For Sarah Statham, perhaps more widely known through her beguiling Instagram account Simply By Arrangement, buying a bunch of flowers from her local florist on the way home from work was always more than just a colourful purchase.
Back in the early 2000s, working in the demanding world of criminal law, these weekly blooms were an important and uplifting marker to the end of the working week. But these regular flower indulgences also nurtured a long-held aspiration to work with flowers, and so when the threat of job losses loomed, the moment seemed right to explore that dream.
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Sarah’s first step was to dig up the front garden and create raised beds for a range of flowers. She also spent time learning the craft of flower arranging through books and courses, exploring techniques and defining her own aesthetic.
As Sarah is based near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, a region with a strong local identity, it was clear that locally grown flowers were an essential choice to work with. When she set up her business in 2013, the groundswell of support for foam-free arranging struck a chord with Sarah’s preference for sustainable floristry, which instinctively aligned with her free-flowing and intuitive approach. “I grow flowers, arrange them and teach others to create designs that are natural and always in tune with the season,” she explains.
Beautiful flowers will always look beautiful
Reflecting on her own approach, Sarah is quick to emphasise that “beautiful flowers will always look beautiful”, even if you don’t do anything with them. “My process considers what you’ve got available in terms of foliage and flowers, how long the stems are, how much time you have – and where you want the arrangement to go,” she says.
Even a few choice stems in a simple vessel will celebrate a seasonal moment, and while Sarah is adamant that there really are no rules to floral arranging, a bit of gentle guidance can help give a display greater resonance. “We all need to practise; it helps to make the process easier.”
The starting point for any arrangement is to establish a framework with branches or thicker-stemmed flowers. This sets your form. Then add focal flowers to draw the eye through the display, creating a visual “river” to follow. Finally, add in smaller flowers and foliage for texture and movement, or as Sarah describes it, a “wispy gesture” to bring the arrangement to life.
In these six arrangements, she uses a variety of vessels with a repeated palette of flowers. In fact, Sarah often repurposes flowers from one display to the next, perhaps snipping a stem shorter to highlight a different bloom or stem shape. Her choice of cuttings isn’t dictated by a particular vase but rather she adapts her technique to the shape and size of the vessel she has chosen, using simple floristry mechanics to achieve the desired look.
If you have limited time, Sarah suggests opting for the effortless elegance of a cylindrical vase, to which all you need do is place your stems into the vase and keep the water topped up. Or try grouping together several bud vases, each one holding a single stem, to make a charming display.
Consider the empty spaces between the flowers. Try to recall how they were growing naturally and resist the urge to cram everything in.
When working with bowl-shaped vessels, Sarah recommends using a flower arranger’s pin frog, or kenzan. This weighted, metal disc studded with pins is placed at the bottom of the vessel, securing it in position with a piece of floristry putty. Stems can then be gently pushed into and between the spikes to hold them upright.
For larger or taller vessels, chicken wire gives effective support. By moulding overlapping layers of the wire to fit snugly in your vessel, in conjunction with a pin frog if necessary, a taller framework can be secured by weaving stems through the wire to find a stable position.
Other than the simplest of vases, Sarah’s key advice is to allow yourself time. She describes creating an arrangement as a meditative process. “Consider the empty spaces between the flowers. Try to recall how they were growing naturally and resist the urge to cram everything in. My aim is to make them look as if they are still growing.”
Sarah often finds that inspiration comes direct from the garden. “A pleasing combination of things all growing together is one that is crying out to be snipped and brought inside,” she notes.
Using what’s available in the garden can be liberating rather than a limitation, and she embraces it. Sarah also loves including more unusual elements, such as fruits and vegetables, to complete that “just picked” aesthetic. “I think gardens in vases might be my favourite things to make,” she says, and that sense of spontaneity and naturalness does shine through in her creations.
While Sarah still works as a florist, she now focuses mostly on teaching, running regular workshops and mentoring flower lovers, whether they are professional florists, passionate enthusiasts or those wanting a career change. The Yorkshire countryside is often a point of inspiration.
Ultimately, for Sarah, creating a cut-flower display is about appreciating locality and the immediate environment, wherever you are – even if that means simply stepping into your own garden to gather a handful of stems to bring a touch of seasonal beauty indoors.
Useful information
You can find details of all Sarah’s workshops and retreats at simplybyarrangement.co.uk
