FOR many people the idea of flower arranging conjures up the idea of pale, fragile ladies in Laura Ashley gowns wafting through the herbaceous border. But Eve Kennedy, one of this country's most-decorated flower arrangers, could not be further from this image. Nearly six feet tall, strong and energetic, she plays a round of golf several mornings a week before settling down to an afternoon of heavy manual labour in her three-acre garden.
Quite simply, if you are a flower arranger, the only way to get decent raw material for your art is to become a really good gardener. But that doesn't mean that the floral artist's garden is replete with a profusion of perfect carnations and long-stemmed roses. No, flowers are not so essential, for they can be bought at the florist's. Foliage is the thing.
And so, in Eve's garden, while there are flowers galore (and beautiful ones at that), what really makes the eyes widen is the wonderful assortment of mature shrubs and trees. Many of these are arranged in beds and borders around an immense, smooth lawn that rolls down from the front of the house. Foliage in every imaginable colour, configuration, shape and texture is here, all waiting for the snip of the secateurs. One of Eve's favourites is a golden-berried holly whose branches cascade gracefully down-wards: it is invaluable as "outline" material - that which dictates the shape of an arrangement. Also here is Chamaecyparis "Fletcher's White" with white-flecked variegation, Photinia "Red Robin" its bright-red new leaves spectacular against its glossy dark-green older foliage, Elaeagnus "Gilt Edge" with yellow-rimmed leaves - and countless other treasures.
A contorted willow is given a prominent position, while around the back of the house there is another similarly tortured tree, a "crazy hazel", its ancestor was discovered in a Gloucestershire hedgerow in the 1860s and propagated by some enterprising person. These two plants, with their frenzied, twisted twigs, are adored by flower arrangers - and abhorred by some gardeners.
When Eve is out snipping for an arrangement she carries a bucket of water into which cut foliage and flowers are immediately placed, to prevent moisture loss. Back in herb studio - a place of organised clutter - the flowers might be given the boiling water treatment. This entails standing their ends in a cup of just-boiled water while counting calmly to 30 as bubbles rush out of the stems, and any potential airlocks are thus stymied. They are transferred to a bucket of water, with two table-spoons of sugar and a drop of washing-up liquid, to be "conditioned". This treatment lasts up to 24 hours and extends their display life no end. The washing-up liquid acts as a wetting agent, encouraging them to suck up the water. Most foliage benefits from this method as well, while adding an aspirin to the potion also helps to beat fatigue.
At that point you or I might be content to hung everything in a vase and be done with it. But not Eve: she is just getting into her stride. Flowers and foliage, along with fruits, interesting pieces of wood, shells, quirky figurines, kitchen containers (almost anything goes) are built into fantastic pyramids, or miniature landscapes, or even finely-balanced mobiles. And each piece depicts a carefully thought out theme: an easy enough one might be "A walk through the garden" or even "A Dutch Old Master" featuring a sumptuous, painterly array of gorgeously-striped tulips, deep irises and pale lilies. But imagine having to illustrate the life and times of St Laurence O'Toole, as Eve was asked to do for a recent flower show! The art of flower arranging is much more complex than any lay person would ever believe and any floral artist worth his or her salt has had to face a battery of stringent official examinations to prove expertise.
As Eve Kennedy puts it so eloquently: "In other words, it is not just your wan sticking the few flowers into the vase!"
Eve Kennedy's garden at Kensington Lodge, Rochestown Avenue (Baker's Corner end), Dun Laoghaire, is open from 2-5.30 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday from May 17th (except June 7th) until the end of June. Groups by appointment at other times. Telephone: 01-280-3577. Admission £2.50. Because there are ponds, the garden is not suitable for children. Please park outside.
Dates for your diary: Today, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and tomorrow, 1 - 5 p.m.: "The Flowering of a Dream" at Christ Church, Leeson Park, Dublin 6. Festival including the work of 60 flower arrangers. Admission £3.50 and £2.50 (OAPs) in aid of building fund for Mount Tab or Nursing Home, Sandymount.
Wednesday May 14th, 8 p.m. British floral artist Craig Bullock, who is one of those leading the way in new trends today, will give a gala demonstration, "Breaking the Mould", at Wesley House. Leeson Park, Dublin 6. Tickets cost £6. Further details from Diane Gallagher, telephone 01 4933130.