for some floral beauty.

Floral displays are everywhere in Paris; hotel lobbies, balconies, window boxes as well as on many café tables.

Georgianna has also captured some of the easy to miss floral decorations around Paris. The rose window at Cathédrale Notre-Dame, ornate floral door details, iron railings and gates - it is easy to understand why she calls Paris the "City of Flowers".  

The book is divided into four main chapters: Parks and Gardens, Floral Boutiques, Market Flowers and Floral Displays. 

There are also some very useful pages at the back of the book with local resources, a field guide to common spring flowering trees and shrubs, and a spring tour of blossoms and blooms listing many of Georgianna's favourite locations.

Whether you have been in Paris many times or you are a first time visitor these carefully curated images are timeless and flow seamlessly throughout the book.

Georgianna says: "Thus, this book is my love letter to the French capital, an unapologetically romantic celebration of her abundant floral charm."  

Georgianna Lane is a Seattle-based floral and travel photographer whose work has been published in books, magazines, calendars and greeting cards.

Paris in Bloom by Georgianna Lane is published by Abrams Image (£12.99 hardback) and is available from Amazon and all good bookshops from 14th March.

Preorder Paris in Bloom before March 14th and you will receive an autographed print from Georgianna. You can find out more here.

Many thanks to Georgianna Lane and Jessica Chambers at Abrams Image for the review copy. 

All images by Georgianna Lane.

*****

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer - I will be back later in the week with some more floral delights.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

Book Review - Backyard Style by Matthew Mead

It's summertime and we like to spend more time outside in the warm weather. Matthew Meads latest book Backyard Style will give you lots of inspirational ideas to use - in your own backyard, porch, balcony or the park. 

This is the second time I have the opportunity to review one of Matthew's books. The first one was called Ultimate Recycled Style Guide and here is a link to that review.


In a quote by Matthew he says: "These pages are all about capturing the inspiration of backyards everywhere. I wanted to share all the ways to live in, savor, decorate, and create your own at-home haven."

Inviting friends and neighbours over for a drink in your garden is part of the pleasures of summer. 

"As the ice melts in the cocktails - or even a simple glass of sparkling water - the herbs and berries release their subtle flavors. Guests will appreciate the extra effort you took to make their drinks."

Gardening is also part of the pleasures of having a garden - but garden paraphernalia tend to accumulate and we all need some smart storage weather for gardening tools and terracotta pots.

"Green thumbs have a tendency to run amok gathering garden paraphernalia. To solve your storage woes, look for secondhand cabinets that can be used outdoors."

In one chapter the American interior designer Bunny Williams works her magic with flowers and creates a meadow inspired arrangement.

"Zinnias in greens and a whisper pinks (accented by a few more radiant shades tucked in) add "weight" and pop to the bouquet while repeating the meadow motif. The finished understated creation is every inch a Bunny Williams masterpiece." 

   

A whole lovely chapter is devoted to roses - growing them as well as using them in food and crafts.

"With their heavenly fragrance, romantic roses are easy to love - it's the growing of them that can seem scary. But, by choosing the right varieties and following our care tips, you'll enjoy these stellar beauties in your garden and home." 

You'll find flowers, lots of beautiful flowers.......

....and more beautiful flowers!

" Create a simple cutting garden with your favorite flowering annuals to provide you with pretty bouquets all summer long."

In the chapter Backyard Blooms Matthew has created lots of different arrangements in vintage vases and containers from flea markets and thrift shops.

"Embellish a vintage watering can with an antique paint technique and a stencil. The great thing about a galvanized can is that it can be put to use as both a vase and a utilitarian tool."

You'll also find delicious looking recipes and fun craft projects - all making your outdoor area into an enjoyable place to spend time with family and friends. 

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you later in the week.

xoxo Ingrid

Book Review - Decorate with Flowers by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring

"It is our heartfelt desire to bring you a fresh approach to decorating with flowers through this book, and to remove the intimidation that is typically associated with floral design.

I love this book - it's full of inspirational and creative ideas on using flowers in your home and you'll find over 150 images with beautiful flower arrangements.

"A few delicate blooms in even the simplest of vessels can add a dramatic statement to any room. Don't stress over crafting the perfect  bouquet; often a stem, or a small bundle is all that is needed." 

Every week I create lots of different flower arrangements for my blog and also hopefully inspiring people to be creative with flowers and make their own arrangements. I'm always happy when I find new and creative ways to display flowers and this book does just that!  

"Step-by-step-project - Tied Posy Arrangement - You will need: bud vase, a focal flower, six or seven secondary flowers in various colours and sizes, a ribbon."

The book is written by Holly Becker of the blog decor8 and Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint. Both super talented ladies in both the blogging and design world.

"When you have enormous heavy blooms like these dahlias, it can be more than enough to group them together without adding anything else. Keeping the stems long, we place them in a crackled glass vase for an effortless and airy look." 

This review is made up of pictures from the book and short quotes by Holly and Leslie. I like the fact that they are telling you in their own words what the book is about.  

"Add contrast in small doses to give a mostly neutral space an unexpected jolt."

It's published by Jacqui Small and the photographs are taken mainly by Leslie Shewring - but there are also photographs by Laure Joliet, Janis Nicolay, Thorsten Becker and Holly Becker.

"We love flowers, and through our work as stylists we frequently bring them into our rooms and vignettes to create a little magic." 

I have used fabrics designed by Leslie as background to my photographs. Her designs are all inspired by living in Paolo Alto in Southern California and are produced by Cloud 9 Fabrics. 

"Shallow, ceramic bowls are transformed into a must-try centrepiece when filled with fragrant blooms and herbs (we love mint!)."

This is a book to thoroughly be inspired by - each of the eight themed chapters has dozens of flower arranging ideas as well as a step-by-step project and some lovely entertaining ideas.   

Happy Floral Reading!

See you soon again!

xoxo Ingrid

Book Review of The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley

If you would like to grow your own cut flowers - then this book is for you!

I'm always very happy when the postman delivers new books and this turned out to be a little treasure.

The Cut Flower Patch is written by Louise Curley -  who also writes the blog Wellywoman and it's published by Frances Lincoln. Louise is a trained horticulturist and also writes for The Garden Illustrated and the Guardian newspaper's garden section.

The beautiful photographs are taken by Jason Ingram - a Bristol based photographer who has worked with a lot of big names in the gardening world.


Louise takes you through step by step how to create a cut flower patch. Starting with basics and the importance of doing some planning as well as different planting plans depending on the size of your plot. 

She recommends what flowers to choose - everything from annuals, biennials to bulbs, corms and tubers, 35 in all, as well as foliage and fillers.

Louise takes you through how to make your patch and how to maintain your flower garden.

My favourite chapters are the last three called Cutting Time, Showing Off and Rich Pickings. In Cutting Time she gives advice on how and when to cut your flowers and how to condition the flowers to make them last longer.

"Daffodils look good arranged on their own but the addition of some zingy green young foliage can increase interest"

  

The chapter called Showing Off is all about making quick and easy arrangements.

"Simple arrangements are often the most pleasing. Small bottles and jars make perfect receptacles."

"Among this hand-tied mix of seed heads and grasses are to be found teasels, honesty,love-in-the-mist, poppies and the orange seed pods of montbretia.

In Rich Pickings Louise mixes flowers from the cutting patch with other stuff you might have growing in your garden or find elsewhere - season by season.

Just like with growing your own vegetables you need time and patience to produce flowers from a cutting patch - but with the enjoyment you get while doing it and when the end result is buckets full of flowers - it's all worth it in the end! 

"Keep your flower arrangements simple by using only a few stems of flowers such as chrysanthemums, and enjoy the fruits of your labour."

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you later in the week!

xoxo Ingrid