Tag Archives: seasonal

properly in print

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So stemgirl finds herself quoted in the latest edition of Wedding Flowers Magazine which I’m really pleased about.  Especially as it’s in a feature about ‘green’ weddings.  Check out pages 50-51 of the February/March issue.  One of my quotes is in pink at the centre of the page! 

Featuring in a respected publication like this (or other wedding and events magazines) is absolutely fantastic for a business like Stem Flowers.  It generates lots of interest from people who happen to read about us and think we sound cool.  And then make contact with us.  And then ask us to work for them.  It is sometimes far more effective than placing adverts which I often find inordinately expensive when one takes into account that they will often generate no interest at all.
How gutting it is, then, to have a lovely quote or two from me in a lovely magazine which lovely people read and NO MENTION of the name of my business or any contact details….AAAARGGHHH!

autumnal abundance

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English hydrangeas

How better to ease oneself into Autumn, but with enormous bunches of English hydrangeas?  Each gorgeous bundle combines all the colours of the season – russety reds, jewelly pinks, antique greens and even touches of blue that  echo the sky on those crisp, clear sunny days that make this time of year quite fabulous.  The market is full of them, they’re great value for money and they not only last well in the vase but dry beautifully too.  I like to mix them up and used them here with black-red ‘Black Baccara’ roses and zingy-red ‘Tornado’ alstromeria.  To complement the wonderful hydrangeas, I’m also making good use of the magical colours, textures and berries of locally grown foliage which work naturally and fantasically in larger displays.  How stemgirl loves this time of year! 

English hydrangea, Black Baccara rose and Tornado alstromeria table centre

fun at the flower market

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I spent a busy and really exciting morning at New Covent Garden Market last week for a Summer Wedding Flower extravaganza.  There was a smorgasbord of floral designers, demonstrations, music, discussion, networking and excellent bacon sandwiches!
Flowers from Country Roses at Josselyns FardMost exciting of all was the wonderful news that I can now buy fabulously romantic David Austin roses (based near Wolverhampton) and a wonderful array of roses and hedgerow flowers and foliage from Country Roses (near Colchester).  Hooray for British flowers! They might be a bit more expensiveRoses from David Austin per stem but they are so completely gorgeous that I hope my clients will see that they are worth it. I was also really pleased to see that my fantastic wholesalers, GB Foliage, continue to have a really magnificent array of seasonal English foliage for me to choose from.  Their stand is like a lush forest of green at the moment.

There were some other fantastic displays to gawp at.  MostHanging balls of flowers at Moyses Stevens striking were the hanging balls of flowers by Moyses Stevens.  I think that there should be more space in the world for floral spheres.  Rebel Rebel were as cool as ever with (rather handsome) DJs and strawberries hanging delicately from wires and Zita Elze focussed on extremely detailed, intricate garlands for chairs and tables.  Strong deep jewel colours continue to be a strong theme (thank goodness) as do block colours and lots of foliage.  Bring on those leaves!

Visiting the market is a really vibrant experience, which is why I love taking brides and grooms (in particular) there when they’re choosing their flowers .  These seasonal events are a delightful way to spend a morning – and you don’t have to be trade to go.  Keep an eye on www.newcoventgardenmarket  for the next one…..

some things really make me feel happy

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It’s lovely to get letters or phonecalls from people who are over the moon with our flowers.  It’s even lovelier when it’s from someone you wouldn’t necessarily expect to make contact.  One call came from a guest at Vanessa and Will’s gorgeous ceremony at Templeton House in Richmond.  She simply phoned to say how wonderful she thought the flowers were (and how lovely we were too!).  She wasn’t interested in passing on new work or anything like that.  She wasn’t a possible client.  She just wanted to say that she’d been there and the flowers were wonderful.  That made me feel rather good, I have to say.

Glass urns at Templeton House

And then the colour-fest that was Rebecca and Mark’s wedding at Beauberry House on Easter Saturday resulted in the most lovely card from Bec’s mum.  I was so touched that she had taken the time to write independently of her lovely girl and that she felt that “the colours were amazing”, that “everyone commented on how lovely the rooms at Beauberry looked” and that it had all helped make the day “happy and memorable”.  One quite chuffed stemgirl.

Spring-time anemone, bupleurum and ruscus hand-tied bouquet