Flowerworks / Sarah Illenberger

Flowers, one of nature's most appealing experiences, continue to be a source of inspiration for artists. Their form and color are compelling. And then, there is their delicate, ephemeral nature. Their unique qualities make them the focus of photography, painting, and the material for sculpture. Today, contemporary photographers and artists are highlighting the seasonal lures of plants in ways never seen before.

In Flowerworks (see above and below), Sarah Illenberg has created an ingenious series of photographs that transform flower arrangements into fireworks exploding in a night sky.

Many of her photos have an incredible sense of movement.

Flowerworks / Sarah Illenberger

Flowerworks / Sarah Illenberger

Makoto Azuma has long been at the avant garde of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, taking his living installations further into the world of abstract sculpture. Now, he is subjecting his arrangements to extreme temperatures and conditions. With Iced Flowers, floral bouquets are suspended in pillars of ice. According to This Is Colossal, Azuma said the "flowers will show unique expressions they don't display in everyday life."

Iced Flowers / Makoto Azuma

Iced Flowers / Makoto Azuma

Azuma has even sent his arranged flowers into the outer space, the most extreme habitat. Last year, he launched a bonsai tree and collection of flowers up 91,000 feet into space from a launch site in Nevada. He told The New York Times Style Magazine this shows that "flowers aren't just beautiful to show on tables."

Bouquet in space / Makoto Azuma

And lastly, the young Spanish artist Ignacio Canales Aracil has created unique sculptural forms out of pressed flowers, only made possible after being woven into place on large vessel-like molds.

Flower Vessels / Ignacio Canales Aracil

Flower Vessels / Ignacio Canales Aracil

Flower Vessels / Ignacio Canales Aracil

This Is Colossal describes his unique process: "The pieces dry for up to a month without the aid of adhesives and are sprayed with a light varnish to protect the sculpture from moisture. The final pieces, which could be crushed with even the slightest weight, are rigid enough to stand without support."