Dried Flower Installation

The new year brings the second Sissinghurst gardeners contribution of carefully

selected containers, filled with spring bulbs and specially tended dried flower installations

to adorn the oast exhibition space during the 2017 International Garden Photographer of

the Year exhibition.

The intention is to celebrate the spirit of Sissinghurst by bringing elements of the garden into

an indoor setting, while complementing the oast interior and enhancing the horticultural

themes on display.

The dried flower installation began life back in the autumn of 2015, when the idea to create

a suspended arrangement of flowers was proposed. After a collaborative process involving the

gardeners, volunteers and a local blacksmith we created a design for a metal framework from

which to hang dried plant material.

The Sky’s the Limit

This year, the dried flower display was planned with all the benefits of lessons learned from

our first experiments from the previous year. For example, this time we were able to grow

all the plant material specifically for this purpose.

For the display, we chose to create a more defined composition with stronger colours and

greater contrast – in height as well as tone. The statice flowers (Limonium sinuatum) gave us

an easily available variety of vibrant colours. The blue statice was particularly striking, so

this was chosen as the starting point for the design.

Limonium sinuatum is a Mediterranean plant species in the family Plumbaginaceae, known

for its papery flowers, native to southern Spain, North Africa, the Canary Islands and

Palestine. The skies above Sissinghurst were also an inspiration.

The Growing Process

Once the design was agreed, we needed to produce all the flowers.

Our Head propagator, Bridget Wheeler, and the nursery team, sowed the seeds of statice

(Limonium sinuatum), which were potted on and later planted out in the cutting garden in

mid-summer. Meanwhile, we had already collected the silvery white seed heads of honesty

(Lunaria annua), which had been sown the previous year and were now tied and drying.

Bridget is also responsible for the beautiful pots of bulbs on display in the main exhibition

space.

To ensure a good supply of flowers in prime condition and to promote more flowering stems,

suitable bunches were cut and gathered each week. Limonium sinuatum ‘Blue Sky’ was a

later addition to the crop, but this too produced a healthy harvest, which we were able to

pick right up to October. Once collected, all the flowers were bunched and stored inside the

dark, dry roof cavity of our machinery shed, which provided the best storage conditions to

preserve our harvest.

Arrangement and Assembly

At last the flowers could finally be put to good use and were sorted into colour and length,

then tied into miniature arrangements with natural raffia.

Having processed all the dried flowers, we lowered the metal framework to a comfortable

working height and marked out the sections of honesty ‘clouds’ and blue statice ‘sky’ with

raffia; before positioning and tying the bunches into place.

Finally the display was hoisted up into the conical roof space and securely shackled

into place.

Thanks go to our volunteers: Mitzi, Pat, Liz, Penny and Ann for all their invaluable help and

creative input.