Episode 744: Abbie Zabar’s new book, BOUQUET: Floral Arrangements at the Metropolitan Museum

https://youtu.be/Fz6QYN9w3ik For ten years, New York-based artist and illustrator Abbie Zabar had unique, early-morning access to the Great Hall at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. With colored-pencils and a small square of paper, Abbie drew the dramatic floral arrangements on display in the Great Hall, designed by Chris Giftos, the Met’s floral master who served from 1970-2004.Now, Abbie’s tiny masterpieces are collected in a beautiful new book called BOUQUET: Floral Arrangements at the Metropolitan Museum. From holiday arrangements of magnolia leaves, red berries and flyaway branches to summertime fiestas of palm leaves, red-hot pokers, and birds of paradise; in the hands of their secret chronicler, each floral arrangement comes alive on the page, expressing all the joy of nature. Including Abbie’s own notes on the compositions of the bouquets, as well as the story of her time as the museum’s quiet observer, Bouquet is inspiration for florists, gardeners, and fans of botanical art everywhere. I visited Abbie at her New York apartment and studio a few weeks ago, and I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today. Abbie Zabar and Debra Prinzing in Abbie's NYC apartment. Some of her original drawings appear on the shelves behind us. Bouquet cover artwork with Abbie's charming hand-illustrated inscription https://issuu.com/accpublishinggroup/docs/bouquet Ten years ago, I hosted Abbie Zabar on the Slow Flowers Podcast in Episode 196 (June 3, 2015). And today, we welcome her back to the show. In that conversation, Abbie talks about her decade-long practice of observing and drawing the gorgeous flower-filled urns, in the Metropolitan Museum’s great hall. To use Amy Stewart’s description of appointing oneself an artist-in-residence, Abbie did just that, quietly observing and sketching Chris Giftos’ magnificent flower-filled urns. At first, she sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and sketching in her lap. After a museum guard tried to shoo her off because she couldn’t sit on the floor, Abbie procured a small stool and later befriended the museum guards who became her advocates and supporters, even letting her into the Metropolitan Museum before opening hours to draw without interruption. What a glorious story! A peek outside to see Abbie's rooftop garden in the city Enter Abbie Zabar's rooftop garden in New York Abbie is an acclaimed artist, illustrator, and garden designer, and the author of six books. Her first book, The Potted Herb (1988), is now considered a gardening classic. She has created garden and graphic designs for numerous prestigious companies and organizations, including Bergdorf Goodman, Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, and PS 198. Her landscape collages have been represented by Allan Stone and BlumHelman, and her Flowers in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art series has been represented by Ursus Books & Prints and the Horticultural Society of New York. Abbie’s artwork has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Parrish Museum, the International Paper Corporation, the Louvre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London) and the Vigeland Museum (Oslo), and is part of the permanent collections of the Mead Paper Corporation of America, the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the Smithsonian Museum. Abbie’s illustrated articles have appeared in Garden Design, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, Gourmet and The New York Times, as well as in numerous esteemed British publications. She received the 2010 Award for Best Newspaper Writing from the Garden Writers Association (now GardenComm). Some of the drawings have been exhibited in the past, including at the Wave Hill show in 2015 that was the theme of my prior interview with Abbie. But now, just in time for gifting to yourself or your favorite flower lover, these drawings and accompanying essays are collect in a new book, aptly called BOUQUET. Join me for a delightful conversation with Abbie, filmed in her New York apartment, where we look at the book, see some original art, and discuss this important practice of observing nature. Details on how you can order a signed copy of BOUQUET from Abbie’s favorite neighborhood bookseller, The Corner Bookstore (1313 Madison Avenue at 93rd Street, New York). When you contact them, say you'd like to order a personally signed copy of the book!Call: 212-831-3554Email: cornerbook@aol.comWeb: cornerbookstorenyc.com Find and follow Abbie Zabar on Instagram Hot off the Press: Fall 2025 issue of Slow Flowers Journal https://issuu.com/bloomimprint.com/docs/slow_flowers_journal_fall_2025_final_single In Slow Flowers news, we’ve just published the Fall 2025 issue of Slow Flowers Journal for Harvest and Holiday season. This beautiful quarterly magazine is filled with articles and inspiration featuring our members and their creative endeavors in the world. We feature contributing designers, writers, and columnists from across the Slow Flowers World, and you’ll want to check out your free copy of the magazine (read above). I’m especially wowed by the cover artwork, a dried floral installation at Lyndhurst Mansion in New York, designed by Muriel Poure of Muriel Fleurs, who we will soon host on this podcast. Slow Flowers Summit Cyber Monday Giveaway! Coming up soon, you are invited to join us at the 2026 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place ONLINE January 30-31. We’re celebrating Cyber Monday with something extra special! Purchase your Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit ticket between December 1–7, and our lead sponsor, MyPatioTree.com, will send you a patio-ready flowering tree (value $199) as a complimentary gift this spring. MyPatioTree.com grows premium patio-sized ornamental trees: compact, elegant standards designed to bring beauty and structure to any small space. Grown on a third-generation family nursery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, these exceptional trees are known as the “gold standard of standards,” and we know you’ll love yours. Each one ships directly from the farm so it arrives fresh to your door for an effortless, elevated outdoor experience. After you register, you’ll receive a link in January to claim your free tree. If you’ve already purchased your ticket, you’re automatically included. Trees can only be shipped to U.S. addresses. Click to Register for the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers. Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu. Thank you to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com. Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers' hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com. Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com. Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography I'm Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you're invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I'll see you next week! Music credits: Drone Pine; Gaena; Topslidesby Blue Dot Sessionshttp://www.sessions.blue Lovelyby Tryad http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentalshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ In The Fieldaudionautix.com