Red rose and white calla lily wedding

This was such a lovely wedding. 

Emma saw me at a wedding fair and after a brief chat showed me a photo of the bouquet she wanted and could I reproduce? Now every bouquet is different and each florist will make things slightly differently so I don't guarantee an exact replica but using the same flowers and foliage we will get somewhere close.

The roses needed to be RED and the callas white with dark green foliage and loops of bear grass around the edge.

The single bridesmaid, unusually carried a bouquet of calla lily. These are usually the reserve of the bride but as she was wearing a red dress these would look stunning and stand out. The same bear grass loops and a little foliage to support the flowers.

Stems bound in satin ribbon.

The beautiful bride and bridesmaid bouquets.

The groom wore a single calla lily with a red rose and grass loops to match his bride

and the ushers wore a single red rose again with loops and a little foliage.

A very relaxed and happy couple greeted me on delivery and comments of 'better than expected' make a florists day.

Red isn't everyones idea of a gorgeous wedding colour and teamed with white will have some of you running for the hills, but it does stand out and for the right setting works extremely well.

If you want a colour scheme that you are unsure of do get in touch and have a chat and we will guide you through options and probably have photos to show you.

Roses and calla lilies do come in an array of colours so these can be created in various colour schemes (just not blue!) again ask us for a consultation and we can advise.

We look forward to hearing from you soon

Sandra x

Spring Flowers are combined flower of the month - March

Spring is imminent - the perfect opportunity to celebrate with not one, but three Spring flowers on the Flower Agenda: ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil. 

The origin of ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil
Ranunculus originally comes all the way from Central Asia. It travelled through many exotic places before arriving in Europe, where it was given its official name. The hyacinth arrived in Europe in around 1560 from Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. Daffodils grow wild in meadows, forests and rocky places in Western Europe.

Colours and shapes of ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil 
Ranunculus comes in white, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. Hyacinths are waiting for you at the florist’s in white, red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, green or multiple colours per flower. Obviously bright yellow is the most familiar colour for daffodils, but there are also beautiful combinations with white or salmon pink. And did you know that daffodils come in various variations? With leaves, without leaves, with large trumpets and small, strongly scented and unscented.

Care 
These care tips will enable consumers to enjoy their Spring flowers for even longer:
• Use a clean vase and fill it with fresh water.
• Add cut flower food to the water for a longer vase life.
• Trim the stems diagonally with a clean and sharp knife or secateurs.
• Place the flowers in a cool spot away from the fruit bowl and not in the sun.
• Replace the water once every three days so you can enjoy your bouquet for as long as possible. 

Symbolism of Spring flowers
The Spring flowers ranunculus, hyacinth and daffodil are bursting with symbolism, from pride and vanity through to charm and love. Plenty of options for giving someone a real surprise! 

Bouquet recipe with Spring flowers
Close your eyes and imagine the season of Spring. Which colours do you use? To really capture the feeling of Spring in a vase, it’s a good idea to use colours like orange, blue, purple and white. With so much colour, the vase doesn’t need much else. A tall, cylindrical vase is contemporary, puts the spotlight on the flowers, and offers enough room for the large number of stems. 

More about Spring flowers
Consumers can find more inspiration to really get stuck in at Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk. Check out the beauty of the ultimate on trend colour, create a bouquet for the morning people around you, start the Spring cleaning, and be enchanted by the most adorable flowers of the year. 

Spring flowers are fabulous for your home as a gift or if you are having a spring wedding keep it seasonal. We have many ideas for adding these flowers to your wedding displays and bouquets, including daffodil posies for your bridesmaids and narcissus for your shower bouquet. Ask us about our full portfolio to help you choose from the many options available.

Spring flowers are available to buy as gifts during the season, ask what we have in stock for your displays.

Sandra X

Cleatham Hall wedding reception

Debra and Matt held their wedding breakfast and reception at the gorgeous Cleatham Hall where I am one of the preferred partners at this wonderful venue.

The colours of dusky pink and ivory were continued through all of the designs.

The very lovely fireplace was given its own stunning design the full length of the mantlepiece. A mix of roses, lilies, alstroemeria, chrysants, gyp and mixed foliage.

To see bridal bouquets and buttonholes click here and for church flowers click here.

The guest tables had these gorgeous flower balls balanced on tall clear lily vases.

The stunning orangery at Cleatham Hall

The top table was an unusual L shape and on this there was a long and low style design and a flower ball on the other arm.

The tables were kept minimal and this really helped show off the flowers.

These were the same mix as the fireplace design

The room all ready for the arrival of the happy couple.

This Venue is lovely and light with views across the garden that lend it to natural type designs but can also take a splash of colour. The last set up I styled flowers for was also very natural and minimal table decorations. See here

Unusually the bride crept in while I was still setting up and all I heard was 

'Wow, just Wow!!'

You can't get a better reaction than that.

If you are getting married here at Cleatham Hall or would like to create a similar set up at your chosen venue then please get in touch to discuss your options.

The flower balls are created separate to the vase and can be kept or given away to guests after the day is over. The vases can be hired (or bought) and will be collected the very next day so you can get on with enjoying the start of married life.

All vases can be hired with or without flowers.

Sandra x

St Andrew's Church Kirton In Lindsey wedding flowers

Debra and Matt held their wedding ceremony at the beautiful St Andrew's Church in Kirton In Lindsey, Lincolnshire.

(To see the bouquets and buttonholes click here)

This is a modern church, having taken away the pews and replaced with chairs, meaning they can hold other more social events within the church itself.

When I first went to have a look around, the entire church was in upheaval having the floor replaced, a slight concern for all involved but as promised it was all done for the wedding.

This is quite a large church and so it was decided to have 3 pedestals. 2 for the altar and one for the entrance to greet guests on arrival.

The pedestals continued the pink and ivory colour scheme. Debra had specified using lilies within the larger designs and these were teamed with pink alstroemeria, ivory roses, salmon chrysants and gyp.

The altar through to High altar

The 'pew' ends were salmon pink lily with eucalyptus tied on the chairs with an ivory bow.

We alternated down the aisle with flowers and bows on alternate rows.

Dressing the church can be as full or as simple as you like. I know many couples who prefer not to spend money on designs here as you are not in there long BUT it is the main part of the day - This is where you say your vows - so a few select designs are appropriate. 

All these designs were taken back to the venue for display at the wedding breakfast. Using them at both parts of the day can help with your budget and you get to keep (or give away to guests) after the day is over. Make use of all designs as much as possible.

When setting up at church I am happy to contact the warden and arrange direct with them times etc saving you a job and making it as stress free as possible. Flowers are set up on the wedding morning where possible so flowers are as fresh as possible for the service.

If you are having a church wedding please get in touch to see how we can help you achieve your desired designs in a relaxed and hassle free way.

Please look on the menu on the right for Churches: (list of some churches we have decorated)

I look forward to hearing from you soon

Sandra x

Dusky pink and ivory wedding

Debra came to me through a recommendation from Cleatham Hall where I am a preferred partner supplier for her wedding back in July last year.

She had a rough idea on what the bouquets would be like and the colours of choice were ivory and dusky pink.

(Sorry the photos are a little dull)

The bridal bouquet was a mix of ivory avalanche roses and dusky pink garden spray roses. These are wonderful and full and very scented. We added a collar of ruscus foliage around the base and bound the stems with dusky pink satin ribbon.

The four bridesmaids carried a similar design but smaller in size

and the flower girl smaller still.

All bouquets together

We deliver our bouquets in a box filled with stuffing with layers of acid free tissue paper onto on which to lay the bouquets.

If the venue has somewhere cool to store them they are generally fine from deliver until you are ready to carry them down the aisle. Any difference and we would provide small vases in which to stand the bouquets in a drop of water and advise on delivery.

The groomsmen each wore a single ivory rose with dusky pink rose buds and foliage to adorn their buttonholes.

The mums were given an ivory and dusky pink corsage to wear. A double ivory rose, pink rose buds, alstroemeria and gyp.

Buttonholes are delivered on boards. They can be split between addresses - these were to the venue and to the church. All labelled up so everyone knew who's was who's.

Left at the church entrance just inside the door for collection by the main guests.

This was such a lovely wedding to be part of and we will be posting the church designs (St Andrew's Kirton in Lindsey) tomorrow and the venue designs (Cleatham Hall) on Wednesday.

These were such lovely scented bouquets that the photos really don't do them justice! 

If you love these designs or would like to discuss how we can style your wedding flowers from any you see on our blog then please get in touch and book a consultation.

Sandra x

Peach roses and gyp wedding

This lovely wedding was from September last year. A very simple bouquet chosen from a previous design from last year.

The bride loved the simplicity of gyp but wanted slightly more for her bouquet. The main wedding colour was pale peach and with that in mind she chose this bouquet of mainly gyp but with these gorgeous pale peach roses included.

The bridesmaids all carried bouquets of gyp (our most popular design last year) with satin ribbon bound around the stems.

The flower girl design was a bouquet of gyp with a single peach rose.

The groom worth a peach rose with a sprig of gyp and eucalyptus leaves for his buttonhole. This follows tradition where the groom will match his bride.

While the rest of the wedding party wore gyp buttonholes to match the bridesmaid bouquets.

We deliver the buttonholes pinned onto a board. They may be labelled for ease of handing out.

If you love the simplicity of these designs and would love them for your wedding please get in touch to see how we can match them to your colours.

Gyp and roses are always available, whatever the time of year so you can recreate these whenever you are getting married.

We look forward to hearing from you soon

Sandra x

Citrus Trees - Garden Plant of the Month March

Garden Plant of the Month for March: Citrus trees

A lasting holiday feeling on your patio
Beautiful colours, sweet scents and - if you’re lucky - a modest harvest of fruit; all those on their own are enough to make a citrus tree a lovely addition to the garden. But this Mediterranean beauty is also evergreen, So you can enjoy it all year long. The trees of the mandarin, lemon, lime, orange, kumquat and grapefruit each look slightly different, but they all have a sturdy trunk with a green crown. Another similarity is that they produce lots of blossom, like a warm and sunny spot, and lend an exotic note to your patio or balcony. They’re classic container plants that need lots of light in both summer and winter.

The origin of the citrus trees
Most citrus trees originate from South-East Asia. The Romans planted the trees in their gardens in 200 AD. The first trees came to Western Europe in around 1200. Initially the plants were protected from frost in sheds using a fire. Later orangeries were built in which the ‘orange trees’ could spend the winter. Their orange fruit means that the trees give you a lasting holiday feeling in the garden or on the patio,  but also when the plants are placed indoors in the living room.
Citrofortunella microcarpa (Calamondin) is a cross between the genuses of citrus and fortunella. The other citrus species are virtually all imported from countries around the Mediterranean nowadays. Examples include: Citrus limon (lemon), Citrus reticulata (mandarin), Citrus sinensis (orange) and the genus Fortunella (kumquat) containing the species Fortunella japonica (small round fruit) and Fortunella margarita (oval orange fruit). 

Citrofortunella: mini-oranges
The genus Citrus includes fruit such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats. There is also a mini orange tree: Citrofortunella microcarpa. The name ‘microcarpa’ indicates that the plant bears a small fruit. It’s an evergreen tree, and the white flowers produce a delectable jasmine fragrance. The plants often bear buds, flowers and fruit at the same time. The plants come in various sizes, from small handy ‘table trees’ to sizeable trees with small orange fruit. You can make jam or marmalade from the fruit.

Caring for Citrofortunella
Citrofortunella likes a light, sunny spot and moderate (rain) watering. It also needs regular feeding. The plants like a slightly acid soil, so it’s a good idea to mix potting soil with some garden turf. You can pollinate the flowers yourself with your thumb or a brush in order to ensure that the plant produces enough fruit. It takes about a year for the fruit to ripen.
The plants can be placed in the garden or on the balcony or patio in full sun from mid-March to October. You should keep an eye on the night-time temperature, since the plants don’t like night frosts. And allow the plant to acclimatise to bright sunlight in the first few weeks, otherwise it will scorch. The orange tree can be brought indoors in October before the first night frost, and overwinter in a frost-free spot. This can be in the living room, or in a conservatory or greenhouse. 

Citrofortunella training tips
These orange trees can be grown as a standard or as a bush. It’s best to prune in the spring to keep plants growing vigorously and healthy. After pruning the plant will produce more shoots, but it will then take a little while before it starts flowering and producing fruit again. You should therefore limit pruning to shaping the plant or removing stray shoots.  Do trim off the side shoots on a standard product, in order to achieve and retain an attractive trunk.  

More information about Citrofortunella and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

Garden Plant of the Month 
Citrofortunella is in the spotlight in March as the Garden Plant of the Month. ‘Garden Plant of the Month’ is an initiative by Thejoyofplants.co.uk. Growers and horticultural specialists from the floriculture sector select a garden plant every month at the request of Thejoyofplants.co.uk in order to inspire and enthuse. Because a garden isn’t a garden without plants.

Looking to send a gift? How about one of these in a gorgeous planter. Many varieties and sizes to choose from.

Getting married in March? These would make unusual table centerpieces or smaller ones gifts for your guests or use the larger ones as aisle decorations and plant in the garden after the day.

Ask for availability, varieties, sizes and prices today

Sandra x