SPRING
CARE GUIDES, INSPIRATION & TUTORIALS
PEONIES & SWEET PEAS
One of the wonderful aspects of floristry is that you can take an incredible, elaborate design, and cleverly simplify it, whilst still retaining the original beauty. Complex designs intended for sumptuous celebrations can happily inspire simpler arrangements, that are better suited for more everyday and informal settings.
This design uses everyday vessels and a mass of incredible early summer blooms. I hope it provides plenty of inspiration … and to note, the base mechanics and methods also work perfectly anytime of year, with a mixture of different seasonal stems and foliage.
SPRING COMPOTE BOWL
Sign up to receive these 10 steps, to create a spring compote bowl, to help you easily achieve a seasonal design, with effortless, natural shape and perfect balance.
Creating beautiful designs does not have to be complicated. With clear instructions and a list of the right tools and ingredients needed, everyone has the ability to create.
NOTES FROM A GROWER - FERN VERROW
Speaking to Jane Scotter, founder of Fern Verrow - a 16-acre certified biodynamic farm in Hereforshire - I stepped into her extraordinary world, a world of determination, with an intuitive and wholly practical approach and a focus on beauty and love. Jane is proof that by connecting to the landscape and nature, really watching and listening, you will succeed, in both life happiness and in creating a successful business.
Lily of the Valley Tutorial
LILY OF THE VALLEY, with its fragrant, delicate stems and surprising strength and longevity, is a superb stem for numerous designs. In this 10 ten minute video Tutorial, I demonstrate a set-by-step guide for a table design with elegant bud vases, a buttonhole/boutonnière and best steps for conditioning. I also take you through the introduction to a petite, light, hand tie/bouquet and an idea for a flower crown.
Lilac - video tutorial & care guide
I adore Lilac, with its beautiful conical shape, tiny and perfectly detailed blooms. Lilac adds a sense of romance to designs and when used en mass it is really striking, and its fragrance fills the room.
Click the button below to watch the 4 minute video tutorial, using a simple mass of lilac, hand tied and placed into an aged copper patina effect pedestal pot, plus read a care guide specifically for lilac.
How to Arrange with Blossom
I was interviewed by House & Garden magazine, for a feature on arranging with spring blossom branches. We also created a mini video, filmed at home in my study, and photographed a series of images, to show both the arranging steps and a Care Guide. Sign up to watch the video, see all the images, read the Care Guide and an extract from the article…
1.5 Min Quick Spring Design
Watch this 1.5 minute video showing you a brilliantly quick and effective spring design using one small pot of narcissus, an apothecary vase and a handful of sustainably sourced moss.
We have also included a placement guide and a care guide, to help you keep your design looking fresh for a few days/weeks.
Click the button below to read more and to watch the Mini Tutorial.
Narcissus Tutorial - plus care guide & favourite varieties
I recently posted a new video tutorial on Instagram, taking you through the steps to create a beautiful narcissus design. The same day, I also sent a stunning newsletter to all our subscribers, taking a closer look at the making, expanding further on some of the steps and I also shared a selection of my favourite narcissus, plus details of one of the most famous growers in the world (with a link to fond childhood memories). It is my favourite newsletter to date, and I wanted to make sure it was available to those who may have missed it the first time …
Petite Vases - it’s all about the detail
This Journal post is all about the details of designs simply using petite vases alone. It's incredibly simple but so beautiful and if you need a little pick me up, this will do it.
For me, there are three elements that make this design work - the choice of flowers and the intricacies of each one, the delftware vases and the placement on the table.
I arranged these designs for a family dinner last weekend, placed down the kitchen table with candlelight. It made us all feel special and celebratory.
Ivy Wall Installation - an idea for florists
Inspired by the ivy and mimosa installation in my own studio, I thought this could be an idea for florists with shops and studio fronts, to help raise awareness of your work, practice skills and take photographs for your portfolio.
Please excuse the quality of the video, it was casually filmed on a phone - I know a few of you missed it when it was originally posted on Instagram stories, and I just wanted to make sure you can still watch it. I hope it’s helpful and sparks a few ideas.
Mimosa - yellow, warm & cheerful
Our heading is inspired by a gorgeous message I received on Instagram, under the post of the recent Mimosa installation, and I thought it was spot on. Another comment ‘What an absolute joy of a piece! It’s impossible to look at this and feel miserable!’ and in the current climate, many of us need that right now.
Mimosa (or Australian Wattle; botanical name Acacia dealbata) has a stunning yellow flower and a wonderful, rich, sweet honey and woody scent. It is used in fragrances all over the world and our studio smelt amazing.
Classic Hand Tied Spiral
I have created a 26 page guide with an introduction to a classic hand tied spiral, using a selection of petite seasonal spring flowers.
Late Winter & Early Spring Flowers
Our favourite seasonal flowers from foraged stems through to bold stems - catkin laden hazel branches, hellebores, paperwhites, butterly ranunculus, ranunculus, double tulips and anemones.
Click on button below to see and read more.
An Inspired Sustainable Technique
I spent a week early in the year in Cornwall, England with my family, staying in a beautiful house right beside the estuary. We spent days walking along the beaches and coastal paths, and on our last day we ventured inland and came across the most beautiful country walks ... they inspired a design. I was so grateful to the owners for opening up their beautiful holiday home to us and I thanked them by creating a large arrangement. Resources were limited, so I had to be inventive (I love figuring out how to make mechanics work, particularly when there is little to hand). I discovered a brilliant technique, which I will use again and again, and I would love to share with you …
