DRIED & TRUE

Story by Diana Keeler | Photography by Kate Mathis

"MIX DRIED FLOWERS AND BRANCHES WITH HAND-CRAFTED OBJECTS TO CREATE A NATURAL, MINIMAL LOOK. A SINGLE STEM OR SCULPTURAL LEAF IN A SIMPLE VESSEL CAN MAKE THE PICTURE.”

– Hilary Robertson, stylist, author, Bloomist collaborator

“I like things that retain a shape. If they’re too small, they look like dust catchers,” explains Hilary. “When you’re working on an arrangement with smaller, more delicate things they’re always slightly brittle, which is why I lean toward larger blooms. A dried allium has a nice, sculptural shape. The leaves you get from the Caribbean are sculptural, and they’re more interesting to work with. Another dry favorite is bayberry. I absolutely adore it – a grey berry on a branch. I always have them at home and you don’t need more than 1 or 2.”

HILARY HAS HER FAVORITE STATEMENT BLOOMS. “I LOVE LARGER BLOOMS AND THINGS WITH SHAPE AND STRUCTURE,” SHE SAYS, “LIKE DRIED ALLIUM AND GIANT LEAVES FROM THE CARIBBEAN”.

Dried stems have the obvious advantage of not needing water, so try making a still life out of them by leaning against the wall or canvas.

"I particularly love dried Cecropia leaves as they are double sided and monochromatic and dry into interesting sculptural shapes. You only need a couple of these to add height to a still life."