A very Happy New Year to you.

At the beginning of a New Year there is a lot to think about and looking at the calendar it will not be too long before Valentine's Day is here, then very quickly followed by Mother's Day and then Easter all in the first three months of the year.  

For florists it is time to look at different trends in the floristry world, browse the flower markets for inspiration and organise the work shop - throw out the old and bring in the new.

For those of you who over Christmas and New Year got engaged, and are planning a wedding for maybe this year or next, then it is an exciting time, planning and speaking with all those wedding suppliers including florists.

Whatever your plans are for 2018 - enjoy the journey - enjoy your day - enjoy the moments.

Busy times over the past month or two with weddings of all shapes and sizes and brides arriving to discuss their weddings next year.

The flower markets can be interesting to navigate - trying to get the right flowers with the colours., tones and textures to create the perfect palette.

Some flowers have diva qualities: peonies for example.  Tricky, and can perform perfectly but sometimes they just decide to have a blousy moment just at the wrong time, which for a florist means starting again!

Garden roses are the prima donnas of the flower world and again they can decide to outshine everything else, without being held in check.  Gorgeous though, and usually with the most amazing perfume.

Then there are the fabulous and what we do without them lisianthus.  So many varieties, so many colours.  Beautiful.  Avalanche roses, soft white, pink and peach.  Then stocks, when fresh, smelling divine and muscling in with their full flower heads.  Dahlias whilst in season are beautiful.  Lovely pom pom varieties.  Amazing depths of colour and texture..
The list is endless.  

If you have the opportunity to visit a flower market before making choices on wedding flowers it is really worthwhile rather than just relying on social media sites.  It gives you the opportunity to see the size, texture, colour, and tone of all those flowers that you love.  

I had one bride who really wanted to use a specific rose for button holes because she had seen a photograph of the same on a web site.  Trying to explain that these really would be too big - I sent her a button hole made with a very similar rose and then another smaller rose button hole that would be a better option and look just as lovely.  She had to agree.  - the smaller rose worked.  

It is always with anticipation that I await the arrival of flowers for the next wedding.  Exciting, gorgeous, and then waiting to see if I have any divas or prima donnas in the mix!  

​Looking forward to meeting with brides for 2018.  

Taking a few days off, we took the opportunity to visit The Physic Garden in Chelsea and last week RHS Wisley.

Via New Covent Garden Market in their new home, which was a revelation and another visit is on the cards for
that and I will post photos on that one then, but on what must have been the hottest day of the year so far we arrived in the afternoon to view Chelsea Physic Garden.

Deciding to take on the offer of a free tour, we were guided through these most amazing gardens by the lovely
Alison, where we gently meandered the beautiful and in some cases quite poisonous - who knew - areas that
make up Chelsea Physic Gardens.  All I can say is that it is worth a visit and in fact you can buy a season ticket which one gentleman was doing as he was staying in London for a month nearby and wanted to enjoy the gardens during his stay.  There is a lovely area to enjoy a picnic and the obligatory tea room and shop, which sells the Chelsea Physic Garden honey as they have their own hives.  Truly inspirational.  

Next was RHS Wisley.  Wow!  That about sums it up.  Top tips:  get there early.  Wear comfortable shoes, and have your camera ready to take some fabulous photos.  There is planting to suit everyone.  Little corners of wonderment.  The RHS are going to spend a huge amount of money to up-grade some of the buildings, and increase the facilities at Wisley, but in all honesty it is beautiful just as it is, but will be spectacular for the future.  I spent the day saying "Oh, that is lovely", "Oh, what a fabulous idea".  "Oh, I must get that for the garden".  There is a restaurant which provides a hot meal service as well as a good sandwich selection and children's meals which looked inviting, coffee shop and abundant toilet facilities.  The grounds are so huge, we did not feel overcrowded.  The walk by the river is very calming.
On the way out visit their garden centre - well it would be rude not too! We came away with some of the plants we had fallen in love with during our visit.  Everyone was very helpful and answered all our questions about varieties - one of which was not available at the time, but they could get this in for me by next week.  I only wish I lived nearer, but I would need a bigger garden.

We will re-visit this beautiful place in the Spring.  

I cannot believe it is a year since British Flower Week in 2016.  It is truly fabulous to know that there are growers out there who provide the most wonderful British flowers.  There should be more.

Every year New Covent Garden run a campaign to promote British Growers and indeed British florists who then go on to showcase their talent.  It is worth a visit to the web site just to look at the stunning creations.

There are a few local growers I visit during the Summer months who can provide the most lovely sweet peas, dahlias, and peonies.. Also some fabulous roses can be found too.   It is worth seeking them out.

Enjoy your flowers in the garden.

I am a big Chelsea Flower Show fan - and this year looks like being an absolute delight.

Unfortunately I cannot go this year - the wedding season has taken over my diary - but I do know 
someone who is going for the first time this year and her excitement is infectious.

Having been a number of times now you forget just how amazing visiting Chelsea Flower Show can be.
Certainly the weather this year is going to be stunning.  

Chelsea buzzes from the moment you go through the gates and there is a temptation to run in all directions
to pack everything in, but trust me, take your time,  Perhaps target a few things you really want to see - one
of mine being the Great Pavilion where you will find the most wonderful displays of flowers.

The show gardens are a wonder which always leave me with the question "how did they do
that in such a short space of time"

It can be a bit odd when you see Joe Swift or Nicky Chapman wondering round the grounds followed by
a camera crew moving to the next shoot for TV.  

Top tips:  wear comfortable shoes, take layers and a wear a hat if hot.  Remember to keep hydrated, sit down
and take in the atmosphere. for a while.  The loo's are fab by the way and there are plenty of them.!

​Enjoy!  

I had the privilege of providing wedding flowers for the most delightful bride, her groom and their families.  
Having delivered them locally they were then transported all the way to Cambridge.  

The bride was so pleased with her gorgeous bespoke bouquet and I have to admit she looked completely
stunning.  So happy and relaxed.

I received a lovely e-mail from the brides Mum thanking me, as the flowers had exceeded their expectations
and had received many compliments.  

It was a complete pleasure.  

It is such a beautiful day - the sun is shining, the garden is springing into action and soon it will be a case
of trying to catch up with all the jobs you have to do.

I was asked to create an Easter wreath for The Ice Cream Parlour in Lavenham run by Jane Hadley.  It is such a
beautiful shop to pop in for an ice cream, coffee, hot chocolate, milk shake and some little treats too.  So what
better than to use real duck, and quail eggs with lovely foliage and pussy willow.  It looks really fabulous on
the door.  Inside I created two Easter hoops which hang in the main windows and finally a rather delicate garland
which again hangs from the main beam. covered with pretty eggs.

Finally we decided to use some lovely structural green budding foliage, with pussy willow, for some
vases and adorn the branches with the cutest eggs.  All in all The Parlour is now set for the Easter Holidays.  

If you would like a bespoke Easter wreath - you can always phone me or e-mail me and I will do best to 
create something special for you.

Meeting with brides, be it with their Mum's, future husbands, bridesmaids, or all of these together is the
start of their journey into the world of flowers.

Having found out where the wedding is taking place, then it is time to look at those wonderful photo's they
have captured from the internet, with the occasional glance at a magazine. 

Perspective is a good thing to have when looking at these photos of loveliness..  A simple urn vase with unctuous
flowers and foliage might look completely stunning and can be recreated, but sometimes it is worth noting
just how big these arrangements are and if they will fit in your venue and more importantly within your
budget.  Also if you are going to get the best from these arrangements, can they be transported from the
church/ceremony venue to be utilised at the reception.

If there is no budget constraint and flowers are your thing, then go for it, but if you have set a budget that
realistically is not going to provide you with endless flowers, and garlands and flower chandeliers, then speak 
with your florist, who will, I am sure, try and guide you toward a design that will fit within an achievable budget
for you.

Flowers with large headed blooms, be it blousy garden roses, hydrangea, and peonies are going to be costly, as 
will out of season flowers - Spring blooms in August.  So check that the flowers you have seen on that
internet site are going to be available at the time of your wedding, and again your florist should be able to
advise you on this.

When you do receive your quote from your florist, please remember that they have to include their design
and research time, set up and break down at the venue, preparation of all materials, and payment for extra staff
needed for your big day,  So best not to look at the cost of a bouquet of flowers you would buy seasonally,
as a guide, as there is quite a bit more involved in preparing your wedding flowers.  

Florists have early mornings and very late nights - indeed really early mornings! - to have your
flowers ready for you.  It is a pleasure and an honour to do so.

​

It is soon going to be the time of year when expectations are high with the approach of St. Valentine's Day which this year falls on a Tuesday.  
Whether you love it, hate it, or find it all a bit cheesy, there will be no getting away from all the adverts from those wonderful stores that offer a dine in for two meal, to restaurants who try to entice you to book a table for two, or for those more adventurous folk who will cook an amazing meal with accompanying wines followed possibly by a special proposal involving a beautiful blue box with a white ribbon (know where I am going with this!)
Whatever you decide to do - personally the best Valentine's card I received from my other half was hand made with a simple crafted red heart on the front - go with your heart (excuse the pun).
If you need flowers, then I have selected to provide the very classic red rose bouquets made with gorgeous luxury red roses and then three other bouquets which I personally would have no problem in accepting for a gorgeous Valentine's present.
Wherever you decide to buy your flowers from, if you can pre-order your preferred bouquet then your chosen florist will be sure to provide you with the best that are available.  Leaving it to the last moment might mean disappointment and a dash to the supermarket in the hope that they will have some bouquets left.  
If you need your flowers delivered to a hotel or restaurant then just let me know.  I have provided this service before during the day and it does give an extra wow factor.
Good luck to all those Valentine's - have a really super day.

Some lovely ladies attended my first Christmas Wreath Workshop at Number Ten, Lady Street, Lavenha.m.

The Gallery Lounge, which is upstairs at Number Ten, was ideal for an intimate and informative evening on how to make a traditional wreath, from basing with moss to adding green foliage and then the real fun part, wiring various items to add to their rather lovely wreaths, including whether to bow or not to bow!  There were a few "Blue Peter" moments!

It is always amazing to see the end results, as everyones was completely different, with a lot of oohs and ahhs as the finished wreaths were held up for inspection.

How lovely it is to see these now hung on their doors for Christmas.  Well done all.

Same time next year?  Although I think there could be a session on garlands too!!

Thank you for coming.  Thank you to Jo at Number Ten for letting me use the Gallery Lounge..

A very Merry Christmas to you all.