Doing the bare minimum

Arrangement by Michael George, whose work can be seen at the Museum of Fine Art's annual floral festival, Art in Bloom.

Like food and fashion, floral design has its trends. One of the hottest now is Michael George's minimalist style. His bouquets typically feature masses of a single type of flower, with the stems all cut to the same length and the flower heads tightly packed into a dome. A fashion world favorite and frequent collaborator of Martha Stewart's, George will be Sunday's headliner at the Museum of Fine Art's spectacular annual floral festival, Art in Bloom. We called him at his New York home. - CAROL STOCKER

What will you be doing for Art in Bloom at the MFA? I will give a very brief talk about theory and then I will demonstrate two of my techniques using our trademark calla lilies and a big screen and a camera so you can see my hands. And then I will sell my book, "Simply Elegant Flowers with Michael George," which gives very explicit directions. I will also be teaching a master class limited to 30 experienced designers.

How would you describe your style? It's simple but not easy. If you're not anal-retentive, act like you are when you're arranging flowers. For me, that's not a problem. If you've seen the movie, "As Good as It Gets," that's me. Though I've calmed down a bit.

What flowers do you like for spring? Our signature spring arrangement is a lot of tulips.

How many? As many as you can afford. Our $100 signature tulip bouquet has 40 tulips, but I like to use 400. There's nothing like abundance. And simplicity.

What's the most underrated flower? Carnations are the flower you love to hate. But if you use enough of them, they don't look like carnations anymore. They're just a dome, a graphic object.

How do you select flowers to buy? Look for fresh healthy leaves. My father used to say, "Shop the foliage, not the flowers."

Your dad was a very successful New York florist. What did he teach you? My father taught me about ethics and running a business, but he taught me nothing about flowers. He and his colleagues in the 1950s made the flower shop mysterious. They had a cooler in the back where you couldn't see the flowers. I'm trying to take the mystique out of the business. They're just flowers.

What is the ideal kind of vase? There's a saying about vases: You've either got it or you don't. If you've got Lalique or Steuben art glass or some Chinese antique, use it. If you don't, keep it simple with a clear glass cylinder or rectangle.

How do you choose what sort of arrangements to use in a home? I like to walk into a house and try to see it through the guests' eyes. Don't over-flower. You don't want your home to look like a funeral parlor.

Art in Bloom runs Saturday through Tuesday at the MFA. For more information visit mfa.org or call 617-369-3306.