Seasonal Flower Arranging: Fill Your Home with Blooms, Branches, and Foraged Materials All Year Round

Flower arranger and florist Chezar takes readers on an elegant walk through the seasons punctuated by her inspired creations. “Why long for tulips, when the woods are filled with wildflowers?” she states at the beginning. Chezar arranges her words as precisely as her flowers, prefacing the instructions for each arrangement with thoughtful discussions of the flowers used and why they are so seasonally appropriate. Blooms should be used to celebrate the season, she writes, and the arrangements, from May Day and wedding crowns to autumn tables and winter wreaths, emphasize what is locally available at a particular time of year. The instructions are presented cookbook-style, with a list of ingredients and step-by-step directions. Chezar understands that not everyone has the time or inclination to find the exact branches and blossoms called for, so, for example, the “Cascades of Gold” arrangement calls for six large Chinese pistache branches, but also lists easily attainable alternatives with the same “golden, autumnal sheen,” including oak, river birch, and zinnias. The combination of instructions, photographs, and elegant prose makes for a delightful companion for gardeners, florists, or armchair naturalists. 150 full-color photos. (Feb.)