Purple flowers

Hardly any colour has as glamorous a history as purple: for centuries the dye was so precious that it was reserved for kings and emperors. Some of that still resonates today — in the language of flowers, purple stands for dignity, appreciation and individuality, while the lighter lavender tones speak of calm and grace. A purple bouquet is never arbitrary: it shows you have given it real thought.

The palette of purple cut flowers is wonderfully diverse: fragrant lilac in spring, elegant lisianthus with its rose-like blooms almost all year round, the architectural spheres of allium in early summer and lavender, which brings scent and a feeling of Provence to any bouquet. Add clematis, anemones and asters, extending the palette from the delicate to the dramatic.

When combining, purple is surprisingly flexible: tone-on-tone with pink and white creates a soft, romantic look, while blue and plenty of greenery make it cool and modern. If you are feeling bold, set violet against its complementary yellow — just a few yellow craspedia or sunflowers make a purple bunch positively glow. Deep purple tones lend autumn bouquets with bordeaux and grasses real elegance.

A practical note from the workbench: lilac is a woody shrub — cut the stem at a steep angle, generously, and remove almost all the foliage, otherwise the bloom transpires faster than it can drink. Lavender, on the other hand, is the most rewarding candidate for drying: hung upside down it keeps its colour and scent for months. We buy both fresh at the Veiling in season.