27 November 2024
The history of flowers at Christmas
Using flowers & foliage at this time of year dates back centuries and was celebrated within both Pagan and Christian festivals.
Evergreens such as Spruce, Holly & Ivy were used to decorate homes and symbolised rebirth during the winter solstice. The famous kissing plant, Mistletoe, was revered as a symbol of fertility by the Norse and later as a symbol of peace by the Romans with the more modern tradition of kissing under the Mistletoe (and the notion of it as a romantic plant) is thought to have started in the 18th century when Servants used to hang Mistletoe in their quarters with each berry on the Mistletoe being plucked off for every kiss stolen.
Lutheran Germans were famous for bringing trees into their homes during winter, with Queen Victoria & Prince Albert making the trend famous in Britain. Prince Albert organised the import of German Spruce trees from his native Coburg back to Buckingham Palace where they were then decorated with candles and surrounded by piles of presents. Newspaper reports of the Royal Family and their unusual tradition began to circulate, with the public then rushing to copy them and Britain’s love affair with Christmas Trees was born.
During WW2, Britain famously gave refuge to the Norwegian King and every year since 1947 Norway has gifted Britain a gigantic Christmas Tree of around 20ft tall, as a symbol of gratitude for our support, which is proudly displayed in Trafalgar Square.
Christmas Wreaths can also be credited to ancient Rome who made them to symbolise eternal life and were widely used not only as home decoration but as crowns worn during festivals to honour their warriors. The word Wreath is derived from the English word “writhen”, meaning to twist, and the tradition once again became popular in Britain during the Victorian era. However, for Christians, evergreens have always symbolised eternal life and have been used to decorate homes and churches long before Prince Albert’s influence.
The famous Christmas Carol “Deck the halls with boughs of Holly” dates to 16th century Wales and tells us that home decoration with evergreens was indeed already a popular tradition on our shores.
There are also several popular Christmas flowers that flourish during the dark winter including Hellebores and Poinsettia. The Poinsettia is an incredibly unusual flower that requires several hours of darkness each day in order to flourish, making it the perfect flowery plant for our long gloomy winters. It is easy to see how this special plant with its lush green leaves and striking red petals became a bright and cheerful symbol of Christmas in Britain.
Hellebores are commonly known as Christmas Roses and were favoured by the ancient Greeks who used them medicinally (however, we now know that they are toxic!) The name Christmas Rose is said to come from a legend that Hellebore flowers sprouted through the snow, from a young girl’s tears, when she had no gift to offer the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. A very special creamy white Hellebore named ‘Christmas Carol’ is the perfect flowery gift at this time of year and is widely available.
You can find me on the 1 December at the Holmes Chapel Christmas Market and on the 8 December inside COSTA coffee where I will have a variety of floral gifts on offer to last you all season long and help keep these traditions going strong.
I would like to take this opportunity to Thank all my customers for their continued support in 2024. Merry Christmas!
6 November 2024
Reflection
My last Wedding for the year has been delivered and now I can focus on all things Christmas.
I absolutely love working on Weddings and always feel emotional when I deliver the final one of the year. Spring and Summer are still the traditionally busy wedding seasons but in recent years Autumn has become increasingly popular and 2024 was no exception, with my final two sets of couples choosing gloriously colourful florals for their special days.
All white with lush green foliage has remained a classic and popular choice this year and is a theme that is set to continue. I have created and delivered several stunning Bridal bouquets of white roses and Eucalyptus this season – a style that will simply never age.
From the very first contact I have with a couple all the way through to delivering their floral dream can often be a long process, sometimes two or three years in the making. I love to spend time chatting with my couples (usually by phone or a zoom meeting) and really getting to understand their vision and it is a huge part of my job to provide advice in a gentle and sympathetic way if these visions cannot be realised.
Having your heart set on Peonies for a September wedding for example is simply not possible and a Bride may not realise which florals are available at certain times of the year, so I must think quickly on my feet to rescue her dreams and use my extensive knowledge to suggest alternative seasonal blooms to give her the same effect.
My advice to all Couple’s would be to do your research on your vendors and then trust them to do their jobs and you really will have something truly fabulous for your special day.
My 2025, 2026 & 2027 diaries are now open!
Images show Charlotte & Lewis at Mottram Hall and Lottie & Scott with their Dog who eloped to the Lake District during 2024
5 October 2024
A living fossil in Goostrey
My job as a Florist often entails helping my customers in emotional situations and one of my regulars who no longer lives locally, entrusts me to tend to the Florals on a grave in Goostrey graveyard. Each month I do a little tidy up and replace all the fresh Flowers with seasonal and colourful arrangements and I simply love the tranquility of this particular graveyard; it is an incredibly peaceful and beautiful place, perfect for moments of reflection.
The October sun was shining bright after several previous days of horrific storms and as I wound my way through the pedestrian alleyway, I suddenly clocked the leaves on the ground around me were those of a Gingko tree. A most un-usual and rather beautiful fan shaped leaf with a delicate frilly edge. The deeper I walked into the graveyard the larger the piles of leaves were becoming until I finally saw it right there in front of me. A stunning, and clearly very old, Gingko biloba tree standing proudly against the bright blue sky.
Gingko trees (also known as ‘maidenhair’) are incredibly special and are in fact a pre-historic species having remained mostly unchanged in nature for over 200 million years! They are so old they are referred to as ‘living fossils’ and as such are on the endangered list, so I felt rather humbled to stumble across this glorious example in the heart of Goostrey village.
Native to China, the first examples brought to the UK were planted in Kew in the 1700’s where they have been studied and protected ever since (www.kew.org). There are Female and Male trees, with the former bearing a pungent and unpleasant fruit (and therefore is less favoured ornamentally than the Males). So many parts of this magical ancient tree have been used throughout history, the most well known being medicinally. Used in ancient Chinese medicine, Gingko is still used today as a powerful health supplement rich in antioxidants and it’s claimed can help with maintaining cognitive function, easing dementia symptoms and anxiety disorders, supporting circulation as well as soothing tinnitus to name a just a few (please consult your Doctor first).
But it was the creative uses that got me excited today. All the cute craft projects I could start, using these beautiful leaves, started filling my mind. To decorate a Pumpkin using dried Gingko leaves and dried flowers, I used a process called “Decoupage” and it works best on a white pumpkin (I buy mine from Olivers Pumpkins in Byley) and using Mod Podge glue, carefully paste the dried leaves onto your Pumpkin, allowing the glue to dry clear for at least 24 hours giving you the perfect Autumn decoration for your home!
I hope this has inspired you to take a trip to see this wonderful living fossil and start your own unique project with these very special leaves.
If you need any help / tips please don't hesitate to contact me.
1 October 2024
The Beauty of Autumn
This is my favourite season as a Florist with the breathtaking choice of rich colours and warm palettes helping to create all the fuzzy feels in the run up to Christmas. Now is the time to start cutting back and drying florals from your garden to help decorate your home. Hydrangeas, Thistles, Grasses, Rosehips and seed heads such as Poppies can all be displayed in a vase and left to dry out, lasting for many months to come (hopefully those of you with Lavender bushes are already well under way with this process!)
Try making a simple egg shape with some chicken wire and placing this in your vase, threading your florals through the wire to give them some stability for a maintenance free arrangement. Alternatively, use clear sticky tape to create a criss cross pattern on the opening of your vase, adding the stems in at staggered heights for a more professional look.
You could also make yourself an Autumnal door wreath using a wicker base (widely available) and tying on your florals using wire or twine in any design that suits you, adding a vintage and welcoming feel to your front door. TIP - make the wreath before your florals have entirely dried, allowing flowers such as Hydrangeas to dehydrate in situ.
A simple spritz of clear hairspray on your dried florals will keep them in place once they have become delicate allowing you to enjoy them for even longer!
If you want to elevate your arrangement even further, mix freshly grown seasonal Dahlias and Chrysanthemums into your dried arrangement for a bright pop of Autumnal colour.
Happy pruning & foraging!
24 September 2024
Careers Day
I was honoured to be invited by Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School this week, to attend their Careers Day held in school for all year groups.
It is important to understand that University and long term continued education isn't a perfect fit for everyone and so it was with great pleasure I was able to showcase an alternative and to also champion that a good income can be made in a creative and artistic field!
The students were all so engaging and polite (a real credit to their parents & teachers!) with several young ladies expressing a keen interest in Floristry. It looks like I may even have secured myself a work experience student for this busy Christmas period... she'll soon see what she's let herself in for!
For many, the perception of Floristry is that of a dream job "playing with flowers all day" - yes! this has actually been said to me on several occasions! - but the reality could not be further from the truth. You have to possess and master so many skills from the most basic cleaning of buckets to keeping your accounts up to date as well as dealing with the public, in a professional and sympathetic manner all whilst trying to make profit in an ever demanding and competitive environment.
In recent years, Brexit & Covid wreaked havoc through the floral industry and wholesale stem prices are still at an all-time high when public spending on luxuries is at an all-time low.
However, there is still good money to be made and a fulfilling and successful career to be had. Florists are there for every life event - whether you're sending a gift for new parents, getting married or needing a funeral arrangement. We are here for you and help these events go smoothly with our floral creations and expert skills. We will always be needed for these life occasions.
My advice for anyone considering this career path would be to really spend time perfecting your style and to ensure you have a unique offering to the cheaper competitors around you (supermarkets, I’m talking about you here!)
Our income is seasonal and as a Florist you must learn when the peak times are and manage your profit carefully to cover the quieter periods. February starts off with Valentine’s and then straight into Mother’s Day in March. In between these two big events is International Women’s Day, which is being celebrated more and more. Then April brings us Easter closely followed by months of glorious Weddings leading up to October. The winter months bring Autumnal workshops and Christmas wreaths before the whole cycle starts again.
If your child is interested in Floristry, please do check out Reaseheath College in Nantwich for everything you need to know.
A big thanks to Emma & all the Staff at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School for inviting me to take part in their event.
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