In a Vase on Monday. Tribute to Constance Spry.

I have been reading a majuscule life story of the rattling Constance Spry who was an amazingly innovative flower organiser . Fans ofIn a Vase on Mondayowe her a great debt . She was the first one to browse the hedgerows and to use uncivilised flowers , seed heads , fruit and vegetables in her arranging . Beverley Nichols adored her . This is what he enunciate in the prolusion to her book : How to do the Flowers :

‘ To do a Constance Spry … think abide before a bottom of hydrangeas , when summer has fled , and seeing beauty in their pallid , lambskin bloom . It mean suddenly stop in a body politic lane , and noting for the first time a ruby-red cadenza of berries , and fitting it in one ’s mind ’s eye , into a pewter vase against a white wall . It means bouts with brambles , flirtations with fern , and carnival with cabbages ’ .

Yes , she even used cabbages or rhubarb plant leaves . There was great controversy when she made an musical arrangement using just cabbage , nobody had done such a matter before . Here it is , I think it looks endearing .

Kale.Constance Spry

Kale . Constance Spry

So here is my first vase in court to Constance . I cheated a bit and used two kinds of Kale;Cavello neroandPentland Brig , an heirloom mixed bag which is delicious , so we can eat this organization tomorrow . In the meantime we have friends follow round this evening and I am interested to see their chemical reaction to a vase full of vegetables .

Kale . Chloris

Kale. Constance spry

Kale.Constance Spry

Constance Spry was an unbelievably energetic lady , she built up a successful workshop and prime fix up job and did the bloom for the rich and famous . She was the Darling River of the gilded hedonist of the 1930 ’s who spend huge hazard on efflorescence . She even managed to keep going in the more ascetic war years . She did the flowers for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and as a result she was out of majestic favour for a while , but eventually she was forgive and did the flowers for the Queen ’s wedding . After the state of war , she ran a school for young dame to read how to cook and do the flowers and she even found time to write book of account .

Page fromHow to do the bloom . Constance Spry . 1953

My female parent was a keen flower organizer and very good at it . She was very much influenced by Constance . She had most of her book of account and several Constance Spry vases . I can see her now , lurch round the garden with the secateurs at the ready , quite incognizant of my beginner ’s scowl as he watched his precious bloom being pick . My image of my father is bent over his flower beds , bottom in the zephyr . If you came into my garden you would find oneself me in the same pose as my father .

Kale. Chloris

Kale.Chloris

The vas Constance Spry design were made by Fulham Pottery and if you appear on eBay you will see that they go for cockamamie prices . I wish I still had the single my female parent collect . In the 1930 ’s there was a craze for paries vases and Constance did many arrangement boast these . You never see them now . I have an old French Quimper one . I have never used it before but I filled it with foliage for this billet and I am proud of with the result . I used the leaves ofEuonymusandChoisya ternata‘Sundance ’ and the long gullible tassel ofGarrya elliptica . I am very tender of ivy and have quite a few different ones although I ca n’t remember their names asunder from ‘ Goldheart ’ . The only flower I used is the green , nativeHelleborus foetiduswhich pop up everywhere in my garden .

Constance Spry died in 1960 . In 2004 , there was an exhibition celebrating her body of work at the Museum of Design . Two of the theater director , Sir Terence Conran , the piece of furniture homo and George Dyson , creator of overpriced vacuum cleaners , threatened to resign in protest . Conran referred disparagingly to her‘high - society mimsiness’ . She might have mixed with gamy society and she always wore a pretty hat ; she might have run a eat up school for over - privileged debs , but she made prime set up into an art phase and one that can be enjoyed by everyone . And for those of us who enjoy old - fashioned rosiness she was one of the first to seek them out and defend them . The rosarian , Graham Stuart Thomas went to her for advice when he was designing the rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey .

in reality , if you learn Sue Shephard ’s biography ‘ The Surprising Life of Constance Spry’you will find out that Constance was n’t so ‘ mimsy ’ after all . divorcement , criminal conversation and living ‘ in sin ’ were considered outrageous in the 1930 ’s and Constance was not even married to Shav Spry as he was married to someone else . Nobody knew though . And get down in 1932 , she had a four- twelvemonth intense relationship with the creative person , Hannah Gluckstein , who insist on being called just Gluck .

Page for How to do the Flowers. Constance Spry. 1953

Page fromHow to do the Flowers.Constance Spry. 1953

Gluck

They met when Gluck painted an placement of white flowers that she ordinate from the Constance Spry shop . The picture take so long that the flowers had to be change and rearrange over and over again for week . Constance was scheme and went to meet Gluck . She loved the painting which was eventually finished and calledChromaticand the two quickly became closelipped . White interiors were all the fury in the 30 ’s . citizenry were rebelling against the stuffy , over - furnished rooms of their parents . Beverley Nichols write with delight about his hush up room in his book , A Thatched Cottage . Somerset Maugham ’s wife , Syrie was an inner designer and she adopt white wall and trappings in her own home and for many gamey society customer . Constance introduced Gluck to her friends who immediately commissioned paintings of white flower from her . So in court to the 30 ’s manic disorder for pure white I have produced my next vase . I used my thoroughgoing bloodless Furstenberg vase and ordinaryGalanthus nivalis . I ca n’t have a bun in the oven to pick my specials , although I did add together a match ofGinn ’s Imperatiiwhich smells of almonds .

asunder from her white flowers Gluck was a all right artist . Whilst I was writing this I wondered whether there are any of her paintings in verandah . She was so boring that she did n’t paint a corking many pictorial matter . What a conjunction ; I found there is a retrospective exhibition of her body of work at the Fine Art Society , New Bond Street , London this month which runs until the 28th February . I shall be going up to see it . If you are interested there is a good life history by Diana Souhami calledGluck .

Well this is my contribution toCathy ’s slap-up memeIn a Vase on Monday . As usual , I ca n’t seem to cut a long news report curt . My followers will probably know by now that I ca n’t reject a story , specially if it is spice up with a act of gossip .

Do bolt down over toRamblinginthegardenand see what everyone else is invest in their vas .

53 Responses toIn a Vase on Monday. Tribute to Constance Spry.

I very much enjoy both your narration and arrangements . I ’d not known about Constance Spry and am beaming for the introduction . We do , indeed , owe her our gratitude for change ideas about appropriate vase contents .

An interesting and thoughtful clause . The Beverly Nichols book was , I think , entitle “ A Thatched Roof” . Ed MorrowCarmel Valley , CA

I knew Spry ’s style but not all this enticing backstory . Thanks for all this information and your adorable interpretation .

How interesting , that sounds like a book to add to my list . I have one bulwark vase but I find the body of water dry out up very promptly . I used it for a dried organization a few weeks ago . Kale is so interesting to search at and so green and fresh , I hope your guests enjoy it . Is it very far removed from the ornamental cabbages you sometimes see in arrangements ? This is better as you could eat it !

I so love your long , “ gossipy ” posts ! I ’d heard of Constance Spry but was completely unaware of her chronicle and enjoy your distil summary . I also love all of your vases . I stay hopeful that my Garrya elliptica will someday be more than 6 inches magniloquent and produce those wonderful tassel . Your military post may inspire me to do something with the long Artichoke stems currently threatening to cover the stairway down my back side too .

A most enjoyable and enlightening post Chloris . I ’ve never scan any of Constance Spry ’s books but have come across them before in 2nd hand book shops . Have made a note to make a leverage in the future . I hope that your node relish eating that most striking looking kale . Those snowdrops in a white-hot vase are simply exquisite .

Gluck

Gluck

A fantastic Charles William Post Liz ; as common captivating and I cherish the chin-wag … Delightful , intriguing place . What a dazzling accumulation of vases you have ..

veg and hedgerow plants have a unparalleled beauty but I had n’t realised that it was Constance Spry who first popped them into a vase . Thanks for this soundly gratifying office , Chloris , so beaming you gave us the full scene !

In a Vase on Monday. Tribute to Constance Spry.