Whilst most of us can put a few flowers in water, it's probably a blessing that flower arranging is not considered an essential skill for women today.
At the end of the 19th Century however, ladies were judged on their floral displays.
In the last of the series, Corinne Julius met historical flower arranger Mary Rose Blacker, the author of Flora Domestica, who explained that as a reaction to early Victorian exuberance, at least the arrangements at this time were expected to be simple. Mary Rose Blacker is author of Flora Domestica - A History of British Flower Arranging 1500 - 1930 (Harry N Abrams, ISBN: 0810967030).