I did a post a while back about single blooms. It all looked quite minimal and pretty tasteful, I think. My current favourite flowers are the complete opposite of that: hydrangeas are big, opulent and look best in huge bunches – or in their natural form, as tumbling bushes.

Someone said on the Instagram recently that she used to call them butterfly bushes as a kid and I think this captures the appeal of these flowers perfectly. They really do look like pretty spheres dripping in butterflies – I know no other flower that has a shape and texture like that. I also love the colours: different pinks, purples, lighter and darker blues – it all looks like a Marie Antoinette themed fantasy.

Some people might find hydrangeas too vulgar, but if you want to have maximum impact with minimal effort, these flowers are hard to beat. Especially when you need to decorate a big space, hydrangeas are really handy and don’t need much arranging. Compared to roses and peonies that can give a similar effect if used in sufficient quantities, they are also affordable.

I love hydrangeas best in big bouquets of different colours, without adding anything else. If you are a hydrangea novice and this is way too baroque for you, try white ones. If you need to simplify further, only use a single stem in a high, slender vase – they look striking like that, too.