Beating the Winter Blues, One Bloom at a Time
January is finally over, and while the days are gradually getting longer, it’s still freezing here in Philadelphia and it’s taking an extra lot of effort to pry myself out of my apartment. A few things that have motivated me to venture out lately? Well, a couple of lucky Eagles’ victories, and a fantastic “Wine & Design” wine tasting and flower arranging class co-hosted by Alyssa of Santé and Grace of Flower Clvb at Grace’s lovely flower studio in West Philadelphia’s University City district.
A friend signed us up for the class on January 25, and it was just the joy infusion that the long, dreary month of January needed. Alyssa introduced us to three delicious and unusual wines with predominately floral profiles while Grace guided us through the elements of the flower arrangements we’d be making, from carnations and show-stopper Mandarin X-pression roses to solidago and silver dollar eucalyptus.
To be honest, at first, I found it all quite daunting. Eleven of us were crowded elbow-to-elbow around the working table, and it seemed unrealistic that I’d be able to corral the profusion of peach and pink roses and all the textural yellows and greens that were poking out of white water buckets into a cohesive arrangement in the small vase in front of me. The chicken wire at the base of the vase seemed to be on my side, but I felt way out of my league, especially when I looked at the sample so beautifully assembled by an actual professional.
Slowly but surely though, things started to come together as we all followed Grace’s guidance. We divided our vase into three main segments using our roses and greenery, and continued to add in carnations, hypericum, and lepidium. We kept in mind her advice to consider movement, consistently applying the “rule of three,” ensuring big visual elements stayed grouped in threes (or at least in odd numbers). She encouraged us to think about natural grace and elegance and referenced a ballet dancer’s body in motion – not always exactly parallel, but always in balance. She admitted this sounded weird, but I found it strangely helpful as I considered what angles to aim for as I shoved placed stems into the tangled chicken wire.
After an hour and a half, it was remarkable to see how we had all taken the same instructions and floral ingredients and created completely different arrangements. We had swapped flowers, sharing extras that hadn’t suited our needs, and assembled the components in unique ways based on the spaces where they would find their homes outside of Grace’s studio. We all marveled at how very different our final products were. My aim was to create a loose, garden-y arrangement inspired by a centerpiece I’d contributed to a friend’s summer solstice wedding years ago, while my friend who planned our evening went for a more compact, concentrated approach packed tightly with the beautiful showstoppers – absolutely stunning from all angles.
Even though I’d almost wiped out on an icy patch between parked cars on the way into the event, it was an absolutely perfect way to pass the cold, dark evening. It was a delight to create something beautiful with my hands (putting them to use for something other than doomscrolling), working and reworking the peachy blooms into an elegant centerpiece that brought me joy for days when I brought it home. It served as the best reminder that spring is just a few weeks away.
Recently my Ideba colleagues CJ and Tamara have carved out moments of mindfulness and gratitude through a silent retreat and trail running respectively. I found some solace assembling flowers into a tangible reminder of spring. What about you? What are your grounding practices that bring you peace and calm – new for 2025 or otherwise? I’d love to hear them…especially if there are any I might apply in real-time this weekend while watching the Super Bowl! Go Birds!
Mylène Kerschner – Senior Research and Consulting Manager
