The White House's New Florist Creating Blooms With A View ["Vegetables For Centerpiece"!]

Washington Post ^ | July 01st, 2010 | Jura Koncius

[Steelfish]

The White House's New Florist In Chief Is Boldly Creating Blooms With A View

New White House chief floral designer Laura Dowling (she took over last October) is bringing the first lady's looser style to the formal, antique-filled period rooms. In these photos, see arrangements for the State Dinner in honor of Mexico and for daily life in the White House. » LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY By Jura Koncius

July 2, 2010 M ichelle Obama has Obama-ized the White House with healthful menus, planted bok choy and rhubarb to supply them and ramped up the fashion quotient with metallic strapless dresses and studded belts. Her latest style statement: official flowers in a looser "garden" style by Laura Dowling, the new White House chief floral designer.

Dowling's hot-glue gun has been smoking as she's created hundreds of arrangements, many in custom containers she's wrapped in birch bark, moss and dried apricots. The more relaxed, sometimes unexpected look incorporates armloads of romantic blooms, trailing vines, shaggy ferns and the occasional hot pepper and Brussels sprout. "It's my job to create a new signature style," said Dowling, who took over the job in October. "And sometimes instead of flowers, we can use vegetables for a centerpiece."

The humble cactus is even crashing the party. At the May state dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderón, prickly pear cactus showed up in vermeil wine coolers, and Dowling also tucked a few among the centerpieces of fuchsia roses and cattleya orchids. The look had the surprise of one of Michelle Obama's Thakoon/J. Crew outfits.

On a daily basis, though, President Obama is said to prefer one simple floral arrange ment in the Oval Office, plus a bowl of red apples.

[machogirl]

Mega, brown-nose, BARF.

[funfan]

Sounds like somebody has been watching “Dear Genevieve” on HGTV she uses vegtables for centerpeices and arrangemnts all the time—so much for being original :)

[funfan]

Sounds like somebody has been watching “Dear Genevieve” on HGTV she uses vegtables for centerpeices and arrangemnts all the time—so much for being original :)

[whitedog57]

More Stalin-style deity worship by our version of Pravda.

[machogirl]

wonder if those are the “lead” filled veggies from the garden?

[leapfrog0202]

Maybe it’s me, but there’s not many of the pictured arrangements that I would want in my house or place of business.

[funfan]

You mean the fast growing ones from Michelles miracle garden?

[mstar]

Sounds like somebody has been watching “Dear Genevieve” on HGTV she uses vegtables for centerpeices and arrangemnts all the time—so much for being original

That's what I say, this isn't "new". Farmers Market and their spin off, "Roadside Vegetable Stand", have been doing this for years.

Really Mo, this is so "yesterday", it's retro.

[machogirl]

those would be the ones.

[Slyfox]

the first lady's looser style

Is that why her designer is always strapping those belts on her?

[mstar]

there’s not many of the pictured arrangements that I would want in my house or place of business

Yeah, more like what would be in garbage bags after I weed the garden.

[funfan]

so yesterday just like communism. Next we will see astroy about the florist making arrangemnts out of dried dog poop
from thier dog BO. Isn’t funny that the dogs name is the Presidents initials now thats original

[cranked]

WaPo....’nuff said.

[Recovering_Democrat]

can’t the moron and his wife use a private sector florist? why does this require a gubmint payroll employee? Or is it a private florist who gets the contract?

[KTM rider]

20% unemployment, sinking economy, skyrocketing taxes ! ....the last thing we want to hear is about opulence in the white hut

fits right in with the Let Them Eat Cake doctrine coming out of this administration

[Aria]

I thought the flower arrangements were fine. maybe not the best thing I’ve ever seen but overall ok...but it was the two tone blue striped tablecloths that I didn’t like at all. Maybe they looked better in person...

[I still care]

I saw her in that metallic strapless dress.

She looked awful, and I’m not saying that because I don’t like the woman. She had muffins coming out under her arms. What really toasts my cookies is the press falling over how great she looks because she’s a Democrat.

I guarantee you if Laura Bush wore the same dress, they would call her tasteless and unattractive. And SHE is a beautiful woman.

[piasa]

"It's my job to create a new signature style," said Dowling, who took over the job in October.

So... the regime fired the existing White House florist in October? Or did the existing florist decide to leave before getting further tainted by this administration?

"And sometimes instead of flowers, we can use vegetables for a centerpiece."

Q . What's the difference between the President and the vase of ornamental cabbage in the White House situation room?

A. The vase has a sensible head on its shoulders.

Lettuce pray ...

[wac3rd]

WaPo gives it Marie Antoinette suck-up in the Style Section when when her Kenyan hubby weakens us everyday.