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It all started about twelve years ago, when I wrote a book called The Language Of Flowers. The experience transformed the way I see them. When I took on the task my knowledge of the language of flowers was basic at best but, as the project progressed, I noticed something surprising. Exploring this archaic floral language was opening my eyes to the beauty of flowers and, at the same time, it was opening my mind to the stories behind those flowers. Flowers had pasts. No meaning had been randomly allocated: the unique, individual histories of cach flower led to a chain of specific meanings or symbolism. It was like getting to know someone, learning their life-story and meeting their family.

I'd always had a 'botanical approach' to flower arranging, where flowers are chosen with a gardener's eye and then arranged to flatter each bloom's individual qualities. The alternative approach generally sees flowers as generic elements of colour, structure or form; massed together to fill the void of an empty vase. And the result relies more on quantity than individuality for impact. It's rather like cooking with off-the- shelf ingredients instead of making the most of carefully chosen seasonal food.