Flower Arranging in The French Style

I recently had the privilege of attending a presentation by Laura Dowling on arranging flowers in the French style. Laura was the Chief Floral Designer at the White House from 2009 to 2015. Her arrangements were inspiring, and the use of the materials was inventive and beautiful. She attended floral design schools in both Paris and Germany and has continued to pursue new techniques. She has also authored several books on flower arranging in the French style, featuring her design work at the White House. Laura shared her stories of working in the White House and other major events where she designed flower arrangements to create a magical background. Those two and a half hours encouraged me to think outside the box to create beautiful flower arrangements.

Laura recommended changing the water daily to make your arrangement last longer. The need for floral frogs or a huge chunk of oasis isn’t necessary as the French style uses the structure of the foliage and flowers to hold everything in place. She stated, “the key is to build element upon element, incorporating various layers of depth and meaning to create a cohesive concept.” Flowers should be conditioned by cutting the stems at a 45-degree angle and keeping the stems submerged in water for a couple of hours before arranging. Always strip off any leaves that would be below the water line to prevent bacteria buildup. Everything should be clean to make your arrangement last longer—the vase, clean water, and clean tools. Be sure to keep your arrangement out of direct sunlight and drafts. Depending on what you use in your arrangement, it should last around 5 to 7 days.

Laura’s demonstration inspired me to try some of the key elements of the French style of floral arranging by