THERE is a certain sense of love and remembering when one gives and receives flowers. Over the years, it had been associated with romantic intentions or sympathy. Flowers had been helpful in relaying messages and feelings. Though others may say flowers wilt very easy and that, as a joke, they’d rather receive something edible and practical as a sack of rice, no one can deny the beauty and the excitement well-bloomed flowers in a bouquet brings.
The first time I was able to talk to a florist was when I interviewed Peter Naurice Pegarro, the owner of a 10-year old flowershop in Davao City called FG Davao. Pegarro and his wife, who are both registered nurses are very much hands-on with the job. Pegarro told me that his love of floral arrangements stemmed out from his passion for architecture. He believes that putting different flowers and foliage together, do not just create a floral arrangement. It creates art. He gave me the impression that art, really, is for everyone. It does not categorize people by their gender or other similar things.
I was inspired by that and realized that art can actually be found in many forms, most especially in nature. I developed a certain discreet love for flowers and floral arrangements although I never got a chance to learn more about it until I decided to enroll in Ateneo de Davao’s Academy of Lifelong Learning where Floristry was among the many creative classes offered from June 9 to 10.
There were less than 10 of us in the class but each displayed a distinct interest in floral arrangements that were apparent with the type of questions we asked and the kind of output we had. We were taught by the owner and founder of Eufloria PH, Chiqk Ybañez. Eufloria PH is a flowershop in Davao City that specializes in floral arrangements for special events and celebrations.
In that two-day class, we were taught how to do a round centerpiece floral arrangement, a bouquet, and a flower arrangement in a box. Most of us there were first-timers and we’re very much proud of the arrangements we made and the lessons we got from it.
Aside from the basic how-to’s of these three floral arrangements, we were also taught how to properly take care of the flowers so would last long, how to mix and match the colors so the arrangement would look beautiful, and how to and not to mix together certain types of flowers that may affect the longevity of the flowers’ life.
I learned that floral arrangements or the taking care of flowers in general is not just a simple process of piercing stems on wet floral foams; it’s more than just tying roses and sunflowers in one bundle to have a bouquet. I understood that floral arrangements have a certain sense of science and art into it that needs to be explored by anyone who is interested into flowers and floral arrangements. It’s an experience.