THE MODA GUIDE TO SUMMER
 
  
Expert Advice On Cultivating YOUR OWN GREEN THUMB
     
Mother Nature’s unique power to uplift should never be underestimated. A case in point? The elaborate flower arrangements bursting from New York’s abandoned hot dog carts, trash cans, street signs, and more city mainstays, beautifying the streets for all to enjoy. And while these “flower flashes” have garnered ample attention during the pandemic, they’ve actually been sprouting up across the country for the past couple years. Who's the artistic genius behind them all, you wonder? Lewis Miller, of NYC-based Lewis Miller Design. On the heels of our exclusive collaboration with Miller, LMD x LSD, we asked what advice he had for those of us hoping to create (and preserve!) our own arrangements at home. Find his tips below, along with those from Paul Arnhold, whose line of vibrant, hand-blown glass vases is the perfect counterpart.
Editorial Image
Gardening Notes From
LEWIS MILLER...
 




Tip #1:
Cut Fresh Flowers As Often As You Can
   
“Pinch a plant to make it happy. The more you cut flowers from a garden, the more they will bloom and the fuller and stronger the plant will become. Do this early in the morning, when it’s still cool out, and immediately plunge the plant into cool water.”
Tip #2:
Patience Is A Virtue…

“Be prepared to get irritated. Gardening can be a long, uphill battle, and even when you think you are doing everything right, some plants will just sulk. Some plants are high maintenance and need constant attention and stroking and others do much better if you ignore them and give them their space. The same goes for floral arrangements: the best ones are the easiest ones and the easiest ones are oftentimes the hardest to get right. They require the perfect combination of bloom and vase, abundance and fullness, proportion and scale.”