Berry, leaf, fruit, flower - a variety of color

In addition to being the owner of StudioDeco, floral stylist Hilda de Haan is an enthusiastic (and enthusiastic) teacher of floral design. 'I have been teaching for almost twenty years now. I also have a business at home with which I do subscriptions, mourning arrangements and wedding arrangements with decoration. That means making something beautiful every working day with a lot of passion, creativity and beautiful natural products, and passing it on to young people. I still love doing that after all these years.

'For example, during my flower arranging lessons at the VMBO in Buitenpost, I try to enthuse adolescents about our beautiful flower profession. Unfortunately not so many young students choose a career in flowers while it is such a beautiful profession. Through my enthusiasm I try to 'plant a seed' so that they might choose this profession.

'I get my inspiration from a variety of things. I am a member of several study clubs, read a lot of professional literature and follow quite a few top arrangers via social media - with whom I regularly sign up for an inspiring and stimulating master class.'

"Autumn for me means beautiful warm colors, fruits and an abundance of materials such as berries, leaves, tendrils, fruits - and especially a host of beautiful flowers in many colors.

'Inspiration I get from forest, jungle and desert'

Master florist Alexander Spek is happy with what he can and may do within the floral profession. 'There are always challenging assignments coming my way and over the years I have built up a clientele that gives me the confidence to make what I am good at - and where I can put my creativity.'
'Inspiration I get from forest, jungle and desert. I love to travel, but not just untouched nature: a city has a lot of beauty to offer, too. It's fantastic to see how plants manage to survive there in difficult conditions or in bizarre places. Sometimes you can see little bonsai-like shapes emerging from walls, for example. No city trip without a visit to a park or botanical garden.'
'During the year I like to experiment with grasses, ferns and mosses. I also really like tropical plants like Bromelia, Heliconia, ginger and all kinds of leaf shapes. I myself have several Asparagus species and Anthurium from which I can cut. I also work with non-organic materials such as copper.'
'During autumn, I like to be outside. The subdued light, the scents and the robust forms - more pronounced by the falling leaves - combined with fruit and seed forms. I also collect basic materials from the garden during this season to use in my arrangements during the winter.'

Texture bouquet

An airy fixture of thick copper wire forms the basis for a rich autumn bouquet with graphic materials and distinct textures. The bouquet incorporates the following materials: Aralia, Physalis (lantern plant), Anthurium, rose hips, Crocosmia, Phormium, Rodgersia, Leonotis, Eucomis, Rudbeckia and Sorghum.

Connected to nature

At the beginning of September, the World Cup Floral Art 2025 shimmered on. What a lot there was to see; the participants at work, the results of the competition assignments, the many demos with again beautiful works to study afterwards. The meetings, the conversations, the good atmosphere, truly beautiful days.

The climax was, as it should be, the final night. With (always) a surprising result of the top 10, the finalists. After a final assignment, Tomasz Max Kuczyński took the world title. 'Our' Franka Roenhorst finished fifth, truly a fantastic achievement!

But before all this was announced, there was first "the show" by European Champion Floral Art, Hanneke Frankema: Growth! Tightly directed, with beautiful visuals and monumental, detailed floral design, she showed with verve her personal interpretation of the floral profession. It was a floral theater show like none before - and the audience was completely overwhelmed.

In the finale of Growth!, Hanneke highlighted the importance of collaboration. With a clear message for the profession; 'As florists, we are bound by nature. We shape nature's dreams, reminding people of their deep connection to the world around them.' Beautiful in all dimensions! And yes, that resonates.

In this edition of DPK Floral Magazine, of course, extra much about this event. Moreover, on our website the extra World Cup edition can be viewed and read in full - in case you missed this free edition - with lots of specially created, spectacular floral work and interviews with all participants.

Autumn is a favorite season for many florists because of the diversity and abundance of materials. Farewell flowers also have a special place in the hearts of many floral designers because you can really mean something through flowers. Therefore, in this edition, traditionally,
the autumn and farewell floral specials full of inspiring arrangements that 'let flowers speak for themselves'.

Anita Meuleman,

Editor-in-chief

Tendril

Coconut palm bark is folded into a robust bowl; it acts as a stitching medium for red and green Amaranthus. Winding tendrils of vine (Ampelopsis) snake across the whole.

Bonsai

Fig leaves (Ficus carica) set on copper wire were attached to a 75-year-old Acer bonsai stem and lightly dusted with orange food powder. At the base of the trunk, bulb moss was placed with box fruits of Eucalyptus.