BOOK REVIEWS

Grandiflora arrangements

Saskia Havekes
Photos by Gary Heery
Published by Lantern
Distributed by Penguin
$NZ69.95

But for a couple of things, this lavish book, might be written off as a marketing exercise for Saskia Havekes’ flash Potts Point (Sydney) florists shop called, of course, Grandiflora.

Those two things are the sheer artistry of the florist and her photographer partner Gary Heery, and the clarity the book brings to complex and simple floral statements alike.

In this book (which follows the earlier Grandiflora) Havekes takes a season-by-season approach to her arrangements and, in the main, uses “flower-inspired statements” from clients, colleagues and friends as a starting point for much of her work.

It might be tempting to consign grandiflora arrangements to the coffee table – it’s so sumptuous that the dust jacket even sports floral friezes on its inside. However, many of the 100 or so arrangements really beg to be replicated – a task made all the easier by meticulous, step-by-step instructions.

Havekes’ passion and her sublime craft are contagious, and her readers may be assured that at least a smidgen of those qualities will rub off on them.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH