Hmm, this didn’t quite work out. Last summer, when I was in the
heady first flush of floristry-love, I sketched lots of ideas of flower
arrangements. Some were inspired solely by the flowers and others by a
connection to a film or book or something. Once I’d decided to grow Black
Parrot tulips and various scented narcissi, I sketched a bouquet which I called
Black Narcissus. I remember the first time I saw a Powell and Pressburger film:
it was The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which I saw at the Barbican about
five years ago. It was such a beautiful and heartfelt film; I don’t think I’d
seen anything like it before. I sought out their other films and watched A
Matter of Life and Death and The Red Shoes at the BFI and Black Narcissus on
DVD.
So this May, when the black tulips flowered, I thought: I can
finally make my bouquet. Whoops. I hadn’t thought ahead enough to realise that
the narcissi season would be over by the time these very late tulips were in
flower. There were a few pink daffodils remaining in the garden, so I made a
bouquet with them, the Black Parrot tulips, and the stunning Cummins
and Swan Wings fringed tulips. I’ll call this Black Narcissus in the Making. And next April, I’ll
buy black tulips from the wholesaler and mix them with my white narcissi to
make Black Narcissus: the Florist’s Cut. I'm certainly learning the value of patience!
