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Paula Pryke appears on television in the UK and abroad, writes regular magazine columns and still finds time to take a hands-on approach at her design studios in London.  Her Flower School, which opened in 1994, attracts students from all over the world.

When did you know you wanted to be a florist?

I had always loved flowers and from an early age I remember thinking that they best thing about housework was flower arranging. I also noted that if you hoovered a room and then put in a bunch of fresh flowers, the whole room was enhanced!

Growing up on a farm in Suffolk, I did not really see any professional floristry so never considered it as a career. After studying history I became a teacher in quite a tough school in Romford, Essex. As a young inexperienced teacher in a large unruly comprehensive each day was challenging and I found it quite exhausting. Initially I felt like each day I was swimming against a tide. In my third year I came into work one morning to discover that some pupils had burnt down my classroom, leaving all my record books and the pupil's GSCE course work destroyed. I remember being quite shocked by the matter-of-fact response of the fire brigade who attended the scene and realised that this was not uncommon! The school did not qualify for a temporary classroom, so I spent the rest of the term teaching in corridors and gyms without any books or resources! If a child comes to school with out any books or pens and you have no resources – it is a desperate situation.

In the half term following this incident I had a ‘Road to Damascus’ experience when I was driving a friend to Heathrow airport and travelled from East London to West London. Everywhere we seemed to go we saw red roses being delivered, as it happened to be Valentines Day.

From that day, flowers became a passion.

For those of us who struggle to make a decent arrangement, what is your number one rule?

The combination of the flowers is important, also the right vase. Even a competent arranger cannot always make certain vases work. You can’t make an omelette without the right pan and so it is important to have a good set of vases. If you are still challenged just use one type of flower, a mass of one seasonal flower works in any home.

Have you seen a big change in the availability of flowers over the years?

There has been an enormous increase in the availability of flowers and there are so many places you can buy them. 60% of all flowers still go through the flower auctions in Holland, and we are lucky that we live so near and now with the tunnel, we have fresh flowers delivered every day. There is a huge demand, which is always increasing. Most British grown flowers end up in supermarkets these days.

What is the biggest mistake people make when arranging flowers?

Mostly they want to make something too complicated and fancy. One stem in a vase is easy to do and looks great! Keep it simple, fresh and seasonal like your food!

At your Flower School you obviously have all the equipment needed for flower arranging, what should we make sure we always have at home?

It is important to have some good bleach to clean out your vase in between arrangements to kill bacteria. A sharp pair of floristry scissors or secateurs, and a good vegetable knife are also important. You need to always re-cut the stems when you pick or buy flowers. Flower food works as an anti-bacterial agent and food so it does make flowers last longer. The green foam known as Oasis is also useful if you want to make more complicated designs. I have written 14 books on flower arranging and I think every home needs one of these just like we all need Delia’s help in the kitchen!

Do most people only buy flowers for the weekend and special occasions?

I think this was the case but the trend is changing and just as we buy more wine, we add flowers to our weekly shop. Traditional florists tend to do more of the special occasion work along with flower websites.


Has the recession affected the nations’ flower buying?

Expensive parking, traffic wardens, business tax, ridiculous high street rents, competition from supermarkets, online flower sites and the recession have all done their bit to put the nail in the coffin of the high street florist. However there are times in our lives when only flowers will do. The big craze for 2012 is ‘Grow your own flowers!’

What is your favourite flower?

Ranunculus – They look their most attractive the day before they expire when their petals take on a translucent quality. There are some flower fields in Carlsbad, California where they grow to almost the size of peonies and that is my vision of heaven!

Do you always have fresh flowers at home?

When I lived above the shop or my workshop, I could live with out them for six to eight hours when I got home. However now I no longer live above work, I bring them home a lot more. I’m also a keen gardener so I have tried to grow the flowers that I like to have in my home. In fact my latest book is called ‘Flowers Every Day’ and that is the theme of the book. How to grow or source inexpensive seasonal blooms to make stylish arrangements at home.

Do you ever find yourself fiddling with arrangements someone else has done, or have you trained yourself to sit on your hands?!

There is somewhere I go where the flowers are so diabolical that I do want to tell them but it would embarrass my daughter too much!! It is more about having a go and enjoying yourself than ‘getting it right!’

Flowers Every Day, by Paula Pryke is published by Jacqui Small on 15th February 2012

Delia Online users can order Flowers Every Day at the special price of £20 (rrp.£25) with free UK p&p. To order please call 01903 828503 quoting ref JS94.

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