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Flower Club Week 1
Welcome to the launch of our very first Flower Club!
We are so totally excited about sharing this with you! We’ve been toying with the idea for a while so we hope you love it as much as we do! Every Monday we release a new Flower Club is designed to allow you to create DIY flower arrangements at home simply, with no effort (apart from putting by around 30 minutes of your time) You can dip in and out, so you’re not stuck with a whole load of kits you don’t have any interest in AND there’s also a weekly flower-a-long where you can join us to see real-time how to make the arrangement.
This weeks arrangement is a Spring inspired vase with some of our favourites – lilac, anmeones, tulips, seasonal foliage, ranunculus, guelder rose and forsythia. Not to mention you get the vase to keep too! You get some written instructions to talk you through how to make the weekly arrangement and to keep for future reference.
A Tour of Columbia Road Flower Market
A two minute tour of Columbia Road Flower Market
Believe me when I say I could have easily spent the whole of Sunday filming and snapping the toing and froing of London’s second most famous flower market. I’m used to heading off in the small wee hours to Covent Garden Flower Market, but haven’t ventured up on a Sunday jaunt to Columbia Road Flower Market for some time. Its not that I haven’t wanted to, its just time runs away!
For me Columbia Road has a lot more soul than Covent Garden, and although its not geared up towards florists, it really captures everything that I think a flower market should be about.
When I first visited Covent Garden, goodness, about 16 years ago I was expecting this mecca of creative hustle and bustle, bright lights, bright colours, independent retailers and amazing sights and sounds. A vibrant barter atmosphere! And it was in some respect like that, but it just felt a bit ‘grey’. The building was old. It felt unloved. Whilst the produce you could buy and the traders are amazing, it didn’t have the amazing mecca buzz I was expecting. Covent Garden have made huge improvements over the years and next month the new flower market opens. I cannot wait to visit, I hope the new building does all the amazing produce and retailers that they sell there justice.
Columbia Road on the other hand, had that buzz I was expecting. Perhaps its because its not the middle of the night when its open. Its amazing what a difference daylight makes to the whole experience! Columbia Road feels like a true market experience – the shouting, the crowds, the smells. The scattering of independent shops seling all manner of things lined on either side of the road.
If you love to buy flowers and don’t fancy the early alarm clock of Covent Garden, I would totally urge you to take a Sunday out and head up to Columbia Road Flower Market.
Watch our 2 minute tour of Columbia Road Flower Market below
See more of our videos on our Green Parlour YouTube channel
DIY Spring Flower Tutorial
Something I noticed since we filmed our very first flower tutorial for YouTube was just how much I say ‘so’
Its funny how been put in-front of a camera and having to sit there and edit it makes you pick up on all those little quirks. Anyway, that’s very much by the by … we’ve been wanting to do some online flower tutorials for a while, and this is our very first proper attempt. we are learning as we go along, so please bare with bare with!
In our first DIY flower tutorial we’re teaching you how to create a spring garden design for your table. I cannot tell you how amazing this looked (and smelt) when it was finished. There was a plethora of spring flowers – lilac, english narcissi, anemones, moss and some rather beautiful seasonal foliage.
In total this project took around 30 minutes, so its more than achievable to re-create at home and can be made a few days in advance of your gathering, so really there is no excuse not to have a go.
Despite the tweaks that we need to make to our filming (I know the lighting is more than rubbish) we really hope to inspire you to create your very own spring garden at home. If you attempt this DIY please show us your wares on our Facebook or Instagram accounts by tagging Green Parlour
February – Journal
Spring flowers (well almost)
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
January – Journal
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.
A Country Garden Wedding at Ufton Court
If you’re as head over heels with a blush and grey colour palette for your wedding flowers then you absolutely must take a look at Becca and Phil’s wedding at Ufton Court. It had us all oh-ing and ah-ing with beautiful summer colours.
Becca and Phil married at the ever gorgeous Ufton Court way back in July. I’ve been sloppy not posting this sooner, it popped up whilst I was flicking through my instagram feed. I was reminded how utterly breathtaking their flowers were. Grey and blush has to be an all time winner of a colour palette – its soft, sumptuous and full of romance.
Autumn Flowers
I’m fickle, flitting from one love of the season to the next. But there is something about autumn – crisp air, moody colours and the richness of berries. It really is food for the soul. As soon as September hits I’m ready. I want the wooly jumpers, the log fires and a house full of rich colourful flowers
If I were to marry again I’d have to book an autumn wedding – the textures and colours are just so phenomenal and always blow me away. Its not about the flouncy rose in October – its all about a whole host of foliages, seed heads and rich jewel like colour. I’d carry a bouquet filled with snowberry and rosehips and the last few snips of my scented geranium leaves. It would be sublime and smelly (in a fantastically earthy way) So here’s to the changing season and to a peep at what we have arriving in the shop
A Country Garden Wedding in a Marquee
Dominique and Tim’s wildlife meets country garden wedding is full of all sorts of pretty. From English grown blooms to giant flower balls. Their style has completely stolen our hearts
Dominique and Tim wed in May (which is possibly my favourite flower month of the whole year) and with a little guidance we were encouraged to let our creative juices flow … and flow they did! From some amazing English grown sweet peas through to giant flower balls that hung throughout the marquee, this wedding encapsulated the very meaning of English Country garden
DIY Flower Bouquet Tutorial
