Christie Leigh is not your conventional florist. For one, she “can’t even look at” oasis flower arrangements — the kind that stick out of those styrofoam green blocks and are employed frequently by florists across the UK. “It’s just gross. You know that thing people have where they can’t stand the sound of nails on a chalkboard? I think I’ve got that specifically for oasis arrangements.”
Instead, she employs a kind of flower arranging technique called ikebana, a centuries-old Japanese method of positioning flowers in a style that more closely resembles a sculpture than a bouquet. “It’s much more naturalistic and allows each flower be elegant in its own space,” she says.
