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In Europe, people buy bright bouquets of flowers with no special occasion in sight. We like that. In honor of spring, when the outdoor world becomes its own bold bouquet, we asked our favorite local floral designers how they do what they do, and what advice they might have for us amateurs who want to assemble a spur-of-the-moment masterpiece.
The Dutch Connection
The esteemed floral and glass designer Paula Dobbe grew up in the Netherlands among a family of authentic flower people—they operated a nursery—and still prefers to hire Dutch designers for her pristine Belvedere Square shop. “In Europe, you go to school four years to become a floral designer,” she explains. “The more you know, the more creative you become.” Paula trained in London with the famous natural designer Kenneth Turner—she calls her style very Dutch, a natural look, with a base of greens and flowers well integrated. “We try to work with flowers of the season,” she explains. “I like bulbs in the spring. Tulips and viburnum are beautiful.” She buys roses straight from Ecuador and often rearranges her lovely shop based on one striking petal color. For Paula, flowers are art to be enjoyed year round. “Flowers are as essential as a bottle of wine or your daily bread,” she says. The designer is happy to see more and more Baltimoreans buying flowers purely for fun. Paula sells unique pottery and affordable glass pieces, vases, bowls and candleholders, many of which she designs and ships from Italy, Portugal, and Hungary. Advice: “The mix at the supermarket is too common—it is better to buy one flower. If you don’t know much about arranging, buy 30 tulips and put them in the vase.” 515 E. Belvedere Ave. in Govans (410) 467-7882
Mille Fleurs, Inc.
Co-owners Diane Pappas and Kathy Quinn met in a floral certificate program and launched their exquisite Roland Park shop 11 years ago. The friends are the main designers but also employ three part-time arrangers. They share an appreciation of the exotic and don’t like to order common flowers. “You don’t see carnations and mums in our cooler,” Diane says. Sixty percent of their business is fresh flowers, and about 40 percent of their stock is permanent or artificial flowers and specialty props like ornate wreathes, battery-powered candles, and gold grass. Beautiful silk orange poppies look better than the real thing. A gorgeous wreath of jagged branches hangs like abstract art. “Sometimes people bring in their own vase. They say, ‘Make it festive.’ That’s what we like,” Diane says. “And we really like smaller events, going to people’s homes and having them decide what they might want.” For spring arranging, the pair favor a lot of the flowering branches, tulips, peonies, and lilac, the Eucharis orchid, and hydrangea bigger than a human head. Advice: “I think people ought to stick with one color—if you’re going to mix flowers,” Diane says. “We do a lot with stemmed cymbidium (an elaborate orchid),” Kathy says. “It looks like party dresses.” 314 Wyndhurst Ave. in Roland Park (410) 323-3182
Rutland Beard
Rut Paal’s tasteful shop has been in his family since 1923, when his grandparents opened the Catonsville location. His parents took over in ’53, and Rut joined forces in ’75. “In the 80s we felt like there was really a need for a European market floral display with an English garden style of design,” Rut explains. His predominate style is still an English garden look. Rut’s top designer is Allison Webb, a member of the prestigious American Institute of Floral Designers. Allison helps clients plan special events. Other designers specialize in a variety of stylistic arranging, from English garden to modern minimalist. “We don’t just sell flowers—we end up helping people,” Rut says. “It takes you down all kinds of roads, from the wedding to the birth of babies to the babies’ graduations, then you’re doing the kids’ weddings. That kind of thing is so rewarding.” Advice: “Consider your space carefully first, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. What colors work? There are times when a certain flower won’t show—dark flowers in a dark room are not going to be effective.” Also: “Keep in mind, tulips are going to keep growing, and that will change the arrangement. You’ve got to know how to cut them.”
7627 Bellona Ave. in Ruxton (410) 321-1737
5639 Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville (800) 338-8467
Simply Beautiful Flowers
After earning a fine arts degree, Rennie Friedlander designed flowers for friends’ weddings and parties out of her mother’s basement—and word of her artistic flair spread fast. In 1995, she and husband Brian opened their popular Pikesville shop. Business still comes mostly by word of mouth. Rennie and her small design crew, which includes her mother, artist Sandra Kelly, her husband Brian, and professional arranger Margaret Johnson, create luxurious and unusual gift bouquets and flowery party design. “Everything we send is beautifully finished,” Rennie says. Before bouquets bounce out the door, they are scrutinized from all sides atop a lazy Susan. “Our arrangements are pretty feminine, soft, flowing, and graceful. They are artfully done, like paintings.” Flowers can be wired anywhere. Rennie and her creative team design one wedding per weekend, fill many standing orders daily, and make party-planning house calls each Monday—Rennie aims to create floral arrangements on sight that look indigenous. Advice: Citrus bouquets are lovely: combine oranges, greens, whites, yellows, and powder-pink with chartreuse green. Also: “It’s easier to design in a small vase. Wide-mouth vases are difficult to fill—but you can make a floral tape tic-tac grid to hold flowers in place.” The Alley Shops – 1330 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville (410) 484-7743
Jake Boone
Real estate pro Jake Boone lives a delicious double-life as floral designer extraordinaire. Jake designs out of his elegant Bolton Hill home, his entire basement devoted to over-the-top props, large vases, wrought-iron lanterns, and other high-end set pieces. If you want painterly bouquets built on an ultra grand scale, you want Jake—but give him two months’ lead-time. Jake started designing flowers for fine dinner parties and quickly cornered the market on giant extravaganzas, like the opening of the Cohn wing at the BMA, the Hopkins Board of Trustees’ dinners, and The West Wing inauguration ball, shot in D.C. The visionary will often enlist eight people to work on one nine-foot bouquet. “I’m not a counter; I edit,” Jake says. “I’m in it—and 16 arms are flying.” For one lavish Bar Mitzvah at the Armory, two cherry pickers and a team of six firemen were employed to hoist Jake’s 12-foot-tall concoction. For a large wedding at the Baltimore Country Club, Jake combined Queen Anne’s lace, roses, hydrangea, stock and French tulips to construct a floral globe 10 feet tall. Jake sketches each big bouquet like a sculptor starting a new work. Advice for flower amateurs: “I hate carnations, but when you clump them together, if you really work them together, they look great. That’s true of anything. Another tip—let your container guide you.”
Baltimore (410) 523-0023
Flowers and Fancies
Eddie Wingrat launched his ambitious large-scale flower shop in 1971. Every seasonal flower you could name—and more—is available in his warehouse of a freezer, including virtually every color of rose. Customers can assemble bouquets online or select from dozens of pre-arranged offerings in a wide range of price points. Trucks service Frederick, D.C., and Bethesda daily. Eddie designed his business to service everyone economically, from a table for two to a party for 2000. He also carries plants and ficus trees suitable for offices. “We try to create within people’s tastes and budgets—that’s what we do every day,” the florist says. He employs 10 designers who work in an array of styles. But the business remains a family endeavor. Eddie’s brother Stanton heads the events department, while his brother Mark works in operations. His son Eric recently came aboard, too. Advice: “A simple vase of gladiolas says a lot. Another classic option: hand-tied roses.” And remember: Men like to receive flowers, too.
11404 Cronridge Drive in Owings Mills (410) 653-0600