Proper Weddings: Hayley & Rich and Caz & Matthew

Here in London, it's not unusual for us to be asked to do just the bridal flowers for a couple's wedding - a bouquet and a buttonhole, sometimes a hairpin or a bridesmaid's posey too.  

Often, it's because the couple don't want a 'big day' at all; they want a smaller day, a lovely day, a quiet ceremony in the town hall before meeting all their mates down the boozer.  Old school.  Like our parents did.  Before the days of hired-out 6ft initials and hen dos in Ibiza.  

Or sometimes the couple are having the big day too, but in a field or a tipi, on a beach or up a mountain, and they just need to get the legal bit nailed down first.

One day, I'd like us to do the flowers for a couple who haven't told anyone they are getting married.  A wildly romantic London elopement.  Perhaps they'll even ask One Flew Over to be their two witnesses when we drop off the delivery. 

*Sigh*

Recently, we did they bridal flowers for Hayley & Rich and Caz & Matthew.  (Two separate weddings, although we would totally be up for doing the flowers for a union of four...)

Hayley & Rich were after bright colours and tons of fun.  They got married on a beautifully sunny day at Stoke Newington Town Hall. 

images: Harmit Kambo 

Caz and Matthew, who married at The Mayfair Library, opted for vintage romance with burgundy tones in their bouquet, hair pin and buttonhole. 

images: Especially Amy 

London weddings - just the best.

HOW TO...Condition your flowers and foliage

There is so much opportunity, especially in London or if you have a lovely garden, to buy or collect your own flowers and have a play.  

But we're often hearing how people are a bit intimidated by the thought of coming home from Columbia Road bearing wraps of flowers, or coming in from the garden with some beautiful seasonal foliage, stems still covered in leaves, thinking, 'but where on earth to start?'

So, this week, we're going back to basics!  

We'll talk you through conditioning your flowers; hopefully giving you the confidence to get your hands a bit dirty and prep them, ready to be arranged.  Conditioning your flowers properly, combined with a touch of aftercare, also has the benefit of keeping them happier and healthier for longer.

HOW TO...Condition and look after your flowers and foliage to help them live a happier, longer life!

Conditioning

  1.    Clear the stem of any leaves which will be below the water level of the vessel you are going to use.  Also, clear off any other leaves or unnecessary branching stems, or rough parts of woody stems.  The idea here is to only put a nice, clean stem into the water to avoid unnecessary dirt or bacteria entering it.

2. Cut the bottom of your stems on an angle to increase surface area for drinking.  If you have very thick or woody stems (think hydrangea or garden foliage), cut an inch or so up the stem to give them more chance to take up water.

3. Make sure the vessel you are going to use for the flowers is nice and clean.  Wash well between uses, use a bottle brush or an antibacterial cleaner if the vase opening is too small to get some elbow grease in there. 

Aftercare

4. Keep water clean.  Change daily if necessary, and certainly every other day.  Add a teaspoon of sugar or a splash of lemonade to ‘perk up’ any tired flowers, or some flower food if you have it.

 5. Flowers really love a drink (some more than others and all get super thirsty in warm temperatures), so always keep an eye on water levels and top them up when necessary.

6. Re-cut the stems at an angle after a couple of days to refresh.  Any bacteria in the water will nibble away at the end of the stems, resulting in the flowers struggling to take up water (OK, we're no scientists but it's something like that...).  By re-cutting the stems, you expose a shiny, new and uncorrupted surface area, allowing the stem to suck in all the water it needs.

How not to deal with flowers and foliage..? 

Houseplant of the Month: September

Houseplants: like the perfect man... long lasting, great looking and low maintenance.  

What is not to love?  

Which is why the Flower Council of Holland have launched their Houseplant of the Month Campaign throughout 2015.  Each month they have chosen their favourite Houseplant and given a ton of information on the history and uses of the plant, how to choose a nice healthy one, and how to take proper good care of it.

We thought we'd do you all a favour and follow their lead, condensing the info in our own monthly feature.  

In the ninth part of our series...

September: Carnivorous Plants

Carnivorous plants are incredibly cool.  

Just as their name suggest, these fellas like a bit of meat.  Each plant has an inbuilt trap and an innate method of luring in insects and other creatures.



The big names in the carnivorous plant world are the Nepenthes from Borneo way, the Dionaea (family of the well known Venus Flytrap) who come from North and South Carolina, the Drosera (commonly known as the Sundews) native to Europe, and the Sarracenia hailing from South East USA.



Carnivorous plants love water.  They can't get enough of it.  
Keep the soil damp with a tray or bowl of water underneath the pot.  Use rainwater if you can; not only do the plants prefer it but it is far better for the environment to recycle water.  
(On a side note, if you're into collecting rainwater, you'll love these.)



Carnivorous plant develop their colours through exposure to sunlight so keep in a well lit position.  Don't bother with plant food - they don't need it, and they don't like it.  Living in wet an rainy climates means they are used to soil washed away of nutrients so they can handle it! 



 Carnivorous plants are also well into high humidity and would thrive in a super fun glass ball or terrarium. The plants will flourish because of the little micro climate that exists there.  
These look ace hanging or as go for a group of different sizes vessels as a table centrepiece.