Today is the first day I've really walked outside and thought 'SPRING!' There's a warmth in the air and that feeling that the days are once again getting longer. Today the shop feels like a euphony of spring with the most wonderful of scents and colours, so much so that I couldn't help but down tools and take some snaps of what we've got going on.
The anemones are totally stealing my heart at the moment, the brighter the better! The power of colour at this time of year is crucial - I think it sees us through the last few weeks of winter and makes us realise that spring really is on the horizon! Joy!
How darling are these pink ranunculus - the most perfet shade of baby pink and I'm always reminded of marshmallows when I look at them. They have the appearance of been such a delicate flower, but never before have I met such a fighter. These guys go on for weeks and can survive quite a time without water too. They are perfect for a spring flower crown at this time of year.
The English grown narcissi are now out and about. Intoxicating aromas and hundereds of different varieties. I have to say that there is something lovely about a daffodil, but if you really want to ramp up the flowers in your home, I'd urge you to ditch your daff bunches and just once in a while indulge in these wonderful narcissi. You wont regret it.
The stalwart of spring and one that never gets tiresome. Hyacinths are the most wonderful thing to grown on your windowsills and are a perfect cut flower as well as a plant. If you're into your heady scents, this is the chap for you.
My all time favourite tulip, and that's quite something as there are SO many different varieties. This parrot has just the right amount of green speckled through its petals to keep things oh so fresh
The frost is in the air and as long as there are blue skies I'm happy. I sit and write this whilst trying to cajole the little guy to bed. My efforts, are however, wasted, and secretly I'm quite happy sitting by the fire just that little longer.
January. The month of fresh starts, resolutions, hunkering down and comfort food. On tonight's menu, pie - not the homemade version because today I've been flouncing around doing my flowery thing. January gets a bad rep for flowers, but I have to admit its one of my favourite times. The clear down after the decorations have gone leads to endless places to decorate with Spring bulbs and flowers. Little jars scattered on windowsills where once a garland or two sat. All those deep, rich colours swapped for fresh whites, a scattering of powder blue and pink.
The shop has been filled, re-stocked (just like my energy levels after our Christmas break) and is now a homage to spring. Ranunculus grace the flower stand, along with scented lilac, spring hyacinths and blush spray roses. Really you should come in for a sniff.
I'm busy behind the scenes, there's a lot on the cards which is all very exciting and all will be unveiled in due course.
Felicity and Edward's amazing wedding took place waaaay back in September. Its taken me forever to blog about this beauty, but the best things come to those who wait and believe me, I cannot wait to tell you all about it!
When your faced with choosing flowers for a loved ones funeral its so difficult to know where to start. A lot of undertakers have an in house florist with some set designs that you can choose from, this can make life a lot easier, especially when there is so much to organise, but what if you don't want to organise a standard arrangement - you want something a little bit more personal.
With March whizzing by in what felt like a moment, and a sea of soft pastels, Kelly and Alan's big day came along and kicked us into full on bright, bold and colourful mode. I adore punchy colours and Kelly and Alan's scheme didn't disappoint. Plums, cerise, dusky mink tones and most importantly lots of texture - a florists dream!
Kelly and Alan tied the knot at their local church and then headed to The Olde Bell in Hurley for the big celebrations. We've been to The Olde Bell on many occasions and have floralled up so many different schemes over the years but nothing as bold and beautiful as this. Tying the knot at the end of March, we had the pick of the spring flowers to use along with some early summer fleurs making an appearance.
Whether you go to market or buy your flowers online, how on earth do you decide what flowers you want to sell. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of varieties available and tons of different colours.
Some florists go for the scatter gun approach - a little bit of this and a little bit of that until they have every colour under the rainbow in their arms or virtual trolley. Sure this is the way you can work, and indeed this is the way loads of florists shops around the country have run for decades, but we like to think of ourselves as a fine artists picking our paints very carefully so we can blend and get depth.
I call it a 'currated' colour palette which sums up whats happening not only in the floral world but also in fashion and lifestyle. We're constantly looking around, gathering inspiration and then transporting it to our flower stand in tints and tones that blend together beautifully.
