Surprising Spry

Constance Spry pioneered a new approach to flower arranging. Rejecting a formal, static style Spry introduced kale and cabbage leaves into her bouquets and placed mixed wild flowers rather than hot house blooms in unusual containers.

Her innovative style is illustrated in a display Spry created in 1939 outside Coolings Gallery. Improvising in times of austerity, her arrangement transformed wartime sandbags into a distinctive floral display interspersed with urns filled with wild blooms. For the launch of Sue Shephard's biography, 'The Surprising Life of Constance Spry', the florists, Wild at Heart created an installation outside Potterton Books inspired by Spry's sandbags.

Signed copies of Sue Shephard's biography, 'The Surprising Life of Constance Spry' are available at Potterton Books, priced £18.99.