In Review - The Church Ladies' Guide to Divine Flower Arranging

The Church Ladies' Guide to Divine Flower Arranging

Gay Estes

2008 - Bright Sky Press

I loved it!

My approach to floral arranging for the church has always been a bit personal. For me the act of arranging is the act of prayer, the end result is an offering to the glory of God. Prayer and offering aside there is always humor...who is, after all, more humorous than God!?

The book opens with the following, very appropriate prayer...

Oh Lord,

Please don't let my flowers wilt,

my lilies stain the vestments

or my vase leak.

May the Altar Guild not fight

over who gets to do the altar

and who must do the pews.

Let my arrangement neither fall,

nor catch fire from the candles.

Amen.

...so very appropriate that I am hoping to have a needlework rendering of it framed!
This is a delightfully well written book suited not only for the experienced arranger, but for anyone who is finding themselves in the Sacristy wondering why they are there with clippers in hand. A good deal of practical information is interspersed with personal anecdotes (we've all been there and done that!) and a refreshing humorous way of looking at things.

Without a doubt this is the most realistic and timely book for anyone arranging flowers in today's church.

Below are two tips that I found most fun and fascinating for suitable for use in arranging flowers at home, too:

"Here is arguably the the weirdest mechanic of all: You stick the stems into a small potato. No watering, no mess and woody stems handled this way will stay fresh a long time. Simply slit an insertion point into the potato with a knife and insert the stem. The moisture ans starch in the potato does the trick. This technique is especially useful for stems of ivy. Put some foil or plastic wrap under the potato to protect in the unlikely event of spoilage. Then simply conceal the potato with plant material or moss so it won't show."


"...Adding a splash of soft drink with sugar such as Sprite or 7Up will act as an antiseptic. (I have no idea why, but the carbonation is beneficial.) The solution also feeds the flowers. However, the use of raw sugar will harm the plants by clogging them and drawing unwanted drinkers to your bucket. A good solution to use to condition your flowers is 1/2 water, 1/2 regular Sprite, and 1 tablespoon Clorox bleach."

Finally, I wish to thank my good friend Claire Jenkins for gifting me with this book which is a must have for an arranger and guild!