The Bloomin Gypsy
Veronica Lowe’s passion for flowers blossomed at a young age, inspired by “hippie-surfer parents who always had a house full of plants and a garden of roses, camellias and hydrangeas,” says the Newport Beach florist. In high school, Lowe enrolled in design courses and worked for various flower shops including Blooms in Corona del Mar, planting a seed for a career in floral design.
Lately, her affinity for flowers has led Lowe to create beautiful arrangements for wedding blogs (Green Wedding Shoes, 100 Layer Cake) and, of course, weddings. “The season is upon us, and I’ve been creating vision boards with brides to help them find inspiration for new and unique styles,” Lowe says. “I love a backyard wedding, so one of my favorite projects was helping a friend transform her Newport Beach estate into a bohemian garden party.”
Whether you’re planning a wedding or affair, or just enjoy keeping flowers around the home, Lowe shares her best picks and tips for perfect floral arrangements.
Go wild:
I like to keep arrangements natural and wild looking. Tight, modern and round arrangements are slowly fading away.
Sprouting up this season:
Spring is by far the best time for flowers, when you’ve got the most beautiful gals in season — ranunculus, poppies, narcissuses, daffodils, peonies and dahlias. My personal favorite is the lilac; I wish I had a big vase overflowing with these crisp, fragrant flowers right now.
The key to longevity:
The best tip to keep flowers alive is fresh clean tap water — cold water to keep them closed, warm to open the buds. Clipping the ends every other day will also help them live longer. And keep them away from direct sunlight, since this will wilt them.
Find the right cut:
Use floral-grade clippers to cut stems at a diagonal. With branchy-type stems like lilac, trim the stems to the desired height and then smash the ends with a hammer. This allows water to reach the blooms.
Size matters:
For a more natural and wild arrangement you can have stems that are inches apart in length, which is what I prefer. For a more symmetrical design, keep the stems the same length.
Dwell on design:
Not having enough houseplants is a common thing I see — they change the whole look, feel and vibe of your home. I can’t help but bring home a new plant baby once a week!
Also, take into consideration the height of your ceilings as well as your home’s color palette. I live in a small beach bungalow with low ceilings and tons of art covering the walls, so I fill my home with little bud vases of ranunculus or poppies to keep with the style.
When it comes to color:
Color is by far the best thing about working with flowers. You can’t go too wrong with color unless you mix clashing colors — sometimes a juxtaposition can be beautiful, but unless it’s done right you run into the possibility of bringing home flowers that match a football jersey — and no one wants that unless it’s Super Bowl weekend!
Go native:
Succulents are still a big trend, which is wonderful since our beautiful California is in a severe drought. Brides love using them for wedding centerpieces and bouquets so they can have keepsakes to take home and plant and watch grow over the years.
Build me up buttercup:
I try to keep flowers on the dining room table, which doubles as my workspace, at all times. They’re beautiful to look at while I am working on quotes and blogs for clients.
I often give leftover flowers to friends and neighbors — I love being able to brighten someone’s day with a vase of flowers!
Wildest flowers:
Years ago when I worked in a shop in Newport Beach, I had a client come in who wanted to buy every single flower in the shop — and for me to arrange them and deliver them to his wife. It practically took me all day, but it was so rad seeing their place filled from floor to ceiling in fresh blooms.
