Chris Benzakein
Whether you just love books filled with photos of beautiful flowers or your dream of creating a little flower garden of your own, there’s a new book that should be in your book collection. Erin Benzakein has released her second book, A Year in Flowers that is filled with beautiful photos taken by her husband Chris. Erin, Chris and their two children work together to run the families flower farm located in Washington’s Skagit Valley. In addition to ‘A Year in Flowers’ and Erin’s previous book, Cut Flower Garden, Floret sells cut flower seeds, as well as dahlia tubers, spring-flowering bulbs, tools, supplies, and gifts in their online shop.
I came to flowers first through landscape design and later farming. As my passion for flowers grew, so did my love of arranging. I began experimenting with ingredients that grew in my own garden, but that were not typically thought of as bouquet material, such as herbs, vegetables, and fruit on the branch. My arrangements celebrated the best of what was in season and each bouquet captured a fleeting moment in time.
In the early years, I practiced relentlessly, and each week I made a bouquet using only seasonal material that I had grown or gathered, and I shared it on my blog. I was absolutely blown away by the outpouring of positive feedback, and after many requests I started to teach others what I had learned. I quickly discovered that nearly everyone struggled with the same things I had: how to approach color, basic mechanics, proper ingredient selection, and most importantly, confidence.
After teaching hundreds of students how to create natural looking arrangements, I developed a tried-and-true process that reduced the guesswork and resulted in beautiful bouquets every time. In this book, I detail the basics of getting started with floral design, key ingredients, essential techniques, and ideas for every season.
Chris Benzakein
In Erin’s latest book she shares seasonal bouquets that even those new to floral arranging (like myself) will be able to recreate along with chapters that will encourage readers to explore and observe all of the colors and textures of the flowers and foliage around them. Whether you love ornate centerpieces for dinner parties with family and friends or you’re just looking for a simple arrangement to brighten up a room, A Year in Flowers will provide you with all the inspiration you need to begin your flower arranging journey.
About the Farm:
Since founding Floret, which began on a ‘tiny postage stamp-sized plot’ the farm has expanded to 25 acres. In coming years, Erin and her family will begin the design and planting process on their new land. As a lover of peonies, I was very excited to learn of Erin’s plans for a new peony field that will have nearly 100 different varieties of peonies.
Floret is such a marginal and breathtaking place. Erin has an extraordinary gift of t making her creative vision and seeing it through from concept to completion in a way that is both tangible and beautiful. I’m truly inspired by her talent and creativity, and once you’ve unpacked the contents of these pages, I know you will be too.” – Joanna Gaines
Order your copy of A Year in Flowers here.
Photography by Chris Benzakein
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