"Turning the Vatican into a painting of flowers"
For the head arranger, floral designer Paul Deckers, it is every year a challenge to decorate the large St. Peter's Square with Dutch flowers and plants: a metamorphosis into a painting of flowers. Tuesday March 27 around 30 tons of plant material was shipped from Keukenhof to Vatican City!
Preparation
The annual trip to Vatican City is preceded by months of preparation. Immediately after Easter new plans are conceived for the next edition. Paul Deckers is working on the new designs, drafts, and drawings all year round. When the definitive plans are finished, they will be discussed with the Vatican, after which approval follows.
All materials, except the sods, are being brought in from the Netherlands. Bulbs are being given preferential treatment, kept in cold storage, and put at the back in the greenhouse a few days before departure. The meticulous preparations are also required because there is very little time available at the location. The arrangements are being made on Good Friday. The plants are placed on the St. Peter's Square on Easter Saturday. The final touches and check up are done in the early morning on Easter Sunday. This is very short notice for processing all plant material. The outside plants will be kept for a few days, after which employees of the Vatican gardens will clean up everything.
The Cymbidium orchid as the new "eye catcher": pureness and power
As a floral designer Paul Deckers often uses the symbolism of flowers. When choosing the flower decoration the symbolism of the flowers is being taken into account. Paul: 'This year I chose the Cymbidium as a novelty in the project. This powerful, robust, and pure flower will be shining on the St. Peter's Square. The green Cymbidium will be on the papal steps. Green is the color of hope, power, rest, and peace. Yellow, as the color of Easter and Spring, stands for friendship and peace and cannot be left out of course. That is why the beautiful large yellow Cymbidiums are being used in meters high arrangements. The Cymbidium also stands for friendship and love. The symbolism of this flower fits Easter perfectly.'
As a floral designer Paul Deckers often uses the symbolism of flowers. When choosing the flower decoration the symbolism of the flowers is being taken into account. Paul: 'This year I chose the Cymbidium as a novelty in the project. This powerful, robust, and pure flower will be shining on the St. Peter's Square. The green Cymbidium will be on the papal steps. Green is the color of hope, power, rest, and peace. Yellow, as the color of Easter and Spring, stands for friendship and peace and cannot be left out of course. That is why the beautiful large yellow Cymbidiums are being used in meters high arrangements. The Cymbidium also stands for friendship and love. The symbolism of this flower fits Easter perfectly.'
Bulb fields at the St. Peter's Square: "The Dutch feeling"
On Maundy Thursday the team of 30 employees departs from Schiphol to Rome. The trucks with plant material and flowers leave earlier in the Good Week and are also arriving on Maundy Thursday in Rome. The beautiful color palette will be mainly made by using bulbous plants: around 35,000 plants. Tulips in yellow, white, red and orange. Blue and white hyacinths and a multitude of yellow for that Easter feeling in the form of daffodils. The placement of the bulbous in the gardens adjacent the basilisk and below is such that it seems as if you see the bulbous fields of Lisse and Hillegom. Long rows full of color, a beautiful view: "Keukenhof in Rome". The height differences of the St. Peter's Square are used optimally making the entire picture even more beautiful.
Strips and circles made of 6,500 yellow daffodils will be leading from the square to the altar, which makes a pretty view. The pope will be walking through a field of daffodils from the square to the altar. The long round strips of daffodils have become a tradition at the St. Peter's Square: a true Easter feeling.
Flower arrangements on the square
At the square 3,500 roses will be shaped into big spheres, round shapes: Biedermeiers of white, soft pink and salmon colored large flowered Avalanche roses. Thus we see "a colorful connection between people through flowers", because flowers speak a universal language. 500 lilies in the Rosilily provide colorful accents. These creations are placed as solitary arrangements in the gardens and provide a beautiful color intensity. Arrangements of 2,500 Cornus branches in yellow and red, flower arrangements of 1000 beautiful blue Delphiniums complete the color contrasts.
Plants
It is a magical moment every year! The truck on the St. Peter's Square...When the large trees and arrangements come out, the go-ahead of the build up of the spring garden is finally given.
10 large birch trees up to 6 meters in height are placed adjacent the St. Peter's Basilisk. 16 column shaped lime trees (Tillia) of 2½ meters height forms green areas of rest. In all gardens the arrangements and flowers are placed such that the cameras can capture a good image of the pope and the service. Height and density are being taken into account. Every year it is important to communicate with the Vatican about this situation.
For more information:
Paul Deckers / Master Floral Designer
Florale Vormgeving Paul Deckers
M: +31 625073976
E: info@pauldeckers.nl
www.pauldeckers.nl