234 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
HGBOTANICA
E
arly November is always eagerly awaited by Sydney
florist Vicki Kerr because it signals the moment
when peonies make their brief annual appearance.
“The timing is weather-dependent, which is something
I love about flowers – that you have to wait for them.
It makes their arrival even more special.” One of her
favourites isPeony‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (pictured),
a luscious, double-flowered, soft-pink bloom as
enigmatic as its French actress namesake.
“When the flower opens, it’s as big as your hand,”
says Vicki. “It’s a gorgeous flower to work with because
it holds its position, it has a beautiful straight stem and
deep-green foliage.”
This image of a single, elegant bloom is included in
Vicki’s new self-published book,Floral Alchemy,a
stunning 160-page hardback that’s an ode to flowers
of all shapes and colours. Filled with flower portraits,
botanical illustrations on a mixture of high-gloss and
textured stock with tracing sheets, this is a book in
which flowers are presented as exalted objects.
“Flowers are instant beauty,” says Vicki. #
Floral Alchemyby Vicki Kerr, $79.95, is available
from http://www.floralalchemy.com.BEAUTY
Fleeting
Text by Elizabeth Wilson. Styling by Louise Bickle. Photograph by Maree Homer.