Andreas Verheijen has a long and storied history in the horticultural arts. Growing up in Holland, the epicenter of the world’s floral trade, he was exposed to his subjects from an early age. After 16 years as a floral sales executive for Harrod’s in London as well as owning his own flower shop, the certified Master Florist now spends his time creating unique editorial and events for a wide range of clients.
His Engineering series is an ongoing project that allows Andreas the freedom not just to arrange flowers, but to create them. His hybrids are fascinating amalgamations of different species that, even to the trained eye, raise questions about their veracity. What I love about these is that they are reminiscent of the “one weird plant” advertisements that are ubiquitous on website sidebars nowadays. Just the other day, I came across someone asking if this image of a Pandanus fruit was real. Spoiler alert – it is!
As much of a plant nerd as I am, I still stumbled across bizarre species that I never knew existed. I love that these images, taken out of context, are convincing enough to make me wonder. What’s even more spectacular is that, from the looks of it, Andreas creates these hybrids through the art of arrangement, rather than a digital method such as Photoshop. In looking at them, I can discern different parts of amaryllis, kohlrabi, epiphyllum and more. Which plant parts do you recognize?
For more in the Engineering series, click here.
Photos © Andreas Verheijen
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