Autumn/Winter 2020 Trend: “Inner Retreat”

All the flowers to know about, plus inspiration for bringing them into your home

We live in a busy, uncertain world. Our lives are shaped by outside influences that we cannot always foresee or control, and we are subject to demanding stimuli in the shape of our smartphones. This season, we respond to our environment and use nature to create a space for peace and calm. Our focus is on soft textures, pastel tones and friendly shapes.

For Autumn/Winter 2020 we turn to the flowers that make us feel soothed and cocooned. “Inner Retreat” is all about self-care and destimulation, an excellent attitude to cultivate as we move towards the end of the year. Read on to discover the most important flowers of the season, and how to bring out their best, whether through bouquets, vase arrangements or DIYs.

Autumn/Winter 2020 Trend: “Inner Retreat” | Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk

We begin with Gypsophila, a light, fluffy flower that embodies the cloudlike feeling of “Inner Retreat”. It looks wonderful styled in a magical floating garland, as demonstrated in the beautiful work of celebrated Japanese florist Yoko Negi.

Next up is Anthurium, instantly recognisable by its heart-shaped spathes. Place these stems in individual vases and fill your home with love, care and kindness.

Chrysanthemum is a special flower that brings warmth and colour to any flower arrangement. Revered in China and Japan for centuries, chrysanthemum has many special meanings, and its playful colours and sizes make it a charming choice in bouquets. The Chrysanthemum is said to bring peace and happiness — just the sort of atmosphere we’d like to create in our homes.

The Cymbidium orchid is a fragrant delight that hails from the Himalayas. Their long vase life of up to five weeks makes them the perfect adornment for a homemade dreamcatcher, promising sweet dreams and restful nights aided by the flower’s sweet scent.

Carnations are a key component of “Inner Retreat”. We release this flower from its traditional role as a buttonhole, and turn our home into a sanctuary by decorating with garlands of fresh carnations. We’re also inspired by the flower’s association with love to make marzipan petit fours in the shape of a carnation, for enjoying at the end of a delicious dinner à deux.

For bouquets, we turn to viburnum, a flower that encapsulates the “Inner Retreat” mindset. The balls of fresh green petals found on young ‘Snowball’ Viburnum makes this cut flower an excellent choice for holistic, peaceful flower arrangements.

Last but not least, lilac rounds off our Autumn/Winter 2020 “Inner Retreat” trend. As well as looking gorgeous in a bouquet, its famed fragrance makes this flower the perfect base ingredient in a winter room spray. Fill your home with the heady scent of lilac, and look forwards to the arrival of spring.

If you’re interested in finding out which house and garden plants match this season’s “Inner Retreat” trend, then check out our sister site Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

For more ideas and inspiration around “Inner Retreat”, follow us on Pinterest, Instagram and subscribe to our hashtag #funnyhowflowersdothat.