Maggie's Farm

The design of anything is always an interesting topic. Bouquets, clothing, furniture, buildings. It's not just interesting for gays and females.

One of Mrs. BD's hobbies is floral design. She competes, seriously. She has seen tons of books on the topic but she recommends one short one which goes through the fundamentals: Balance, Emphasis, Harmony, Proportion, Rhythm, and Unity.  Cool stuff:

Florists' Review Design School: An illustrated guide of the styles, principles, elements, periods, and techniques in floral design.

It's not a "how to," it's more about the "what." The mechanics and the how-to are another complex topic but over the years I have learned a bit about that too as have most of the genial husbands of the garden club ladies.

I told her that my Mom got so deep into the art of it it that she finally quit it all in older age, and decided to just throw handfuls of wildflowers, daisies, and grasses in vases. However, with all of her training she knew how to do that with simplicity and taste.

'Tis the gift to be simple.