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One tool that librarians use to organize books is the subject headings in catalog entries.\u00a0 For \u201cCultivated: The Elements of Floral Style,\u201d the single subject heading term as provided by the Library of Congress is \u201cflower arrangement.\u201d\u00a0 While this choice is technically correct, this new book by Victoria, BC author and photographer Christin Geall is also a memoir, and explores deeper matters than most books with the same heading.<\/p>\n
The author describes herself as like a magpie; she is drawn to many different topics.\u00a0 Fortunately, she is skilled at combining those interests around the central subject of this book, and rarely strays off topic.\u00a0 For example, gardening is very important to her and she encourages flower arrangers to grow their own material.\u00a0 However, this is not a how-to book on gardening.\u00a0 Instead, she recommends you find such a book, and then suggests some choices.<\/p>\n
I learned many practical tips from reading \u201cCultivated,\u201d including keeping a photographic record as part of your study.\u00a0 A chapter on history provides insights from the baroque, the rococo, and the styles of other periods and places.\u00a0 But resonant to me was Geall\u2019s philosophical perspective shaped by the homestead she owned in her 20s on a tiny British Columbia island six hours from Vancouver.\u00a0 During this time, she also visited Findhorn, a self-described ecovillage in Scotland known initially for applying spiritual principles to grow robust gardens.<\/p>\n
She uses the lessons learned from all these experiences (including training in horticulture at Kew Gardens) to guide the purpose of her flower arrangements.\u00a0 She encourages the reader to draw on all of life\u2019s experiences.\u00a0 \u201cThis book is both an aesthetic and personal inquiry–an exploration of history, culture, the senses, and my own understanding, which I hope might serve as tools for interpreting and appreciating floral designs in new ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Excerpted from the Fall 2021 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One tool that librarians use to organize books is the subject headings in catalog entries.\u00a0 For \u201cCultivated: The Elements of Floral Style,\u201d the single subject heading term as provided by the Library of Congress is \u201cflower arrangement.\u201d\u00a0 While this choice is technically correct, this new book by Victoria, BC author and photographer Christin Geall is also a memoir, and explores deeper matters than most books with the same heading. The author describes herself as like a magpie; she is drawn…<\/p>\n