It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Daa de dum dum dum.

Pussy willow.
Cinnamon.
Cyclamen.
Pine cones.
Waxflower.
Pine.
Crabapples.
Pointsettia.

These are a few of my favourite things.

Well, actually apart from poinsettia. Only because they die instantly in my hands. Bad florist.

December nuptials

Todays winter bride was petite. Teeny. She had requested a small shower bouquet.

We decided on velvety red roses, amaryllis, claret berries and honey scented, pink tipped waxflower surrounded by a delicate jasmine trail.

Scrumptious.

Unleash your inner floral goddess.

The first of our evening Christmas wreath classes starts this Tuesday 6th December in The Emporium with the next on the 7th both from 7-9.30pm.

Pupils will learn all manner of tips and clever things and take home a gorgeous, nay stunning door wreath decorated with pine cones, berries, dried fruits, scented pine, glossy foliages and all sorts of bells and whistles. The wreath is guaranteed to wow your Christmas visitors and is highly likely to encourage a little envy from your neighbours. But thats ok, just tell them where they can come and buy their very own version.

Cinderella Sunday.

They had stolen away to Sri lanka to get married a year ago. An island of tropical blooms and secluded romance.

Orchids are her favourite flowers so we used individually wired waxy cymbidium orchid heads with seeded eucalyptus bound with a white satin ribbon A dainty little nosegay for a dainty lady.

A year later, they wanted to celebrate with their friends and family so Mr Groom has arranged a party and secretly ordered this bouquet for his bride. He has ordered a taxi and will be placing it on the seat so when the taxi collects her without him, the bouquet will be sitting there.

The princess will be whisked to the ball with flowers in hand.

I actually did a little dance of excitement.

Christmas Wreaths

Time to start planning which one of these beauties you would wish to grace your front door, porch, pride of place above mantlepiece, bonnet of Rolls Royce.

Choose from four delicious designs.

The Classic One - pine, ivy, scented cinnamon, shiny berries, apples, oranges and pine cones.

The Berry One - pine, berries, dried apples, more berries, birch, pine cones and berries.

The White One - pine, lotus pods, pine cones, eucalyptus pods and pussy willow.

The Woodland One - pine, craspedia, golden berries, dried lemon slices, pine cones, feathers and birch.

( NB No actual pheasants were harmed during the making of the woodland wreath )

All available in two sizes, 'regular' and 'show off'. Please call us immediately with your order to avoid feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing when we sell out by Christmas.

Happy Anniversary.......

When I first braced myself to visit Mr Bank Manager, with cap in hand, he leant back in his faux leather swivelly executive chair ( he must have been at least, oh fifteen ) and asked me how exactly I intended to run a business based on selling romance???

Here's how, Mr Lloyds TSB, by making a bouquet for a customer to replicate his wife's bridal bouquet for their anniversary, ordered ahead of time by said loving husband.

Deliciously scented pink garden roses, sexy Black Baccara roses, hot pink Deep Water roses and burnt orange Cherry Brandy ones.

I think my work here is done.

Jane Packer - World Renowned Florist - 1959 - 2011

A few days ago, I was very saddened to hear that the amazingly talented florist, Jane Packer, had passed away.

Jane was one of the world’s most influential florists and has inspired me immensely.

I feel very honoured to have attended one of her floristry demonstrations a few years ago in London and was wowed by her simply, yet utterly stunning designs.

I’m dedicating today’s post to Jane Packer.

The story of her career illustrates how from very humble beginnings, she created an instantly recognisable global brand, with sheer hard work and attention to detail.

She once said : ‘We consider ourselves a brand in the interiors/fashion market rather than just a flower shop, the same as, say Tiffany or Gucci. If something arrives in a Tiffany box or a Gucci bag, you know someone’s gone the extra mile, and that’s how we see ourselves in the flower world and how we want the business to develop. That’s why we have our very distinctive black Jane Packer bags.’

Her big break came in 1986 when she designed Sarah Ferguson’s bridal flowers for her wedding to HRH The Duke of York.

In 1989, she opened her first flower school in the basement of her house in Maida Vale, which later moved to her headquarters in Marylebone. There are now also Jane Packer Flower Schools in New York, Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo, plus shops in New York, Japan and South Korea.

Jane wrote numerous books, which have been translated into many different languages, making her one of the most widely read authors of flower books in the world.

Throughout her career, she championed the vision that flowers are as exciting as fashion and interior design, but entirely more accessible.

And her philosophy has always been for her designs to be ‘uncontrived and natural’. Less is more.

Poppy has her Day.

Edwina Roberts - local Brighton artist - drawing inspiration from flora and fauna, Victorian botanical drawings, Japanese composition and 1950's fabric and wallpaper designs, Edwina works in thin layers of acrylic and PVA to build up texture and aims to evoke the feeling of movement through her brush strokes.

A graduate from Wolverhampton University with a BA (hons) in Glass with Wood, Metal and Plastics, she has exhibited in Brighton, London and Wolverhampton. She recently returned from the island of Gozo where she had been volunteering for a local animal welfare charity, for whom she produced a painting for auction.

She is pleased to see her paintings in an environment from which she draws inspiration and hopes to exhibit in similiar locations in the future.

Come to the shop to see Edwina's magnificently scaled paintings displayed in the window and a fitting backdrop to our wall of flowers. Her painting in the window is of poppies, her favourite flower, so much so that she named her daughter after the flower.

Edwina Roberts
Studio Greenhouse
07427607864

A flock of seagulls.

This blog post has nothing to do with that strange 90's band.

But what exactly do you call a group of robins? A clutch? Or is that just their eggs? Or a ladies evening purse?

Answers on a postcard immediately again please.

Here is a little taster of what is to come for Christmas. The elves have clearly been hard at work as well as breaking and entering the shop. Think of this gorgeousness as a few hors d'ouvres preceding the Christmas feast of delights shortly to be served.

Yum yum. Loosen that belt.

Lets do it.

Deep breath.

Christmas. There, I've gone and put it out there. Said it Out Loud.

Now lets get on with it.

We are delighted to announce the arrival of The Pop-Up Flower School.

Where you can:

A). Learn clever things, none too taxing.
B). Make beautiful stuff.
C). Take it home and wallow in admiration from friends and family.

Classes are as follows, pay attention please:

Fanciful Christmas table decorations
Thurs 17th Nov 7-9pm £45

Make a very European Advent wreath
Thurs 24th Nov 7-9pm £35

Sumptuous traditional door wreath with bells, whistles and all the trimmings
Tues 6th/Weds 7th Dec 7-9.30pm £45

Children's workshop - free styling for Santa's little helpers
Mon 19th Dec 2-4pm £25

Spaces are very limited so do call today and reserve a space. The switchboard has been going crazy but our operators are standing by to take your call.

Pretty as a picture.

" I need to send something as pretty as possible to my girlfriend for her birthday, I will leave it up to you" was the request.

My favourite type of order......

I had run out of kittens, so I used the next best thing, lightly scented vintage roses, a little fragrant phlox, eucalyptus, rosemary, berried ivy and a little waxflower for good measure. Popped them in a jam jar and finished with a little vintage lace, naturellement.

There, pretty as a picture.

Take a rocket and.........

Sigh. Today I have been asked for the following:

A piece of twine to replace a lost dog lead.
Directions to Poundstretcher.
A coathanger.
Information as to where one could purchase a gas bottle for a patio heater ( plus directions to aforementioned)
Can I put a poster up in your window?
Can I borrow your toilet?
Change for a twenty.
Change two tens for a twenty.

Oh and lots of lovely flowers for birthdays, anniversaries, gifts for the hostess, flowers for my beautiful wife/mother/mother in law/friend.

And I made one of these for a wedding reception. A very good friend was gifting this to the bride. Funky huh?

Have a cracker of a Bonfire weekend.

I have a secret crush.........

Oh dear. Mr Mole is not going to be happy. I have had.....stirrings. About another. Oh dear, oh dear.....

He's tall and bronzed, rugged and sturdy. The way the sunlight caught his head when he arrived in the shop today made me go a bit giddy. I can't stop looking at him......

I have a crush on a flower, how weird am I? Very.

His name is Tom Pearce. Gasp. If you pop by the shop, I might let you gaze at him too. But no touching ok? He's mine.

Fight you for him........

Iris for Iris

Flowers for a fifty-sixth wedding anniversary today. A black and white photograph was produced from the gentleman's wallet of a stunning shy looking girl with chiselled cheekbones and shiny bobbed hair. 'She's even more beautiful now' he whispered.
He chose a bouquet of soft pink roses and scented white garden roses with a single iris in the centre as her middle name is Iris. 'She doesn't like it, but I do'.
A little pink satin picotee ribbon was added as she was once a dancer.

I love my job.

How lovely are thy branches?

The answer is no. So, please stop asking. I will not be selling Christmas trees. Except maybe dear little tabletop or desk top sized ones. It is a man's job and we are just delicate little flowers. Besides, there's a bloke down the road who sells them from a lock up garage who will do it far cheaper than I would. Oh, and don't bother asking him if they are organic because he'll probably ask you if you are going to eat it.

Seasonal loveliness

A quiet week of contemplation for The Emporium. Some perfectly crisp autumnal days followed by some pretty cruddy dank ones. Looking forward to lighting candles, creating cosiness and telling myself to look forward to the clocks going back.
Why??? I'm always confused by it, can never get my head round it. So when its actually 8am its really 7am or does it mean when its actually 7am, its really 8? Sigh, maybe I'll apply myself to it one of these days. Or maybe I won't and just consider myself lucky to be surrounded by gorgeousness in the shop that isn't even technically flowery.

Vive l'ambience.

Lovebirds and glamour

No I am not alluding to a Hitchcock film. I am talking glamour, my lovelies, pure unadulterated, smooth as silk glamour. This weekend's wedding took place at the most handsome of country retreats, the Buxted Park Hotel near Uckfield in East Sussex. Set amongst beautiful rural scenery, this hotel was once frequented by Winston Churchill and Marlon Brando.

The bride was dressed in cream silk with fresh white orchids in her hair and a fur stole, the groom was tall and dashing in grey suit with shiny hair. Their flowers were decadent and romantic, heavily scented with a hint of dark drama. Her bouquet shimmered with vintage crystal beads. Pairs of adorable feathered birds adorned the table decorations and the perfect autumn sun shone through the windows of the Orangery in the late afternoon. Just perfect.

Here's just a taster of les fleurs until the real deal arrives.