Carolyn Dunster – författare

Creating colour and interest in a small urban garden by growing a range of flowers and other decorative plants brings with it many rewards. Carolyn Dunster shows you what to grow and how to use your own blooms, leaves and berries in a range of indoor displays and hand-tied bouquets. Locally-grown flowers in season is a significant and welcome trend in floristry, and just as eating a tasteless strawberry in December pricks our consciences, so too does purchasing a bouquet of tulips in September, however stunning they may be to look at. The most local, seasonal flowers, which are the most satisfying to give and to display, are the ones you have grown yourself. Carolyn Dunster shows you how to do this in the smallest of spaces.

Learn how to make stylish dried floral designs that will last longer than freshly cut bouquets.Do you adore having flowers around the house but they always seem to wilt and fall to pieces as soon as you place them in water? No longer! Join the trend of DIY drying and create stunning bouquets that will outlast fresh cuts while still adding that soft, romantic floral touch.Expert florist Carolyn Dunster breathes new life into the age-old art of growing, drying, and displaying blooms in ways that will bring a chic, natural vibe to any room. Whether you are looking for elegant DIY bridal arrangements or trying to add a little bohemian flair to a room's décor, there are dried designs that will complement every aesthetic and occasion.Written for a new, younger audience that is just discovering the art of drying flowers and from a popular British botanical stylist with a penchant for urban gardening, this book is a modern spin on a classic craft. For those who are concerned with environmental impact, dried flowers are also gaining popularity as a more sustainable approach to floristry.Dried flowers are perfect for:DIY bridal bouquets and table arrangements Stylish home décorSprucing up your place of business in an affordable, low maintenance wayThis book is an ideal purchase for anyone wanting to get started with the art of growing and drying flowers. Learn how to grow your own stems and the best combinations of colour and texture to create floral sculptures that breathe new life into any space in any season.

Flowers have probably been used in cooking for as long as people have been preparing and flavouring food. In China cooks were experimenting with chive flowers in 3000 BC and the Romans frequently added blooms to their dishes. Today flowers are often seen as an exotic extra employed only by professional chefs. While we are all taking a greater interest in the provenance of our food, adding more plant-based ingredients to our diets, experimenting with growing our own vegetables and eating to follow the seasons, edible flowers remain a bit of an unknown quantity.A Floral Feast demystifies the idea of eating flowers and introduces readers to a whole range of blooms, leaves, flowering herbs and edible seeds that can be home-grown and used in a new way - by adding them to food. Whether drying hibiscus petals to concoct a soothing tisane, harvesting nigella seeds to use in savoury biscuits or baking a lemon-scented pelargonium cake, garden-grown flowers make wonderful ingredients and transform dishes into floral feasts.As edible flowers are difficult to source, Dunster shows how to grow an abundance of edible flowers to guarantee a regular and plentiful supply of chemical-free ingredients. A Floral Feast covers harvesting, drying and preserving methods, and a wide range of culinary uses and techniques.