January florists profile Vanessa Birley of Vanessa Birley Florals

Throughout last season we worked with some talented and inspired florists who use British Flowers. Vanessa was the reason I started writing this book, and she, Emma and I worked very hard last year creating our floral palettes (more about these tomorrow). But she was also the first of our florists to be given a "bucket or 2" of flowers to produce some wonderful seasonal displays. Here in her own words is why she enjoys working with British Flowers. 

Vanessa Birley: As a child I immersed myself in our family garden & you would often find me with my nose plunged into a posy of lavender or roses. For me, flowers that lack scent are missing the vital & important component that sets fresh flowers apart from other beautiful objects. I am absolutely guaranteed fragrance from British flowers, whether it’s from flowering mint, heady dill or sweet narcissus.

I began using locally grown flowers & foliage initially picking from my gardenin a search of adding movement & vibrancy to my bouquets. A trailing stem of jasmine or wispy movement of honeysuckle to a bridal bouquet, gave the je ne sais quoi that I had been looking for.

Not quite knowing what I’m going to get in terms of stem length, flower head size, precise colour & shape, adds to the charm & excitement of picking up a bucket or two of locally sourced British flowers.