Dried Flower Installation - Fastly · 2021. 6. 18. · Dried Flower Installation The new year...
Transcript of Dried Flower Installation - Fastly · 2021. 6. 18. · Dried Flower Installation The new year...
Dried Flower Installation
The new year brings the second Sissinghurst gardeners contribution of carefully
selected containers, filled with spring bulbs and specially tended dried flower installations
to adorn the oast exhibition space during the 2017 International Garden Photographer of
the Year exhibition.
The intention is to celebrate the spirit of Sissinghurst by bringing elements of the garden into
an indoor setting, while complementing the oast interior and enhancing the horticultural
themes on display.
The dried flower installation began life back in the autumn of 2015, when the idea to create
a suspended arrangement of flowers was proposed. After a collaborative process involving the
gardeners, volunteers and a local blacksmith we created a design for a metal framework from
which to hang dried plant material.
The Sky’s the Limit
This year, the dried flower display was planned with all the benefits of lessons learned from
our first experiments from the previous year. For example, this time we were able to grow
all the plant material specifically for this purpose.
For the display, we chose to create a more defined composition with stronger colours and
greater contrast – in height as well as tone. The statice flowers (Limonium sinuatum) gave us
an easily available variety of vibrant colours. The blue statice was particularly striking, so
this was chosen as the starting point for the design.
Limonium sinuatum is a Mediterranean plant species in the family Plumbaginaceae, known
for its papery flowers, native to southern Spain, North Africa, the Canary Islands and
Palestine. The skies above Sissinghurst were also an inspiration.
The Growing Process
Once the design was agreed, we needed to produce all the flowers.
Our Head propagator, Bridget Wheeler, and the nursery team, sowed the seeds of statice
(Limonium sinuatum), which were potted on and later planted out in the cutting garden in
mid-summer. Meanwhile, we had already collected the silvery white seed heads of honesty
(Lunaria annua), which had been sown the previous year and were now tied and drying.
Bridget is also responsible for the beautiful pots of bulbs on display in the main exhibition
space.
To ensure a good supply of flowers in prime condition and to promote more flowering stems,
suitable bunches were cut and gathered each week. Limonium sinuatum ‘Blue Sky’ was a
later addition to the crop, but this too produced a healthy harvest, which we were able to
pick right up to October. Once collected, all the flowers were bunched and stored inside the
dark, dry roof cavity of our machinery shed, which provided the best storage conditions to
preserve our harvest.
Arrangement and Assembly
At last the flowers could finally be put to good use and were sorted into colour and length,
then tied into miniature arrangements with natural raffia.
Having processed all the dried flowers, we lowered the metal framework to a comfortable
working height and marked out the sections of honesty ‘clouds’ and blue statice ‘sky’ with
raffia; before positioning and tying the bunches into place.
Finally the display was hoisted up into the conical roof space and securely shackled
into place.
Thanks go to our volunteers: Mitzi, Pat, Liz, Penny and Ann for all their invaluable help and
creative input.