More couples are beginning to enquire about and sometimes insist on using British Flowers within their wedding flowers. I think this is due to a number of factors; ethical and moral reasons are drawing couples to think about their carbon footprint and how transporting flowers from abroad can affect this. There is an increasing need for people to support and encourage small, local British businesses to flourish in an on-going recession, and finally from an aesthetic point of view maybe. Handpicked, British flowers cannot be beaten in my eyes and with the trend towards country garden, loosely picked, wild and wonderful style only getting stronger, surely this can only be a good thing for British flower farmers.
On Monday I was involved in an online ‘tweet up’ which was organised by Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers. Georgie runs a flower farm and also runs a florist business from all her home-grown flowers. She is hugely passionate about this growing industry in the UK and has encouraged florists, flower farmers and flower lovers to come together and discuss, offer advice and promote the idea of British flowers. Monday at 8pm-9pm is #britishflowers hour via twitter! At The Rose Shed, I have always been interested in using British, home-grown flowers, however ultimately it is up to the couples getting married and their potential vision for their wedding. As a florist though, I think it is our job to advise and inspire couples getting married, showing them what flowers are in season, how the various mixtures of seasonal flowers complement each other so much better than using gerberas from here, mixed with tulips from there, mixed with hypericum berries from who knows where!
Seasonality is so important to me and I emphasise this within all bridal consultations, flowers are at their best in their natural growing season and not only that they fit in with the natural surroundings and environment at that time. Think of the first spring days filled with sunshine, against the first daffodils springing up in the garden, likewise think of bright, yellow sunflowers against the sunshine of a hot summer’s day. It is all so very simple and natural, how nature intended it to be! Although I love wild, natural, country style flowers I would never begrudge anyone that wanted a wedding filled fabulous, exotic, cymbidium orchids, equally beautiful and stunning. However it is up to us to educate, inspire and offer various solutions when it comes to wedding flowers and maybe bring things back to basics for the couples who are looking to use British Flowers within their wedding flowers.
I am attempting to grow my first lot of sweet peas and dahlias this year with the aim of growing my own British flowers. Lavender, rosemary, mint, and honeysuckle are various garden foliage that I grow in the garden and I am planning on planting a cut flower patch filled with cosmos, nigella and larkspur. Let’s see how I get on, I will keep you posted with progress! In the meantime there are so many British Flower Farmers out there who are selling plenty of gorgeous, seasonal flowers and foliage to florists. Let’s all try and help and get the British flower farming industry back on the map!