After a long time away from this space I am excitedly sharing some of the beautiful pages of – Field, Flower Vase – the new book by Chelsea Fuss. It has me all excited for flower foraging near and far. I had been coping pretty well with staying put this last year, but Chelsea’s words and pictures have me ready to get back out in the world and travel further afield.
After meeting via our blogs many moons ago, Chelsea was in the UK on a tour of organic farms and flower growers and we managed to scoop her up and bring her home for a weekend before she headed off for Portugal, what a treat! It has been such a joy seeing the flower-filled life and days she has created since then in Lisbon and the surrounding countryside.
Chelsea’s stories from Sintra and the wild areas surrounding the town in which she lives evoke visions of sultry summer afternoons and of plants determined to pop up and survive in the tiniest of cracks in a wall or pavement.
Within the pages, you will travel to overgrown paths and visit abandoned estates, discover the beauty of the not so perfect and see branches and hydrangeas in a whole new light. The words and photos will guide you through collecting plant materials, hunting out suitable pots, jars and vessels, then with a few easy to find essentials, creating magic with a little help from mother nature. I love this book for its creative eco-friendly, simple but magical floral displays to create around the home, to give away and to keep. Plus a delicious recipe or two!
The picture below is my favourite old chipped jug with an April gathered arrangement inspired by Chelsea and Field Flower Vase.
In my jug I placed, periwinkle, lambs lettuce seed heads, honeysuckle shoots, thalictrum leaves, wallflowers, a clematis stem and a couple of tiny Erigeron daisies that are still tight buds. I am hoping I can manage at least one arrangement a month, created from what we have here in the garden and surrounding hedgerows.
It has been so lovely to follow Chelsea’s footsteps and creative process in this book, the holistic feeling and nurturing nature of the pages has formed a bridge to the magical place she has found and created. The pandemic has kept me very close to home (barely leaving from one fortnight to the next) and although I am very happy to be home most of the time. But, I would love to travel beyond our garden and to visit Chelsea and Sintra for real – would be a dream come true. For now, I will be pouring over these pages for the foreseeable!
