When Nancy Clarke looks you in the eye and declares: “I make floral arrangements; I’m not a horticulturist” you know it’s her way of saying the conversation isn’t going to contain any dirt about the presidents or first ladies she served in her 30 years as the White House chief floral designer.
She’s discreet, for sure, but that’s not to say she didn’t have plenty of behind-the- scenes stories to share on Tuesday when she was at Denver Botanic Gardens to speak at a luncheon held in conjunction with The Power of Flowers, a juried show with optional lectures, that the Garden Club of Denver is having Friday. The Garden Club of Denver is a member of the prestigious Garden Club of America.
Clarke retired in early 2009 from what she called the “ultimate job for a floral designer.” She said that perhaps her biggest “oops!” moment came on the scorching summer day when thousands of flowers were delivered the day before Bill and Hillary Clinton were to host a salute to country singers. A staffer inadvertently lowered the temperature in the refrigerated storage area to zero and every blossom froze. Fortunately, her suppliers rallied and replacements were found with mere hours to spare.
Decorating for Jenna Bush’s 2008 wedding on the Bush family ranch in rural Crawford, Texas, was an honor, Clarke said, but geography made it a challenge. “It was like doing an elaborate White House wedding from the back of a truck,” she recalled.
Each first lady had a unique taste in flowers. “Mrs. Reagan favored lush, full flowers — especially peonies, no matter what month it was,” Clarke said. “I had to remind her that peonies bloom in May, and that phrase was repeated so often that it became a joke between us. When she left the White House, I gave her a pillow on which I’d needlepointed ‘peonies bloom in May.’ And she recently told me she still has it.”
Barbara Bush “loved everything purple” while Rosalynn Carter was partial to simple things, especially camellias and other varieties of flowers that grew in her backyard in Georgia. Michelle Obama likes bold, vibrant colors and Clarke recalled that President Obama once told her “The best thing about being in the White House were the flowers.”
Some of Clarke’s favorite occasions were a 1999 dinner that celebrated the 50th anniversary of NATO; a Carter administration dinner celebrating the Camp David Peace Accords; a dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth and a state dinner honoring leaders from Japan.
A replica of the centerpiece from that dinner — a towering orb that incorporated hundreds of cymbidium orchids, roses and mums — graced the luncheon table hosted by Denver Garden Club president Mary Elliman.
A replica of the white rose arrangements done for Queen Elizabeth also was made for the Denver luncheon, and it was given to Bea Taplin for her help in bringing Clarke to town. Photographs of those creations will be among those included in Clarke’s book, “My First Ladies,” which will be published in September.
As for herself, after three decades of making intricate, whimsical and elaborate floral creations, Clarke said her preference at home is for “A clear vase of water with flowers in it.”
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter
The Power of Flowers
Presented by the Garden Club of Denver, takes place Friday at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., and includes:
PUBLIC LECTURES
9:30-11 a.m., Photography, led by Scott Dressel-Martin
12:30-2 p.m., Conservation, led by Adam Brock of the GrowHaus
3-4:30 p.m., Horticulture, led by Kelly Grummons, Debi Borden- Miller and Stan Brown
Admission: $10 for Denver Botanic Gardens members, $15 for non-members. Register by phone, 720-865-3580, or online at
FLOWER SHOW
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The gardens’ admission entitles visitors to view the exhibits at no additional charge.
Nancy Clarke’s flower tips
• Avoid using flowers with white blooms if your guests are from Pacific Rim countries as white is a symbol of mourning for many of them.
• Daffodils and paperwhite narcissus are pretty but are better left in the garden because they contain a sap that, should it drip, can ruin other blossoms in the arrangement.
• Be careful with tulips because the stems can “grow” after they are picked and skew the shape of arrangements.
• Centerpieces should be low so that guests can talk over them, or elevated so that guests can talk under them. With the latter, be sure that the bottom of each arrangement is finished because the eye tends to gravitate up and you don’t want your guests to see a shaggy mess.
• When fruit is part of an arrangement, be sure it’s not ripe. “If you put an anchoring wire through a piece of ripe fruit, it’s going to fall off. Best to use fruit that’s still green.”
• Warn guests, whenever possible, that the fruit is not to be eaten. “We were removing the arrangements after one dinner party and I was horrified to see that the grapes had been eaten from several of them. We hadn’t washed them or anything.”
