'Bridal work remains my favorite!'

'It's no question,' says floral designer Hanneke Frankema, 'bridal work remains the favorite for me! With bridal work you go that extra mile and you can really dive into the techniques and go for refinement, perfection and details. Bridal floral work is in almost every photo so there is no room for error.'

'Personally I really like a strong pronounced shape, to show it well I stick a lot of the flowers. By the way, this is a technique with many possibilities, and much stronger than you might think. Many types of flowers hold up fine for a while after gluing. I glue the delicate, most fragile types of flowers on the day itself, but strong flowers and greenery often a day in advance.'

'Many florists find this very exciting, but try out gluing with some old leftover flowers. That way you build up more and more confidence and know better what you can ask of certain types of flowers. For gluing, I always use Smithers Oasis cold glue.'

Floral Boho Bridal Party

Say bridal party, wedding or wedding and you envision a beautiful festive and dreamy image of a stylish country event venue a lush green setting and excellent decor with the most beautiful flowers and greenery. The bridal bouquet is elegant, carefully crafted in a
distinct shape with special materials and flowers. There are so many possibilities, it is not for nothing that making bridal floral arrangements is and remains a favorite for many floral designers.

'My strength is that I truly believe in the floral profession'

Ivan Bergh also combines nature and art when working with flowers. As a teacher, the Italian floral designer has developed a personal teaching approach for his renowned floral design training in Italy. This incorporates the principles of German floral design as well as Northern European traditions. 'The process of idea, concept and development is crucial to guide students toward their own personal vision as florists.'

Flower still lifes then and now

Flowers have provided color, fragrance and meaning at Het Loo Palace for centuries. The Bloom exhibition is about 17th-century still lifes and Princess Mary's influence on the use of flowers. Contemporary artists, designers and the palace's garden service bring history to life. They admired the historic works, but also asked critical questions. How did these flowers get here? Who paid the price for the beauty and richness? Behind every flower and work of art is a story.

'Enjoying the sunshine and colors in the garden'

In her flower store in Apeldoorn, florist Erika Oldenhof creates beautiful, colorful arrangements in various themes every day. 'Every season is unique with the beautiful materials,
that's what makes our profession so extra beautiful!'

'For inspiration I look carefully around me; what is going on in fashion, architecture, shop windows and the home decorating magazines and from these I often get ideas for materials, use of form and color. The many floral prints in fashion are also striking now.'

'Summer for me is being outside as much as possible and spending time in the garden with friends, BBQ, drinks, enjoying the sun and the colors in the garden. I like to use materials from the season, beautiful peonies, Passiflora, Ginkgo, Delphinium, Lathyrus et cetera. Trend is flowers from the picking garden. There is also
more demand in the store for (organic) field flowers.'

'Striving to balance sustainability, uniqueness creativity'

Student florist Gerrit van Aalst won a gold medal at Skills The Finals for the second year in a row. The new Dutch Student-Flower Binding Champion will represent the Netherlands
Netherlands at the Worldskills in France.

'With love I work with beautiful materials straight from the nursery - this allows me to always find that one special flower with a unique color, length or a special variety that distinguishes and embellishes my work.'

'I strive to balance sustainability with maintaining uniqueness and creativity. I am currently focusing on designing frames and bases that can be reused multiple times - but in a different way each time so that the floral works are always unique. In addition, I am working on creating large structures that take up little space for storage after disassembly. That also makes it easier with transporting or storing the frames.'