BLACK ROSES

Very eye-catching: vivid green “poet” carnations juxtaposed with black roses… Black roses? Isn’t the Black Baccara–the blackest rose there is–actually just a deep red? So how did these roses get so black?

When I asked the florist at Happy–the French chain that has changed the face of flower retailing with small, elegant black boutiques, great packaging and inexpensive blossoms–she replied that these were simply red Grand Prix roses that had been constantly watered with black tinted water in order to produce the inky blooms.

Is this natural? Desirable? Very debatable… but nevertheless fascinating.

- Lisa

FRESH FROM COURSON

Despite the overcast autumn weather, there was plenty of freshness at Courson this morning, beginning with these tiny rosebush hybrids, baptised “Ami des Jardins” They have been patiently developed by Guillot Roses, who are celebrating their 180th birthday this year. The founder, Jean-Baptiste Guillot, was one of those passionate rose hybridists that made Lyon, France the rose capital of the world in the 19th century.

Just as fresh, and more in keeping with the season, were the fall colours of this Sedum Sieboidii, which has turned a warm, almost appetizing, hue of ripe apricots, (or of macaroons)…

And the strangely fascinating Buddha’s Hand lemon tree will never cease to amaze… This must become an ingredient for a fresh, meditative perfume!

There were also vibrant red maple trees and curious white chrysanthemums, but I think I am fighting off fall and winter, as long as possible…

Cool Courson,

Lisa

ORGANIC GRAFFITI

Seen at the “Born in the Streets” graffiti show at the Fondation Cartier: the corridor and restrooms between the exhibition rooms are covered in recent graffiti. Writing, wild and straight, stars and explosions, from graffiti’s débuts. But also an urban-folkloric plant, growing vibrantly up a door jamb…

Eco-Tag,

Lisa

The Tree Room at the Closerie

The weather is still very summery here in Paris and a business lunch at the Closerie des Lilas is a leafy affair. The little pots of cyclamen laid on the tables and perched on midair shelves are not particularly convincing (though they would be lovely as cut flowers in transparent vases) but the visual presence of the  tree in the middle of the dining room is quite impressive. Apparently this setup gives the tree enough water and sun to allow it to thrive in such civilized surroundings. The Closerie should take inspiration from the amazing presence of this tree and develop the colours, textures and forms of the room design to enhance this unique dining experience, according to the seasons…

and call it the Tree Room at the Closerie…

Lisa

Night Blooms

Tonight was the Nuit Blanche, that moment once a year when le tout Paris, and I mean all of Paris, walks around the city to visit the numerous temporary art installations in public and private buildings and spaces. Sylvie Fleury’s luminous cristals in each alcove of Notre Dame could have been beautiful, but it is next to impossible to fill such a massive historic space with crystal light or anything else besides its own innately Gothic ambiance.

More successful, and a delightful suprise in the courtyard of the Hôtel d’Alibet in the Marais was Vincent Olinet’s life-sized tree made out of carpeting and covered with fresh white flowers:

People just stood or sat down in front of it, transfixed, taking in the scene as it shone in the dark. Entitled “Je vous aime tous” (I love you all) it was like a big bouquet, pre-destined to wither as the night wore on as none of the flowers was connected to a water source. Yet, since Olinet chose some very strong blossoms (calla lilies, chrysanthemums, baby’s breath) they would probably not wilt overnight like the lilies, which already hung limp in the early evening.

Again, mum’s the word…

Lisa

Chrysanthemum Explosion

The French are not intrinsically fond of the chrysanthemum. It reminds them of graveyards and the dull Toussaint holiday that announces the coming dead-of-winter-months. So, when The Horti-Culturalist, who always relishes a challenge, was invited to create a floral concept for French designer Jean-Marc Gady’s fantastic AMO vases at the Forum Diffusion design gallery here in Paris, I chose the mum. How to give the chrysanthemum, which is actually an amazingly shaped, long-lasting flower, a dazzling new identity?

Since the vases look like glass canons, the idea of a fireworks display of chrysanthemums came immediately to mind. I selected vibrant hybrids with names like “Energy” and “Vesuvio” and florist Laurent Tanguy helped install them as a sort of explosively vegetal Murakami… The hybrids will change over the three-week exhibition, but here in photos from the opening you can see the rays of these power flowers offering a stunning display of organic pyrotechnics…

Floral Ammo!

Lisa

DESIGNER VERONICA

New design evolves, new flowers are designed: at Maison et Objet in Paris today Massant,  Addenda and Gluxing have together created an encounter between the worlds of culture and horti-culture.

-A romantic, poetic, creative furniture collection for the garden grows from the roots of an exceptional, historically accurate cabinetmaker: Massant.

- After over ten years of meticulous development and selection in New Zealand and Denmark, a generously flowering new plant is designed by a quality-driven cooperative of 22 plant growers in Belgium and Holland: Addenda.

-A surprising and sustainable corporate “green identity” service and floral decoration company will soon bloom from the combined efforts of the highest level florists, landscape and interior architects and trend forecasters (including The Horti-Culturalist): Gluxing.

This innovative, hybrid cooperation between the three companies is symbolized by the “pixellized” plant wall designed by Gluxing to showcase the new Hebe plant developed by Addenda: the Veronica ‘White Princess’. Historically, veronica flowers have always been blue; this plant and flower is a unique white variety that underlines the veronica’s symbolic reputation for fidelity and perseverance. From the Latin vera iconica, the veronica is an icon of truth and strength in a world of doubt and difficulties.

For four days inside Maison et Objet, Massant, Addenda and Gluxing combine, on a luxury level, the design of a live garden experience,

Lisa

SIMPLICITY IN MOVEMENT

Forget the prissy perfection of the Phalaenopsis… daisies herald the winds of change, moving from sophistication to simplicity with charm and creativity. This particular variety, the Leucanthemum x superbum “Old Court” is both fresh and frothy, with feathery white petals and a radiant yellow heart. Instead of still lifes or in static bouquets, seeing such flowers in movement is particularly eye-catching: they become wild, alive, and seem possessed by spirits, like country shamans… This bunch was captured at the Tatton Park Flower Show in Cheshire, England last weekend.

Love it, or love it not?

Lisa

UPCYCLING

 

This is a perfect example of upcycling: recycling an object to give it an even more noble use than was originally intended. Northumbria University design graduate Jack Bresnahan presented his year-end project at the New Designers Show in London last week. Starting with an empty can of baked beans (part of any English breakfast!), he imagined recycled plastic accessories to make the can an aesthetic, permanent addition to the home. Toothbrush holder, tea or coffee jar… my favourite one is, of course, the vase. The form of the opening and the mix of materials is simply perfect: it even makes yellow chrysanthemums look trendy, but I can easily imagine it with unusual orchids or garden roses…

Don’t just recycle, upcycle…

Lisa

FLOWERS FOR NO REASON!

Why do people buy flowers? I love this illustration from the Obsessive Consumption designer, who draws on a daily basis the major and minor purchases of her life. Today, she bought flowers, stressing that she bought them for no reason… Does one need a reason to buy flowers?

Why must people have a birthday, baby or funeral to receive flowers? Why do so few people buy flowers for themselves? The economic crisis has definitely put a dent in flower sales as people save money for permanent, not ephemeral goods. Yet flowers add life and light to an interior, making it resonate in a way that inanimate objects cannot. And remember: flowers often last longer than food, bringing visual vitamins to the darkest of times and  places…