Carnations are in again
The advent of spring has brought a spate of now traditional floral exhibits to Ukraine’s capital. The floral season was launched by the exhibit “The Study of Flora and Landscape Design,” held in Kyiv last weekend. Holland is Europe’s traditional floral trendsetter. Its plantations have been supplying all things new and fashionable every floral season. The exhibit in Kyiv attracted florists from Holland, Poland, Belgium, US, and Russia. The Day’s reporter was also there to admire the display.
But despite all the efforts of the Dutch, floral fashion shows have yet to take root in Ukraine. We still lack certain kinds of flowers or colors that could be described as fashionable this season. In most cases domestic florists work to customers’ specifications. It is a Ukrainian tradition to practice a purely individual approach to a customer ordering flowers, but it is impossible to select an “all-purpose” flower or bouquet.
“Flowers are a joy; you can send flowers to convey your mood to someone or change someone’s mood; flowers can calm you down and make you happy,” says florist Viktoria, a student at National Agrarian University, adding, “Look, these pastel shades of roses and irises will make a gorgeous arrangement for a girl in love.”
Lately, carnations appear to have regained their former popularity, and their many colors are being used extensively. Over the past several years the green shades trend (green roses, carnations, and gladioli) has been firmly reasserted. White and green combinations have always been popular, remaining stable throughout all fashion trends and times.
In the not so distant past floral trends were mostly connected to the seasons: daffodils in spring, lilies in summer, and chrysanthemums in the fall. There is no such seasonal dependence now, and you can obtain any kind of flower any time of the year. The recent exhibit in Kyiv displayed tulips side by side with irises, carnations, calla lilies, roses, gypsophilas, and many other flowers.
In fact, the display and a contest, the exhibit’s main event, once again demonstrated Ukrainian florists’ individual approach. The contest offered an interesting program courtesy of young experts, mostly girls from various institutions of higher learning, and florist and landscape design schools. Competitors had to arrange bouquets for lovers’ tables and create a bouquet for the bridegroom and a basket of flowers for the bride.
“A few years ago there were noticeably fewer florists and less technology. This year the arrangements that were done by girls who are just starting out were marked by carefully considered themes and excellence. Only a few bouquets sparked questions about their longevity,” says landscape designer Nadia Cherniavska.
It was hard to name the winner, even for the competent jury. The jury chairperson, Halyna Korniyenko, a teacher at the Kyiv Florist and Design School, says the young florists were all gifted and simply obsessed with flowers. Their works were magnificent, so it is safe to assume that friendship was the winner, although the main prize went to Oksana Shafranska for her basket.
