The White Horse Flower Company

Dahlia flower arch

Guest post Emma Davies

What an epic end to the dahlia season. Lindsey from The White Horse Flower Company volunteered to create an arch with Claire's flowers, and she overdelivered:

ED: What do you love about using British flowers?

LK: "Their abundance and continuous evolution through the seasons. It’s refreshing to get a flush of something and then have to wait until the next flush of flowers arrives. I love their freshness - knowing they’re often cut to order makes them particularly special.:

ED: Where do you source your British flowers?

LK: "Wherever I can. I buy as locally as possible and as much as possible."

ED: What would you like to see change in the industry? How could growers/ suppliers make it easier for florists to buy British flowers? 

LK: "This is my main issue. I could travel all day driving and gathering buckets from growers in Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire but this then cancels out all the green credentials as I clock up dirty diesel mileage. Add to this I don’t have the luxury of time to do it. So a hub or central market would really be my ideal solution. It’s probably the single thing that stops me buying more British Flowers."

As a side note, if you've been wondering how to make Instagram Stories work for you, follow Lindsey for a bit and see how she does it. They are true behind the scenes insights into her working day, engagingly done. 

Thank you to premier Hampshire wedding location Clock Barn and Tufton Warren for your hospitality.

Jay Archer

Jay agreed to do "something big" for the British Flowers Book this month - and she didn't disappoint:

A quick behind the scenes:

Jay can be found at Jay Archer Floral Design, and Jay Archer Floral Design Flower School.

Cherfold Flowers

Caroline from Cherfold Flowers did a beautiful late summer styled shoot for the book - not only a floral chandelier but also a ground-level arrangement complete with dogs.

What do you love about using British Flowers?

CF: For me British Flowers hold that extra excitement – an arching branch, a curly stem – somehow each flower head has it’s own personality and that is definitely harder to find with imported varieties. They also feel ‘tougher’ and more robust from having travelled less distance in less time.  Surely the longer the flowers to take to reach their destination the longer it will take them to recover from the ordeal – it’s a bit like us with jetlag!

Where do you source your British Flowers?

CF: I grow my own flowers so I am lucky to have a good supply as soon as I walk out of my front door. This being said I only have half an acre in total in which to squeeze everything in, so I do have gaps inevitably.  Plantpassion is my next port of call after my own garden and I love the Anemones during Winter time from Flowers by Clowance.

What would you like to see change in the industry?

CF: For British Flowers to be even more readily available to buy for people as a real alternative to imported flowers. 

How could growers/suppliers make it easier for florists to buy British flowers?

CF: More delivery options, the whole ordering system to be as seamless and effortless as it can be on the online auctions.  For growers to pool their flowers so that if one grower cannot supply the florist, then they can work together to find one that can.  Great photos also help ie with Dahlias, some of the less familiar names can be tricky to remember!

Caroline's garden was a photographer's dream, with nooks, crannies and pedestals everywhere you turn:

I'll leave you with the star of the show:

Guest post: Emma Davies, staff photographer

Whispers & Snippets

Melissa and Laura promised me something unique, and they didn't disappoint. I give you the very first British Flowers Book floral swing:

Thank you to father of the florists for helping out with the heavy lifting.

What do you love about using British flowers?

W&S: "We love how British flowers bring an amazing aroma to our arrangements; it's something you just don't get from flowers that have travelled from farther afield. There's also something very nostalgic about British flowers - they conjure up memories of when we were younger, crushing rose petals into perfume."

Where do you source your British flowers?

W&S: "From farms such as Plantpassion and The Real Flower Company, and we also get a selection from New Covent Garden Flower Market in London. 

What would you like to see change in the industry? How could growers/ suppliers make it easier for florists to buy British flowers? 

W&S: "We would like to see British Flowers used by more florists, and for there to be more of a focus on biodegradable sundries where possible. We think the industry could be better at sharing ideas, although there are definitely a lot of florists who are already very good at doing this.

The industry, like many, is also prone to being misrepresented online - this can be confusing for our customers and often means that by the time they approach us they've already gained an unrealistic expectation as to how much things cost. We try to be really transparent about our pricing so that our customers can clearly see what they're paying for when they work with us. It's important that as an industry we don't undervalue our product and offering."

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Whispers & Snippets was established by sisters Melissa & Laura out of a desire to create beautiful bespoke floral designs.

Growing up in the Cotswolds, home grown country garden blooms are close to their hearts. 

In establishing Whispers & Snippets Melissa and Laura were determined to make floristry accessible to all and inspire others to see flowers differently and in a less traditional way. Being studio based florist’s means Melissa & Laura aren't restricted to one location and often travel all over the UK with their workshops & floral styling events.

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Guest post: Emma Davies, staff photographer

If you are a florist who uses mostly British grown flowers and would like to be featured on The British Flowers Book blog, please apply here: British Flowers Book Shoot Application.

The Urban Flower Farmer

Guest post: Emma Davies, staff photographer

It was a joy to work with Emma Sousa recently as she rebranded her business to become the Urban Flower Farmer. She is a dedicated and successful florist, growing her own and sourcing locally whenever possible. This shoot took place on 15 May and used all British grown flowers and foliage.

What do you love about using British flowers?

Emma: "When I first looked into using British Flowers it was their green credentials and seasonality that attracted me - I wanted to be more eco friendly. But once I started using them it was the variety, the slight irregularity of them and of course the scent that you often get from home grown blooms, as well as their eco credentials of course."

Where do you source your British flowers?

Emma: "When I first looked into it I found it hard to find a grower near to me, being based in London. I started growing my own and now I am into my second season and I haven't looked back. I am a really small scale grower who primarily grows for my own business but occasionally I buy in from other bigger growers like Clowance, Smith & Munson and Lambs when I don't have something or I need to top up for really big events. I recently got the most amazing peony and stocks from Lambs in Lincolnshire - they beat the imported ones hands down, for size, scent and longevity."

What would you like to see change in the industry?

Emma: "I think people are becoming more aware of where their flowers come from but I think it is a very slow process and there are so many people that don't even think about flowers and their origins. It would be nice for the government to recognise flower farmers and support them more, however large or small scale - and I am a big fan of labelling where your flowers come from. If they are British grown then shout about it.

It amazes me how many people really don't realise that the flowers they are buying are shipped from all over the world from places like Kenya - people are actually quite shocked and once you sow the 'buy local' seed they would much prefer to support UK growers. We also used to have an amazing industry in the UK but unfortunately like all of the farming industries here our growers are having a really hard time and not getting paid a fair price for their product. That is where the smaller scale grower comes in for offering customers something unique."

Is there anything you'd like to add about the industry generally?

Emma: "I think that despite being a really tough industry to make a living from, the majority of florist/growers do it because they are not only exceptionally talented at what they do but because they are really passionate about making a difference, however small. The joy that flowers can make to someones life, albeit for a few days or a couple of weeks is just incredible and shouldn't be underestimated - they have the ability to uplift a person in ways you just can't imagine."

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Emma offers beautiful bespoke flowers, specialising in Wedding and Event floristry.  She is passionate about using seasonal flowers which is how the flower field came about and why she started to grow sustainable flowers in 2015. She is passionate about the environment and takes inspiration from the world around her.

Visit: UrbanFlowerFarmer.com
 

As a child she loved to draw and paint and went on to study Printed Textiles at University. When she left she fell into a completely different career as a Fashion Buyer, fast forward to today and she has grown a successful floristry business in London and now grows flowers in urban spaces around London and Hertfordshire. In 2017 Emma re-branded and became The Urban Flower Farmer and continues to grow her floristry business travelling around the UK for wedding & events large and small.

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If you are a florist who uses mostly British grown flowers and would like to be featured on The British Flowers Book blog, please apply here: British Flowers Book Shoot Application

The April Photo shoot

April is the season of Tulips, Narsissus, Anemones and Spring in full flow (and Flower). This year even more so than usual as the weather warmed up really quickly and everything came at once. As the last of the Tulips fade round the country now, here's a look back to last year, and the Photo shoot that we did with Caroline Davy.

Each month last year we got a talented florist, and gave them a couple of buckets of flowers for them to make seasonal displays with. With little direction and even less warning of what flowers they were likely to be getting, the bouquets and arrangements reflected their style and ability to work with seasonal flowers.

Last April as the colours warmed up and the buds turned into leaves, we gave Caroline Davy a bucket of Flowers including 

Apricot Parrot Tulips, Ballerina and White Triumphator Tulips, Narcissus Cheerfulness, Anemone, Hellebore seedheads, Honesty, Amelanchier, Beech, Trailing Akebia, Physocarpus and Spirea.

The bowing heads of the Parrot Tulips were the focal points of the displays, and were balanced by the spring foliage that was just emerging.

The March Photo shoot

Each month last year we got a talented florist, and gave them a couple of buckets of flowers for them to make seasonal displays with. With little direction and even less warning of what flowers they were likely to be getting, the bouquets and arrangements reflected their style and ability to work with seasonal flowers.

In March it was the turn of North London Florist Emma de Sousa.

The middle of March last year was cold, the weather hadn't yet decided to warm, and yet the bright colours of the blue, pink and yellow flowers meant we immediately felt that this was Spring.

With shorter stems on the bulbs of the Hyacinths and Iris, Emma used petite displays to show off the range of textures. The Blousy double ducat daffodils, and the dark pink Hellebores were mixed with scented rosemary and hebe foliage in the bouquet.

And with a nod to post wedding celebrations, Emma and Vanessa Styled a going away suitcase theme.

To ensure all the seasonal treasures were used up, Emma fashioned a beautiful hair circlet with Eucalyptus and Hyacinth florets

The ingredients available to use in Mid March were. Golden Ducat Daffodils, Blue Hyacinths, Pink Tulips, Pink Hellebores, Muscari, Camellia in bud, Rosemary, Hebe, Euphorbia Wulfenii, Eucalyptus and Viburnum Tinus.

March on a flower farm

Guest post: Emma Davies

I know it's wrong to have favourites, but I do love it when the blue flowers start to appear. These images were all taken last week. Indoors:

And outdoors:

It'll be coming up so fast I won't be able to keep up, soon. More behind the scenes next month.

Claire hard at work. Try as I might there is just no way to make acres of black plastic look photogenic.

Hellebores for cutting

As a grower, the Hellebore is one of my favourite flowers. The main reason for that, apart from them appearing as one of the first flowers of spring, and being so beautiful and delicate, is that I get to enjoy them for several weeks before i cut them to sell to florists.

Hellebores mostly have heads that hang down, but if you prop them up in a bouquet, or hold up their heads, then you can see the wonderful flower detail inside the petals

Unfortunately while they've got their wonderful pretty faces on, as every florist knows, they are notoriously tricky to keep them conditioned, and the heads often flop and can't be revived.

This makes them difficult to use in anything other than same day events, and means sourcing them is time consuming.

Tips for keeping them in the best shape include, keeping them in deep water, scoring the stems lightly so they take up more water, and keeping them cool but not cold (if you've seen hellebores in a garden after a frost, you'll know the fridge isn't the right place for them)

However wait a little bit longer, until the seed heads are forming, and the Hellebore becomes a much easier to work with flower stem.

or for a double, the seed pods aren't always so apparent 

When they get to this stage, the vase life will be a lot longer, (often over a week) the stems stronger, and longer, and although the colours are slightly muted, they are still strong. 

and because i'm a member of the #Helleboreappreciationsociety, here's a few more pictures to brighten up your day

The February Shoot

Last year, each month, I gave a couple of buckets of flowers with a theme to a talented florist. Their brief to make what they liked to show off the flowers. All of them only got a couple of days notice of what they were likely to be getting.

February's florist was Jay Archer.

Jay has been a loyal supporter of my flower farm since it started, and her bubbly personality and go get it ethos are the reasons that she is so much in demand as a Wedding florist, and by other florists as a tutor and mentor at her Flower School.

Because she regularly uses a majority of British Flowers and Foliage, she was a great florist to give the February challenge of a restricted palette of colours and material.

I've been waiting to post this on the blog, because unlike last year which was mild, the cold winter has meant that the Anemones that we used weren't available at the beginning of February. They are though this week, so now we can show you this great blend of Winter Tulips, Anemones, and Narcissus.

The red Valentine theme was carried through to the foliage as well, with Skimma Rubella, and Dogwood stems. and Pussy Willow, Senicio and Eucalyptus gave silvery tones as well, which showed off the white flowers.

This amazing foam free arrangement just shows that winter flowers don't have to be small and understated.