Start with a 105 mm 1:1 macro lens, add a 1.4X teleconverter, stick on a Canon 500D close up lens, add a circular polarizer to cut down glare, lower the Nikon D300 with all of this glass to ground level on the Gitzo 2220 tripod, view the scene through a right angle view finder, soften the harsh sunlight with a diffusion disk, fire the shutter with a cable release - and Voilą, as easy as that, you've got a twice life size floral macro.
It was doing exactly this type of shot (or more accurately, not being able to do it) that finally got me to quit my point and shoot and go D-SLR in May 2004.
It's taken me since then to add the various bits and pieces. I resist using flash - natural light seems more, well, natural.