Ariella Chezar's relentless pursuit of beauty extends well beyond flowers, permeating every facet of her daily life. In her latest book, Home in Bloom, Ariella encourages one to bring nature inside. But not just the perfect specimens - all of it! The brambles, the weeds and that perfect rose cut just that morning from the hedgerow.

Originally from New York, the child of committed back-to-the-landers who instilled in her a love of beauty and of the natural world, Ariella started her business in the Mediterranean climate of the San Francisco Bay Area. The foraged elements coming into the flower market there were unlike anything available in New York or Boston at the time. Where those markets relied heavily on imported blooms, the San Francisco market was filled with wild bits, vines, fruit on the branch and It was these ingredients that encouraged a wilder, more natural approach to arranging flowers. Ariella’s first book, Flowers for the Table, was dedicated to this wilder approach, and landed features in House and Garden, Martha Stewart, Oprah, and more. Her name became synonymous with the free-flowering, uncontrived 'garden style' which has been in vogue for the past twenty years, though Ariella maintains that this is not 'her' style, rather the style of any designer who works in close connection with the natural world, with Constance Spry being the true originator of this natural style. 

10 years ago she started growing on a large scale on her land in upstate New York calling it Zonneveld Farm. Her mother's maiden name was Zonneveld, which translates to Sunny Field. With the goal of growing flowers for her events, workshops, and supplying her colleagues in New York, Zonneveld was a brief exploration in growing her own flowers. Though the scale she took on was ultimately more than she could manage, the thrill of growing her own flowers and specialty cultivars was deeply satisfying. Currently she is focused on her home gardens, teaching, lecturing, and events. 

Here we chat with Ariella about the start of her 30 year career as a floral designer, her inspirations and her beautiful new book, Home in Bloom.

You’ve said a florist is only as good as it’s tools - how important is choosing the flowers? What do you look for and what your favourites….
Well it’s true isn't it!? Choosing fresh, vibrant beautiful flowers is the key to making beautiful arrangements. Naturally those plucked from your own garden or a nearby farm will always be, hands down, the most gorgeous. I am always paying attention to new cultivars and colors as well as re-visiting old familiar friends year after year.

What does your new book, Home in Bloom celebrate and who is it created for?
This book was created for those who know flowers and those who don’t. This book celebrates not only the showstoppers, but equally, the weeds.

Can anyone learn to style flowers? Tell us about your love of teaching creativity with nature… 
As mediums go, flowers are perhaps the most forgiving and as such yes, I think anyone can learn. One can never go wrong with a single element cluster if in doubt. It’s often in the combining of too many elements in too many different colors that things might go awry. Teaching is so deeply gratifying because flowers are such an easy entry point to creativity. Their vibrant life force takes precious little effort to translate easily and magically into something beautiful and one doesn’t need to be 'good at it' to get that satisfaction. 

Your style of flower design is wild and free which we love so much - how did this differ from what was out there when you began and how did you stay true to your instincts? 
Pretty much everything was quite tight and 'French'- lots of roundy moundies. Very bloom focused with very little foliage. I grew up in the sticks and when I moved to the Bay Area, even though it is not rural, the foraged elements coming into the San Francisco flower market were abundant. Unlike the New York market which was more bloom focused. Though my name became synonymous with with this 'new' wild, natural, garden style, it certainly wasn’t me who started it. I, like all designers before me who incorporated wild and natural bits into their work was responding to what I had access to.