Lively Summer Floral Arangements

By Karin Lidbeck Brent, photo stylist, craft guru and magazine editor

I have been incredibly busy with garden shoots this summer. Despite the fact that they always start when the sun comes up—there are few places I'd rather be in the early morning than a garden.

Since I am working on photos shoots for magazines, the gardens I visit are expectedly beautiful, but many of the locations where I worked this summer were beyond description.

Photography by Karin Lidbeck Brent except otherwise noted

You may wonder how much work can there be styling a garden?  The fact is a garden shoot can be incredibly exhausting. There are plants to dig in, dig out, deadheading, and usually a bit of embellishing.

In July I spent three days shooting hydrangea gardens for Better Homes and Gardens. Most of our time was spent at the amazing Hydrangea gardens at Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts. I now know more about different hydrangea varieties and their care than I ever thought possible.

Photo by Kritsada

One of the things I love about my job is that there is always something new to learn. On one photo shoot we needed bees to sit on our flowers for some close-up shots. I learned if you put bees in the refrigerator for a very short time, they quickly fall asleep (its hibernating time). It takes them a good five minutes to awaken and fly away, so we very quickly and gently placed them on the flower for the photo. Of course the trick there is you have to catch the bee first!

Many garden shoots require some floral arrangements be made. Cutting from a gardener’s border gives me plenty of flowers for making gorgeous bouquets. Boston-based photographer Kritsada and I worked together on a Cape Cod farm making arrangements with the a variety of garden herbs and wildflowers.  

I love to gather my cut flowers and take photos of tight groupings that are reminiscent of kaleidoscopes. August is the beginning of zinnia, cosmos and dahlia season—the vibrancy of their colors is fabulous together.

In the past I preferred making simple arrangements comprised of one or two flower types to make a bold statement.

Now I like to make arrangements that are wild and full of diversity and color. The greater the variety—the more fun!

Without-a-doubt my love for these wilder arrangements come from spending plenty of time in the garden observing how nature throws together the most dramatic combinations without any plan or constraints.

So enjoy the flowers growing in your yard, or alongside the road, during the summer months by creating fabulously exuberant arangements.