After spending three decades in the White House arranging flowers for six first ladies, former White House Chief Florist Nancy Clarke knows a thing or two about planning an elegant state dinner, like the one the Obamas will hold Thursday night for South Korea.
First, it’s all about protocol. The State Department makes the East Wing aware of any restrictions. White is often a no no (it’s used for funerals in some parts of Asia) and lilies are often nixed. “A lot of people don’t realize they have allergies until they sit down and there’s a big bowl of lilies in front of them,” Clarke explained. “You’re competing with the food too.”
After that it’s about setting the tone. “I think they sort of set the mood for the evening,” Clarke told Yeas & Nays. “If you have bright, happy colored flowers, it’s a bright, happy colored mood.” Clarke started working in the White House as a volunteer in 1978 before becoming a full time staffer in 1981. She left in May 2009 and in September published her first book, “My First Ladies.”
This week she’s being feted for the accomplishment by the folks at Tiny Jewel Box on Connecticut Ave. and H.Bloom, an online flower service. “I’m really excited about the book,” she gushed. “It’s a nice book I would never in a million years say anything against any of the first ladies, I loved them all,” Clarke said.
