"Plant your own garden, decorate your own soul, inhale the fragrance of summer blooms, don’t wait for anybody to bring you flowers.”
The summer is one of the main seasons in a tropical country like India and is usually associated with hot, dry weather. There are three chemicals responsible for individual happiness — dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. Fragrant flowers triggers dopamine. It makes us happy and brings positive energy. Relationship between human and flowers throws light on the synergetic dynamics of embodied aesthetics. However, this goes beyond perceptual levels, as flowers are a multisensory experience that includes fragrance (small), texture and colour. These summer arrangements are easy to construct with both summer flowers and fruits.
Loaded Pickle Pitchers
This cascading frontal flower arrangement has two traditional ceramic pickle storage jars commonly found in Indian homes. They are placed at two different levels on a corner table which highlights strong forms and lines. These jars are filled with few inches of water to retain the moisture in the summer heat. At the neck of these jars large moist oasis are placed. A variety Dracaena trifasciata leaves are fixed in this oasis. They are magnificent, long, thin and green. It is a popular houseplant known for its ornamental value. The other benefits are that they are air purifying plants, increase humidity at home, are low maintenance and surprisingly increases concentration and focus. To create further interest some long leaves are folded and clipped, a very common technique in large designs. Some Dracaena reflexa, more commonly known as Song of India and native to the islands of the Indian Ocean, is hardy, drought tolerant and does exceedingly well in less water and low light indoor environments. Some of them are pasted on pink florist paper to slightly break the green monochromatic scheme of this design. To add more interest large monstera leaves from family Araceae are subtly added in a shy way to this adaptation. A couple of scissored palm leaves are added going up vertical to give further height to this design. As both the markets and our kitchens are flooded with raw mangoes — eight-nine of them are added. The fresh fragrance of the leaves and mangoes brings cheer and radiance to any home. I have kept this arrangement in front of my bookshelf to imagine their sweet conversations and exchanges.
Bougainvillea Blooms
This is a gentle fragrant arrangement, easy to construct and quick to assemble. A white rectangular platter is used as the sturdy base. Above it 20 to 24 pieces of wooden coaster-sized circular pieces are placed next to each other with thin pieces of moist oasis placed between a few of them. Fragrant and fresh jasmine (juhi) garlands are entwined around these vertical wooden pieces.
Juhi is one of the most beautiful and fragrant amongst all flowering plants in Asia. Juhi flowers and buds are commonly used for making garlands, bouquets, and veni for religious offerings. They are also used for production of perfumed hair oil, attar, soap and cosmetic industry. Of course, let us not forget the popular jasmine tea. Dark green small leaves further enhance the base of this design. Above this, a strong thin dried branch and twigs are tied together and placed diagonally, creating strong lines. These dried elongated twigs are contrasted with very delicate velvety pink bougainvillea. They are sun lovers, best in peak summers, requiring five-six hours of full sun to bloom. The colourful look creates a pleasant vibe and looks like aggressive creepers climbing all the way up. They are evergreen shrubby vines, popular for their long-lasting colourful flower bracts which appear periodically throughout most of the year. A lighter shade of bougainvillea flowers (baby pink) are placed horizontally at the bottom to create harmony. The leaves continue their journey upwards, climbing gently on the slanted twigs. This arrangement can be placed on a console table, or at the entrance of a home/office to welcome with its beautiful fragrance.
Summer Pitcher Bouquets
A clay pot is found in most Indian homes to keep water cool, specially in rural India. It is spray painted in dark brown and dark golden hues. This shape of the pot imparts a greater distinctive level in this floral design. The pot is half filled with water to keep the oasis placed at the mouth moist providing longer freshness to this arrangement. Umbrella palm stems are cut in four-inch size uniformly and strung together with wire to keep them firm. These beautiful strips of sticks creates a brilliant carnival with the help of an easy binding technique. They form the outer support of the bouquet of frangipani (champa). They are fragrant flowers and considered auspicious bestowing long life and good future. The colour variations that can be grown are from white, pink, yellow and orange. Here we have taken two large clusters of pink flowers. These delicate flowers generate an interesting contrast to the strong woven sticks which have created a distinctive line of movement in this construction. A small cluster of kamini leaves are placed between the two bouquets in this asymmetrical balanced design. Instead of the champa flowers, other delicate fragrant flowers can be used in its place. The vertical lines of umbrella palm demonstrate the use of rhythmic transition and variation while the delicate flowers in the bouquet create drama. These arrangements are usually placed in distinctive corners, in front of pillars on a console table, or in front of the mirror giving a 360° view.
Summer Bouquet Rings
This harmonious design demonstrates unity with the line elements and the mass of tiny flowers placed at the bottom on the ring evidence the use of transitional material. A 15” strong ring is the base and support to this wall-hanging arrangement. It is entwined with natural-coloured jute cord. At the base moist oases are placed. Prior to that a white strong cord is tied strongly vertically creating an interesting contrast of vertical lines of the circular outer lines. The next step is to create the focal area of dominance at the bottom with light upward grading. There are five different kinds of flowers placed in this design. The pink pentas in shades of pink and white are commonly cultivated in pots and baskets, can withstand full sunlight, and need little or no care and pleasantly attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Red karabi or commonly known as oleander are used in abundance. The Greek myth represents this as seduction and bewitching desire. It is also cultivated and highly used for medicinal purposes. A small cluster of daisies and gypsies are also added to this delicate design. Interestingly, a daisy is two flowers in one. The larger outer petals make up one flower and a cluster of tiny petals form the centre ‘eye’, making up another. Long fern and small kamini leaves are added to create a lovely green supportive backdrop to this assembly. Thin wooden ply sticks spray-painted orange are placed vertically in three-four spots creating strong mechanics which results in the dynamic balance and a ‘wow’ factor. Two to three such rings created and placed on the wall leaves a sense of beauty and a light fragrance right through day and night in the room. On a celebratory occasion they are even placed on the walls of private stairways.
Sunny Summer Fragrance
Grouping materials together in close order with little as no space results in the overall outline to become the focus of the design with maximum impact and limited plant material. This large dining table/coffee table arrangement is dramatic due to its strong woven lines, warm colour scheme, accessories and the quality of non- chemical fragrance. A large rectangular mirror is the base on which this arrangement is built. The light and reflections of the design and environment adds to the harmony of this design. Coconut palm leaves are used in abundance here. There are cleaned and oiled sufficiently. Then they are woven with the traditional mechanics of warp and weft. Once a large sheet is woven it is wrapped around a two-inch thick thermocol sheet and both fastened and pasted to leave no ends unattended. A set of 4” thick rectangular oases is also wrapped in a similar way and placed diagonally to each other on the base sheet. Four small pickle containers are filled with water and small bouquets of 4-5 sunflowers with their leaves are placed in each. The stems of the sunflowers are pre-cut and left in water so that they remain fresh for a longer period. These little pickle pots are placed next to the diagonal coconut leaves woven oasis. Large buds of rajnigandha are wire-woven and fastened and kept longitudinally on each structure providing a festive look and the diagonal lines create drama. Marigold garlands are placed all around the design creating an impact of abundance and beauty. The fragrance of tuberose fills the room with sweet delicate scent which easily stays for a couple of days. We can increase the quantity of flowers for festivities and even replace marigold with other flowers like roses or carnations.
Sunita Kanoria, trained at Pushpa Bitan, is a judge for national-level flower-arrangement competitions, and currently utilises her time and talent as a floral-decor demonstrator at various forums