The Flower Council of Holland launched their My Favourite Flower campaign with the biggest bouquet in Britain.  The enormous bouquet was made at Potters Fields in front of London’s Tower Bridge.  The Flower council tweeted that people could come and take a bunch of their favourite flowers away.

Passers-by were encouraged to give the flowers to give away to loved ones.  As research carried out by the Flower Council revealed that half of British adults have never been given flowers,  64% of men have never received flowers and 31% of women only receive their favourite flowers once a year.

The colossal bouquet stood 6 metres high and 5 metres wide, it took a team of 6 florists, 18 hours to construct.  It contained 12,000 stems of cut flowers, highlighting the UK’s top ten favourite flowers, rose, tulip, lily, orchid, freesia, calla, carnation, sunflower, delphinium and amaryllis.

My Favourite Flower camaign has a rather clever website where you can pick your favourite flowers and have the chance to win a bouquet of them.  It’s presented by more lovely boys like the ones here, who whizz round selecting the flowers you choose.   The campaign has been extended until the end of the month, so you still have some time to take part and win some flowers.

Images:

funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk – FlowerCouncil of Holland

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Holly Valance tied the knot last week with English millionaire Nick Candy.  Their fairy tale wedding is said to have cost £3 million in total.  The couple celebrated with 300 friends and family including Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, Elton John, Simon Cowell, Tracy Emin as well as royal guests Sarah Ferguson and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The bride wore a £35,000 wedding dress made with fine silk, hand dyed with silver and grey detail, with a full skirt and revealing bodice.  It was made by Australian designers Jacob Juppino and Anthony Pittorino of J’Aton.  Holly has received some rather unflattering comments about her gown.  The Daily Mail said the bride wore a “Barbie-meets-Miss-Havisham frock with cascades of pigeon-coloured frou-frou about the hem.”

The telegraph were even more critical saying “This dress had more going on than a fortnight at Butlins – and about as much class” they  added the “rag-taggle skirt which looked like it had been concocted from endlessly layered lettuce leaves faithfully reproduced in singed white silk.”

Designers Juppino and Pittorino have said the dress was largely Holly’s design and that she wanted to create a modern day heirloom piece.  For me there are too many different aspects competing on the dress, and the grey edges unfortunately just make the dress look dirty.  What do you think about the dress?

I am obviously more interested in the flowers, although we can’t see many in the image Holly and Nick released.  The couple are said to have spent £60,000 on wedding flowers and from what I’ve seen they were beautiful.  Although they all appear very contemporary and don’t really tie-in with the style of the wedding dress.

Holly carried a simple hand tied bouquet of black calla lilies.  She walked down a petal strewn aisle and said her vows under a large canopy of twigs adorned with clusters of trailing amaranthus, black callas and purple orchids.  Guests said there were towers of cream coloured flowers dotted around as well.

I often find brides are so excited about their wedding, they see lots of things they love and they want them all, but you can’t mix a hundred and one things together and expect it to still look tasteful.  You need to consider what colours and textures will work together for the look you want to achieve.

Images:

1 Holly Valance via media.whosay.com

2 FlowerCouncil of Holland

3 Holly Valance via media.whosay.com

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Top florist Björn Kroner created these impressive floral skulls using thousands of chrysanthemums.  The skulls were designed by fashion designer Michael Michalsky for his Style Nite at Berlin Fashion Week 2012.

Björn and his talented team used over 5600 chrysanthemums to make the skulls.  The heads were individually pinned onto the base.

The team used several types of chrysanthemum to make the skulls including single and double varieties.

Michalsky said “I think chrysanthemum is one of the most interesting flowers.  It’s not so traditional and not as burdened by meaning as other flowers are, so it’s really capable of surprising you.  I was stunned to see how many varieties are available.”

Images:

michalsky.com

FlowerCouncil of Holland

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Common name:  Kangaroo Paw

Botanical Names: Anigozanthos

Origin: Western Australia

Colours: from green to yellow, bronze to red and pink.

This unusual looking plant gets it’s name from the furry paw-shaped flowers it produces.  The Latin name anigozanthos is pronounced ANNY-goz-an-thos. Kangaroo Paws have tall sturdy stems that branch out, the flowers are perched at the top of each branch, each flower tip opens into a tubular flower.  The brightly coloured flowers are covered in tiny hairs which give the flowers a velvety feel.

They are grown as house plants, but more commonly seen as cut flowers. As a plant they like full sun and well-drained soil, they should be kept inside your house or conservatory, you can put them outside in the summer.

The attractive flowers can last several weeks in a vase if the stem ends are regularly trimmed.  Kangaroo Paw is available in lots of colours, but in particular many autumn shades like burnt oranges, reds and browns.

Images:

Flowercouncil of Holland

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This style of bouquet is also known as glamelia or composite rose bouquet, they were very popular in the 40s and 50s.  The bouquet is essentially one large flower assembled from the petals of around 20 roses.  It is a labour intensive method and is definitely a task for a skilled florist.  Hundreds of petals are painstakingly attached one by one.

The bouquet above was made using Red Naomi roses, which have lovely large petals in a deep velvety red.  Red roses look very dramatic in a carmen rose bouquet and would suit a 50s theme perfectly.

This lilac bouquet below contains lovely Dolcetto roses in a collar. Smaller versions can be made for bridesmaid bouquets, but they may be more expensive than normal bouquets.

These bouquets have been made into wedding centrepieces.  The soft pink rose used in them is called Malu.

The technique can be used with other flowers like lilies or gladioli; this bouquet is made with longiflorum lilies.

Carmen bouquets may not last as long as a regular bouquet, but they will stay in perfect condition for your wedding day.  If you are thinking of  having something a little different to a hand tied bouquet, a carmen rose bouquet could be the ideal choice.

Images:

Red Naomi bouquet – Schreurs Roses & Gerbera by Robert Koene

Pink Malu bouquets – Schreurs Roses & Gerbera by Robert Koene

Dolcetto  bouquet - Schreurs Roses & Gerbera

Lily bouquet - viggo-joergensen.dk

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Annie Lennox married for the third time in an intimate ceremony on 15^th September.  Annie met her husband Dr Mitch Besser in 2009, when she worked with his charity Mothers2Mothers.  The charity helps single mothers and children with Aids.

They celebrated their wedding with a boat party on the Thames.  Annie’s two daughters Lola and Tali were bridesmaids at the ceremony.  150 friends and family attended the celebration including Actor Colin Firth and comedienne Ruby Wax.

The legendary Scottish singer performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert and the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in London this summer.

Annie shared two pictures of her wedding flowers with fans on Facebook and Twitter.  The bride wore a floor length ivory lace gown and 1920s style headpiece.  The couple chose flowers in a vintage pastel palette including roses, dahlias, hydrangea, rosemary, sage and ivy.

The beautiful bouquet Annie posted a picture of contains garden roses, hydrangea, and dahlias in antique pink, lilac and ivory tones. The soft green sage complements the flowers and also adds a wonderful fragrance to bouquets.

Annie had previously said would not marry again, which proves that love really does conquer all.

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Add some drama to your wedding or event with a floral chandelier.  It will create a focal point in the room and be a real talking point for guests.  Earlier in the summer I posted some articles about the Chelsea Florist of the Year and Young Florist of the Year competitions.  The florists had to create a floral chandelier for the Queen’s Jubilee dinner.  Some of the lucky entrants even got to meet the Queen when she visited the show and admired their work.

Today I’ve got some more chandelier inspiration for you and a few more of the amazing chandeliers from Chelsea Flower Show.  The design above has been attached to a chandelier in a wedding marquee.  It features vibrant lime, purple and cerise flowers, with dendrobium and phalaenopsis orchids hanging down.

The stunning chandelier above was made by Jessica Rose Andrews from The Garden Rose florist.  The design is based on a chandelier frame wrapped with textiles and hanging glass baubles.  I love how the intense indigo and violet flowers contrast with the green passion flower vines.  Jessica was awarded a gold medal for her design.

This chandelier by Betsy Ford is a simple but effective wedding decoration.  Betsy has hung germinis from a chandelier of fairy lights.

Katie-Jane Pridmore made this very elegant design, it contained lots of strings of pearls and intricate wire work.  The central garland of flowers contained phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, carnations and gypsophila. Katie-Jane received a Silver Grenfell medal for her piece.

This beautiful tiered chandelier is by Erica Tippett of Bleujen Florist.  I really like this design, it was awarded a Bronze Grenfell medal, which I think is a bit mean.  The design features gold chains and hundreds of hanging crystals.

Floral Chandeliers can be very extravagant with hundreds of flowers and twinkling crystals, like the ones at Chelsea show or quite simple.  If your venue already has a central chandelier, your florist may be able to make a simple design of hanging flowers to rest on it. Which ever style of design you decide on it is sure to create wow factor and be remembered by your guests.

Images:

1 Cerise chandelier – stylemepretty.com, Donna Von Bruening Photography

2 Purple chandelier – Jessica Rose Andrews, The Rose Garden

3 Yellow gerbera chandelier – greenweddingshoes.com, Lemon Lime Photography

4 White chandelier- Katie-Jane Pridmore

5 Gold tiered chandelier – Erica Tippett, Bleujen Florist

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Common name:  calla or arum lily

Botanical Names: zantedeschia

Origin: South Africa

Colours: white to yellow, terracotta, shades of pinks and deep purple.

They are usually referred to as calla or arum lilies, arums are usually hardier and larger varieties. The botanical name is pronounced zanter-DEE-sha.  They were named zanterdeschia in honour of Giovanni Zantedeschi an Italian botanist.

There are eight species including giant white arums and various coloured callas.  They have thick fleshy stems and showy flowers, which are popular as cut flowers.  They grow naturally in marshy areas, in some countries they have naturalized and are regarded as weeds.  All parts of calla plants are poisonous and should not be consumed.

The structural shape of calla lilies makes them very popular as cut flowers and for corporate displays.  They are available in many colours and last about 2 weeks.  Some varieties like green goddess last up to 4 weeks.  Callas are a luxury flower used in premium bouquets and wedding flowers.

Images:

Image 2 – Flowercouncil of Holland

Image 3 – Flowercouncil of Holland

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The 1920s is always a popular era for vintage weddings.  The Fabulous flapper dresses and glamorous flowers make for an elegant look that you can still have fun with.

The items in my montage are all inspired by the 1920s.  I’ve based them on a black, white and silver theme with a splash of sparkle.  If you want more colour in your 1920s theme, try a strong pastel shade, reminiscent of art deco colours.

This theme adds a bit of life to a white colour scheme, with pearls, feathers and sparkle.  Headdresses were very popular in the 20s, there are lots of fabulous handmade creations on etsy and folksy, with intricately beaded designs.

The dresses featured are from LeLuxe, who make amazing reproduction 1920s dresses.  The shimmering designs are encrusted with beads and crystals, perfect for a vintage style wedding dress and your bridesmaids if your budget will allow.

The 20s was a time of prohibition, you can play on this with flower cocktails for table arrangements.  You can use groups of normal martini glasses with a couple of flowers, or large martini vases with bigger floral arrangements.

Crystal bouquets are perfect for this theme, with vintage brooches, pearls and diamantes.  You can also include lots of vintage touches in your fresh flower designs, like strings of pearls or crystals hanging from your vases. To complete a roaring 20s theme hire an authentic jazz or charleston band.

Image montage (clockwise):

Ostrich feather centrepieces – saveoncrafts.com

Phalaenopsis orchid vase and candelabra – cbsweddings.com by Darin Fong

Bridal headband – Erica Elizabeth Design on Etsy

Crystal floral candelabra – cbsweddings.com y Darin Fong

Invitations – StellaJenn on Etsy

Crystal brooch bouquet – lovemydress.net by Jo Barnes Vintage

White beaded dress – LeLuxe Clothing

Ostrich Feathers – saveoncrafts.com

Black and silver beaded dress – LeLuxe clothing

Images:

White phalaenopis orchids – Flower Council of Holland

Flower cocktail design – Sprout-flowers.com

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The Leprosy Mission’s Festival of Flowers was held at Southwark Cathedral last week.  A team of 85 designers worked tirelessly, to transform tens of thousands of flowers into contemporary works of art.  Hampton Court Gold medal winner Mig Kimpton led the team of florists, the designs were based on the theme ‘transformation’.  He said “My dream and aspiration was to create something totally unique, flowers are an important part of our life – they turn a house into a home and bring a smile to the face.”

The breath-taking designs were inspired by William Shakespeare, the Olympic Stadium and the blossoming of the earth.  The innovative displays were tucked into alcoves, suspended from nave ceilings and woven into pastoral scene to take visitors on a journey of colour, perfume and imagination.

Celebrities including Sir Ian McKellen, Su Pollard and Wendy Craig were among special guests at the preview evening last Thursday.

The Leprosy Mission’s National Director Peter Walker, said he hoped the beauty of the cathedral enhanced by the magnificent floral design, would reflect The Leprosy Mission’s passion for transforming lives around the world.

For more information about the Festival of Flowers or to donate visit The Leprosy Mission website.

Images:

The Leprosy Mission

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Olympic fever hits us again this week.  The opening ceremony for the Paralympics takes place this evening and the games start tomorrow. Over the past month I’ve wrote a number of blogs about the flowers and plants, today I’m re-capping the most popular Olympic blog posts.

My article about the Olympic victory bouquet was the most viewed Olympic blog.  Everyone has been talking about the bouquets, debating the size and style.  The flowers were presented to the all the medal winners, nearly 5000 bouquets were made.  Jane Packer designed the bouquets using British roses and herbs. Floristry students helped to make the bouquets with Jane Packer staff.  There is more information on the rose varieties and herbs used in the full article here.

The Olympic organisers wanted the flowers for the games to be as sustainable as possible.  I wrote an article about the almost impossible task of using only British grown flowers, including 20,000 roses for the bouquets.  They had to be grown using no artificial heat, light or chemicals.  The rose bushes used for the flowers now need re-homing, details can be found in my article.

Beautiful flower meadows were sown around the Olympic Stadium.  The ‘Olympic Gold Meadows’ are the largest annual meadows ever to be grown in a public park.  They have been in flower throughout the Olympics and will continue to blooms throughout the Paralympics and into the autumn. There’s more information about the types of flowers useds and the planting process in the article.

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Common name:  Gladioli (plural), sword lily

Botanical Names: Gladiolus

Origin: South Africa

Colours: virtually all colour except blue.  Pale pastels to vibrant reds and purple, some bi-coloured also.

Gladioli get their name from the Latin word Gladius, which means sword, due to their sword shaped leaves.  They are bulb flowers that produce a single flower spike and several narrow leaves.  There are 260 species of gladioli, nearly all of which are native to Sub-Saharan Africa.  In the wild the gladioli vary greatly  in size and the number of flowers.  The gladioli you see in florist shops today has been hybridised to produce giant ornamental varieties.

Smaller varieties like the one pictured above are often referred to as bridal gladi, they are used in wedding flowers as the dainty heads are a perfect size for bridal work.  Gladioli last well as cut flowers, they have become trendy again in recent years after suffering from an image problem.  Dame Edna was famous for having gladioli and may have contributed their old fashioned image.  They come in so many gorgeous colours there is no need for them to look past it.  Some of my favourites include a deep purple variety that looks almost velvety black and a bright acid green shade.

They are mainly a summer flower available from May to October, though sometimes the season is longer.  A few gladioli look good peeking out above other flowers in a mixed bouquet or a full vase of gladioli in a single colour is glorious when open. They are usually bought closed or a few bottom flowers open, they should not be bought fully open.

Gladioli are often available as locally grown British flowers in the summer months.  To encourage the whole stem to open, the very tips of the flowers (two or three buds) can be gently removed.  Gladioli are thirsty flowers; make sure they are placed in deep water.

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Sunshine may have been in short supply last week, but the floral marquee at Southport Flower show had a floral display brighter than the sun.  The impressive display won a gold medal at Southport Flower Show and was very popular with visitors.

Poplar Farm Flowers from Ormskirk, raised hundreds of pounds for charity with their sunflower wall.  Visitors paid 50p each to guess how many flowers were in the display.  The money raised was donated to Queenscourt Hospice in Southport.

Joe Appleton from Poplar Farm said “It was a very successful weekend for us and lots of people had a go at guessing the number of sunflowers. Amazingly someone guessed to within one of the actual total which was 1,074!”

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This amazing flower carpet was on display in Brussels last week.  Grand-Place in Brussels houses a flower carpet every two years, the theme this year was The African Continent.

The carpet is made using over 600,000 begonia flowers.  Begonias are used because they are robust and resistant to bad weather and strong sunshine, which means they stay last well.  They are also available in vast range of colours from pale pastel shades to vibrant colours.

The carpet was an incredible 1800 metres square, 120 volunteers spent 48 hours making the floral tapestry.  The flowers are tightly packed, 300 per square metre, this creates a microclimate that helps keep them fresh.  The carpet was on display for five days.

The carpet was inspired by Africa’s landscapes, cultures and colours.  The flowers were combined with soil, bark, sand and pigments.  Visitors were able to view the carpet up close or enjoy a panoramic view from the Town Hall balcony.  The balcony was dressed with thousands of anthuriums, which grow in Africa.

Images:

Flower Carpet

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Last weekend I visited this hidden gem in the Dane Valley.  The lavender meadow is at The Swettenham Arms near Congleton. The pub is tucked away in the small village of Swettenham behind a church, the fragrance from the flowers is divine.

The local wildlife seem to appreciate the lavender, it was alive with honey bees and butterflies.  I spotted beautiful peacock butterflies that have eyes on their wings and comma butterflies which are orange with black spots and feathered wings.

The lavender meadow is in bloom throughout July and August, it’s a perfect backdrop for wedding photos.  There also is an arboretum and nature reserve next to the pub as well that visitors can walk round.

The pub itself is a delightful traditional building dating back to the 16^th century.  During my visit the window boxes were overflowing with vibrant summer flowers.

If you work up an appetite walking round the meadow and arboretum, the pub serves delicious food and cream teas.  I enjoyed lunch outside the pub, as it was a rare sunny day this summer.

The Swettenham Arms maybe off the beaten track, but it’s worth the effort to find.  The address is Swettenham Village, near Congleton, CW12 2LF.  Put the post code in your sat nav to find it or take a look at their website.

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I’ve wrote a couple of articles on Southport Flower Show in the past few days.  Today’s is all about the Show Gardens.  The garden above is by Greg Mook of Mook Gardens, they named it Keep Cool & Carry On.  It was awarded a Large Gold Medal.

The theme for year was ‘cool’, the garden reflected the theme in the colours of the planting.  They used plants in blues mixed with black foliage plants.  The tall verbenas and agapanthus looked great set against the white walls of the garden.

This garden by Crosby Landscapes featured a cool pink and white theme with clipped box trees.  A waterfall in the corner flowed into a pool which ran through the garden, stepping stones crossed the water to reach the seating area. The garden won a Large Gold Medal.

This garden featured Verbena bonariensis as well, it was popular at Southport this year, as it was at Tatton Flower Show.  The designers verbena around the walls of the garden.  Myerscough College were awarded a Large Gold Medal for their design.  The garden was named Personal Serenity, the cool shades of lilac, purple and white created a very tranquil space.

The Cool Runnings garden is by Brian Caunce Paving.  It won a Large Gold Medal and was based around the Jamaican bob sled team.  The central path reflects the bob sled track winding through the garden.

The Coronation Street garden was commissioned by Southport Flower Show to celebrate Coronation Street’s trip to the seaside.  It features the famous chimney pots from the street, the bar from The Rovers Return Pub and street sign. A chill out area was provided with a comfy sofa which was surrounded by planted beds and traditional red brick walls.

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There were a number of contemporary floral design classes at Southport Flower Show.  The show theme for 2012 was ‘cool’ and the competitors had free reign to interpret the theme as they chose.  The floral design classes included Ga Ga, MacQueened, All the Angles and Threadless Light.

I didn’t agree with all the places awarded, but you can’t please everyone.  I’ve included a few of my favourite pieces in today’s article. The MacQueened class attracted some unusual entries, most competitors made dresses out of fresh materials and textiles.  This design by Margaret Whittaker was awarded second place.  The design was a complex shape with that appeared to defy gravity; it has lots of curved lines covered with intricate textiles and flowers.  I felt this design was worthy of first place.

This piece by Paul Lomax was entered into the class, ‘All the Angles’. It had a lovely reflective quality as it was contained in a large mirrored cube.  The outside was covered in layered foliage and inside was filled with a compact design of all white and green flowers.  It featured lots of green lovelies like sedum, eryngium, green trick carnations, and alchemilla mollis.  The design was awarded third place.

Myerscough College made some gorgeous pieces, their entry into the Threadless Light class was my favourite piece overall.  The design was to be viewed from all sides, and was simply stunning from all angles.  The flowers were arranged in vibrant groups dotted with tiny echeverias and tillandsia.

Craig Bullock’s piece entered into the Ga Ga class won the award for best Contemporary floral design.  His flamboyant piece featured hanging heliconias, roses and chrysanths, mimicking the eccentric outfits Lady Ga Ga is famous for wearing.

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I enjoyed a grand day out at Victoria Park yesterday, despite the damp weather. A bit of drizzle didn’t put off visitors, the show was very busy.  Last week I featured an article about what you could expect at Southport Flower Show. Today’s article has a few snippets from what I saw at the show.  Over the next few days I’ll feature some more articles on the show gardens and floral designs.  Visitors queued up to have their photo taken with a pint at the Rovers Return, in the Coronation Street garden.  The garden includes features the famous street sign, the bar and chimney pots.

Southport Flower Show has the largest amateur growers competition in the country.  Competitors bring their home grown flowers, plants and vegetables, all keen to be crowned the best in their chosen category. There were some beautiful examples, grown by talented amateur growers, including the biggest leeks I’ve ever seen!

Visitors were entertained with bird of prey displays, medieval knights and live music throughout the day.  I took a break from plants and flowers to watch The Knights of the Damned display of ye olde English jousting.

The Grand Floral Marquee contained displays from 66 exhibitors.  The marquee showcases everything from cottage garden flowers to Bonsai trees, all grown by specialists.  Visitors can get expert advice and buy plants and seeds direct from the growers.

Tomorrow (Sunday 19th August) is the last day of the show, it’s open 10am till 5pm.  If you’ve not got tickets, you can buy them on the door for £21, concession tickets are £18.  Kids under 16 get free entry when accompanied by an adult.

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Common name:  African lily

Botanical Names: Agapanthus

Origin: South Africa

Colours: shades of blue and white

These lovely flowers have long, strong stems with a round cluster of funnel shaped flowers at the top. When you buy them as cut flowers, they have no leaves, as the leaves grow at the base of the plant from the roots.   Their name comes from the Greek word agape which means love and anthos meaning flower.

Outside the UK, Agapanthus is known as ‘Lily of the Nile’, although it’s not a lily.  They were one of the first plants to come from South Africa.  They arrived around 1650 and have now naturalised on the sand dunes in the Isles of Scilly and Torquay.

As cut flowers they are mainly available in the summer, but a few varieties are available in spring and winter.  They are easy to grow as plants, they like well-drained soil and full sun in the garden. They should be protected from frost with mulch or fleece in the winter as even hardy varieties can suffer from the frost.

Agapanthus is fashionable as both a cut flower and plants in the garden.  Their strong tall stems are often used in large vases and arrangements.  They commonly come in shades of blue from powder blue to a deep indigo; they are rarer in white as a cut flower.  They will last up to ten days in a vase.

Images:

Flower Council of Holland

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