Wild flower walk

On my day off this week I was in need of a little fresh air and wanting to stretch my legs (well my back actually, being bent over a laptop does you no good!), so I went for a little wander in the beautiful english countryside. 

The cow parsley is out in force now. This little patch of green, one of my favourite spots for a short walk, looked just like a meadow. I suppose it was once.

I have a confession to make, although I'm a florist, I'm not actually sure what these last two are! Shocking I know. Is the last one Hawthorn? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Walpole appartments

Back in September I got to have a sneaky look around some smart new apartments in Mayfair. Based within a grand georgian building, tucked just around the corner from The Ritz, property developers Oliver Burns have created 5 opulent State apartments in what was once the home of Britain's first and longest serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.  

I was on hand to help set up the rooms for publicity shots, and to get them styled and ready for the Press launch.  Fabulous props were brought in to complete the luxury lifestyle look and beautiful flowers dressed every room.  My favourites the dusky antique pink hued Amnesia Rose, and below the seasonal burnt orange of the Physalis (Chinese lanterns) added to the warmth of the rich gold tones.

Vintage Blooms & Buttonholes

Back in September I was asked to take my skills on the road, and invited to host a floristry workshop at a Birthday party in Islington. I'm always happy to share my love of all things floral, and set about gathering some beautiful dusky pink Roses, interesting foliage and hydrangea in muted antique tones to complement the vintage theme of the workshop.

 I started off with a demonstration of some of the basic techniques to make a buttonhole or corsage, and the girls got cracking with wiring and taping flowers and foliage to create their own unique buttonhole.

Then we moved on to making small grouped handties or posies, the type of thing they would be able to make from a few salvaged blooms, or cuttings from the garden. I'd asked the group to bring along a small container like a jam jar, a quirky vintage find like a teapot or china cup to display their posy in.

Delving into buckets of waxflower, hydrangea, thistle, snowberries, lisianthus, and cool water roses, the girls rustled up an array of pretty little posies. The workshop was a great success and got the Birthday girl's afternoon of treats off to a great start. Here she is below in an action shot making her own posy.    

If you'd like to arrange a workshop, or to discuss the different options please drop me a line to blueskiesandbunting@gmail.com. 

In the pink

If you're looking for a classic pink rose for a wedding, gift or for home, you can't really go wrong with Aqua - a versatile mid pink rose, with a lovely neat shape and a good spiral. They're not what I would call a large headed rose, but nevertheless have a compact, regular shape and are available year round. 

Whilst I'm not generally a big fan of carnations, my sources tell my they are due for a revival and I'm actually quite taken with this new variety, bred no doubt to tap into the current vogue for romantic vintage style, they have a beautiful painterly quality and subtle variations in tone. What do you think?

Of course you shouldn't overlook Peonies if you want big, blousey pinks blooms. They have a relatively short season and are at their best in the summer months of May and June.  I just love them and use them as often as possible. For some reason they just make me beam. Ah, loving the romance!

Vintage Tins

Playing around with ideas for quirky containers to arrange flowers in, I dug out some old english food tins I'd stashed away for safe keeping. Knew they'd come in handy some time! 

Flickr Fave

changeable table herbarium, a photo by pilli pilli on Flickr.

Sunny spring flowers and they just happen to be Ranunculus. And don't you know I just happen to have a major crush on Ranunculus. So sweet!