Musings of a flustered florist: April

“In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities”

— Janos Arany

April was the month of weddings. Obviously I have weddings all year round but there is definitely a key season and April is the first month of the peak season. January to March saw an average of four weddings a month and then bang! April had a total of 14 weddings. I love them! Every one different. Every one with a story. Every one bringing me anxiety. Yes, I do still get nervous when working on weddings.

“Wow! Thank you so much Heather, I was thrilled with my bouquet and flower headband. Absolutely perfect, better than I’d even hoped for.”

— Nicola - April 2022

I may do almost a hundred a year but there is never any complacency. I create the bouquets and arrangements based on meetings, conversations and various communications with the couples. We may share pictures and mood boards and discuss vibes but this doesn’t guarantee I’ve got it bang on. So on delivery day as I take the bouquet into the brides room the nerves are always there. Have I got it right? Does she love it as much as me?

“I wanted to say a huge thanks for the amazing and perfect flowers you did for my wedding at Millbrook. I was blown away and particularly with the detailed arrangement of the hair piece”

— Sandy - April 2022

Fourteen weddings in April. That’s a lots of stress, a lots of sleepless nights, a lot of “what ifs?” (A lot of cups of tea). But if a florist can’t live off adrenaline then what can she do!

There had been roses and peonies and protea and muscari and tulips and ranunculous. Each of these a requested brides favourite. A special meaning. Memories for the future.

“Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for the flowers for our day, they were absolutely beautiful, better than I could have imagined! You got my style and colour palette spot on”

— Charlie - April 2022

Musings of a flustered florist: March

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade”

— Charles Dickens

Another month gone and not sure where that one went - again. On paper it wasn’t a particularly busy month but the weeks have been full. And hasn’t the weather been fab? Everything is better in the sunshine. 

The month started with a wedding. A wedding that’s been postponed a few times in the last couple of years. But we got there eventually. It was lovely palette of vintage hues. Soft mauves and pinks. I must confess it’s one of my favourite mixes and it means I get to go play with two of my favourite roses - the blush of quicksand and the blue of amnesia. It’s a match made in heaven. And best of all the sun was out and it was my first outside ceremony of the year. 

Spring is definitely the theme of the month. I “popped” up to Bristol for a spring shopping spree. Filled the van to the brim with some beautiful blooms and oodles of plants and spring bulbs   Now the shop is starting to warm up a bit (well it’s above freezing in there most days ) it’s time to fill it with houseplants. Lots of your favourites (blue ferns, succulents, spider plants) and some newbies; Oxalis triangularis, moonshine sanseveria 

And with this sunshine, who can resist some pretty spring bulbs. Muscari- in white and blue and some scented miniature daffodils. Perfect for inside or out. 

Normally I’m a lone wolf working by myself week in week out. But this month I’ve have a variety of company. First up - an incredible six former on work experience. Only in for a couple of days but I must say how impressed I was with her. Confident, mature and great customer service. Nothing like me when I was a teenager! She also tried to share with me the dark art of video editing for social media. Watch this space…..

Mothers Day is of course a key date in the florists calendar. I do have to limit myself and learn to say “no” as there is only so much I can do. Plenty of pre planning. And prep and the other “p”s of position and perform. I have to say I actually really enjoyed this Mother’s Day. So so many beautiful bouquets so many beautiful flowers, beautiful messages - and a day of beautiful sentiment to celebrate mothers and mother like figures in peoples lives. And a touch of rare smugness - it went without a hitch! 

I owe some special thanks of Mother’s Day organisation to the return of my Christmas elf, Aimee. Some of you may remember her from helping me out in the shop on the run up to Christmas. So it was great to have her back at another busy time. 

I have to say that with both Aimee and Lani who are 15 and 16 respectively- I was so amazed by their commitment, their performance, aptitude and ability. They are both girls that will go far in this world and I confess changed my view of the “yoof” of today. 

I was still sweeping the floors following the mayhem of Mother’s Day when we had the first outdoor setup of the season for a wedding at scenic Sandycove. The pergola overlooking the ocean is a stunning setting. Roses, English grown tulips and exotic orchids worked wonderfully together within  the colour scheme. But once again I was not alone because I now have the pleasure of introducing a new recruit to the Church Park Flowers team - Beth. She’s my Kickstarter. Part of a government apprentice scheme, Beth will be onboard to learn the ropes and discover if the life of a florist is for her! I’m sure she’ll pop up frequently in my monthly musings but if you’re in the area make sure you pop in to say “hi” and make her feel welcome (she likes chocolate biscuits too!)   

So an organised and successful March - buoyed up with some springtime sunshine (snow is forecasted for the start of April!) And with two of us now in the hood you can expect double the output in coming months. 

Musings of a flustered florist: February

“Victory”
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek “Eunike”, from “eu”, good and “nike”, victory”

— wikipedia

“Hello? Church Park Flowers…”

“Is that Curry’s customer service?”

Just one example of random phone calls I receive. But being February I was hoping for the phone to be ringing off the hook with guys ordering red roses by the dozen. Now, I know 99.9 % of girls don’t want red roses - they prefer pink or white or actually just a pretty mixed seasonal bouquet. But to be honest we would be chuffed / suspicious (delete where appropriate) to receive any fabulous flowers on Valentines. It’s not how it used to be, gone are the days where I’d be knee deep in thorns and rose leaves, cursing as yet another thorn tears through my knuckles. Writing the most inappropriate and cryptic messages in to cards. Making clandestine deliveries to places of work and trying to work out more love triangles than an episode of Hollyoaks. (No I don’t actually watch it but that would be my guess) 

These days the romantic gentleman are bombarded by the likes of Lidl’s where they think they can satisfy their partners romantic demands with a teddy, bunch of flowers, dodgy prosecco and naff card for less than a fiver   Look at their smug faces as they scurry across the car parks - just wish I could see the less than genuine grateful smiles of the receiver. Do I sound bitter? Maybe. Everyone just assumes the florist is soo so busy at Valentines and we must be coining it in. The reality is that flower prices are still sky high with gas and freight charges and that before you add the global demand pricing for Valentines. Supply is very tricky at the moment with less planes flying around, less being grown and everyone after the limited stock there is- a perfect storm. (More on that later)

With such uncertainty all around and to try and secure the best prices - I actually had to put my Valentines flower order in before the end of January at which point my order book was empty. So it’s a leap of faith and complete guess work. As Valentines falls on a different day each year it also affects shopping patterns of the lesser spotted romantic male. 

So several hundred of flowers in all colours of the rainbow - with a bias towards reds and pink - started arriving the beginning of February. It looked a lot. It was a lot. The invoice looked a lot. It was a lot. But you just keep the faith and start conditioning, leaf stripping and bouquet making. And just when you think our romantic partners are going to let us down then they emerge with soppy messages in tow and start to order and buy and send and choose flowers. It warmed my heart. There was still love  in the air - I could feel it in my fingers (sore) and I could feel it in my toes (cold) To those of you who received some Church Park Flowers for Valentine’s Day, I hope you felt loved too - because I did in my little blue shop. 

Mad days like Valentines are obviously followed by cleaning up - reorganising the shop and getting back on an even keel. But Eunice had other ideas! The worst storm in eons predicted to hit the South West and I had four weddings in the week of the worse weather. There goes the stress levels - again. Firstly, would the flowers be able to get to me. Planes, boats and road travel was rather risky at best. Cue frantic emails and messages. But all was good with beautiful quality wedding blooms making it safely to the shop.

The first wedding of storm week was a long postponed pre Covid wedding. two years later and they eventually managed to say “I Do”, even if the coastal view was a bit wild. It then quickly became apparent that I would not be opening the shop on the Friday of the worse predicted weather so a quick shuffle of workload and some “taking my work home with me” followed. 

Friday saw me bunkered down at home watching the polytunnel give in to the worst winds and then losing power. To be fair , both were to be expected but still a bit frustrating when it happens! I managed to keep Saturdays wedding flowers safe at home and set off with plenty of time to deliver as never sure how many trees would be down. Luckily I still had power at the shop - helpful to recharge everything we had from home as we would have three days without power- heat- light- internet- phone signal - hot water etc. We survived but not wanting a repeat of that anytime soon. The kids did not appreciate me telling them how lucky they are and if they were only born in Victorian times etc etc…. (Much eye rolling!) 

More backlogs of admin after loss of internet but one day I will get on top of it….

Twos-day! Who knew it was such a thing. I must admit than when I originally booked two weddings for the special date I was a bit surprised to have two bookings for a Tuesday in February. But the date was so unique; 22022022. How cool was that for your wedding date! So two sets of lovely ladies tying the knot on an unique date. One an elopement occasion. Just the two of them, pared back, nice and simple and just what they wanted it to be. The other - well a whole hotel booked out for family and friends for three days of partying. Two different ways of celebrating the same special occasion. One wedding day and date not to be forgotten.

And the just as you are getting into the swing of February it comes to an end. Abruptly. Almost unexpectedly. These short months take you by surprise. but I will count it as a “victory” to have survived Valentines, storms and special and varied weddings.

Next up: March.  Dare I say Spring and the promise that brings. Let’s see…..

Choosing the best wedding florist for you. (Me of course!)

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

— Roy E Disney

Happy (!) New Year!

A bit late to the party and I’m sure we can all agree it’s not got off to the most fantastic of beginnings but hopefully for some lucky couples it is the start of something exciting…….

Did your partner ‘pop’ the question over the festive season? If so, then a massive CONGRATULATIONS! And now the fun can really start as you begin to plan your big day (Or not so big under current restrictions). You’ll have plenty of choices and decisions to make over all sort of details you haven’t even thought of yet but it should be a fun and not stressful pastime.

One of the most important decisions is choosing your florist, Obvs! So I could write a fantastic blog about how you should go about this, or I could just use one already written by the tremendous Anthony Lyons of Special Day Wedding Photos! Anthony is a talented local North Devon photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with. (Most recently on a photoshoot at Moreton House just a week before Lockdown One - How little we knew then….)

Anthony contacted me towards the end of last year asking for some input to a blog he was writing about choosing a wedding florist. As he was so kind to incorporate so many of my thoughts, I feel it is only right to share his take on it rather than my totally biased opinion.

Of course it goes without saying that if you looking for a wedding photographer for your North Devon wedding then Anthony should be at the top of your list!

Read on for his opening gambit - and then click on the link to find out what wise words I offer up on choosing the right florist for you.

…….Planning for all aspects of your wedding day is very important. You want it all to come together into a glorious vision you will never forget. Choosing a wedding florist is one of the most important tasks for planning any wedding. Choosing an experienced florist that can help you plan how to use and decorate your space is really important in achieving your dream look. There are many things to consider when hiring a wedding florist, such as, can they work with your budget, have they worked at your venue before, or can they produce a style of wedding flowers that will suit the theme of your wedding? There are many things to consider and hopefully some of your questions will be answered below……..

Read more - including my input - at Special Day Wedding Photos

Colourful wedding after the Covid Storm

“I think I have more patience now than I did in the past”

— T. Boone Pickens

A wedding! Yay!

I think after the last four months we all have a lot more patience than we did before. We’ve waited. We’ve waited to stay safe, we’ve waited to see family, to see friends, to go out for a drink, to go to the shops, for toilet roll to be back in stock, to return to work…… and for some, to get married.

This was supposed to be my fourth wedding of 2020 back in early April! And guess what? It’s still my fourth wedding after seven months of the year. My first post lockdown wedding. Doing a quick tot up I should have been at around twenty-two weddings in by now, so around 19 of my brides have had to postpone so far this year and there were no April, May or June brides. We missed the peony season, we missed the ranunculous season, we just missed weddings.

But they are back. Albeit a little bit smaller, a little bit different. But actually this particular wedding was no different from its original planned form. It was only ever going to be the two of them. An elopement wedding in some ways. Or just a small intimate wedding in others. Held at the award winning Millbrook Estate - who specialise in small weddings. They had to change date twice so as Jane the bride said “third time lucky” and patience has paid off. Both original dates were wet and windy (per the norm round here) but on the true day. Sunshine. Sunshine and smiles.

If you were looking you might have seen some small differences to the wedding; professional hair yes, but not bridal makeup (she looked fab) the registrars and witness / coordinator at a safe distance. But the dress was there, the flowers, the photographer, the cake and the glass of bubbly afterwards. Perfect. What more would you need to celebrate your day.

The wedding memories were captured by the fabulous Maria Broome. It was her first wedding post lockdown too but she had nothing but positivity to share;

“…Finally being able to join Steve and Jane for their much awaited special day was an absolute joy, and with the low numbers and masses of outdoor space there was nothing to be worried about, in fact I don’t think anyone would have noticed much difference, at the end of the day the two people who need to be close to each other are, and standing back and watching that is a natural part of my work….. my lenses have long enforced what we now call “social distancing”….. a hug or a hand shake at the end of the day is the only thing missing, but its a small price to pay!”

I could not have put it better myself!!

All good things come to those who wait….. and for Jane and Steve it was well worth the wait.

Thank you.

“Well, there’s not a day goes by when I don’t get up and say thank you to somebody.”

— Rod Stewart

I think we’ve all been more thankful than usual these last few months. Some of it very vocal and well deserved - the clapping, banging, saucepan rattling - for the NHS and other key workers. And some of it more silently for the glorious weather which has surely helped with the strangeness of lockdown. 

Others of us may have been thankful for their garden, their community, their health, their family and all the other personal touches that have buoyed us along these last three months. 

Yes, I am endlessly thankful to all those key workers who have got out there day after day and kept everything going for the rest of us. I’ve been thankful for the weather as I love a bit of sun and it has helped our little family unit enjoy spending so much enforced time together. Gardening, trampolining, tree house building, marshmallow toasting - all much enjoyed activities over the many warm sunny weeks. And I’m also very thankful we live near the coast so we have had a couple of evening outings to feel the sea and sand between our toes. 

But there are a few more ‘Thank yous’ I want to share and put out there. The ‘Thank yous’ to the people that have helped Church Park Flowers stay afloat and rally through some choppy unchartered waters. 

My previous blog spoke of how the business had to adapt and change to the change and adaptions around it. But it couldn’t have done it alone - it needed support, and that support deserves to be recognised. 

So in true Oscar speech fashion, here goes:

I’d just like to start by saying ‘thank you’ to my customers. Over the last eight weeks I have been doing deliveries of bouquets in the area. I’ve had so many more orders than I first anticipated so a huge thank you to those who asked for flowers to be sent. There were ‘thank yous’, ‘thinking of yous’, anniversaries, birthdays and ‘miss you’s. All sent with love and all sent with feeling. Most were from family and friends from afar who wished to be there but couldn’t. But I could. And as much as they were thankful to me I was equally thankful to them for putting their trust in me to portray their message not just in words but in flowers. Thank you. 

Thank you to local funeral businesses and their customers. My previous blog covered that with weddings currently off the agenda I had more time to put to funeral and farewell work. I enjoy funeral work as it is the most personal of all floral creations. So it goes without saying that a heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes to the families that again put their trust in me to create was was needed. Times like this when words are so much more difficult to find and say but colours, scents and combinations can speak volumes. Thank you.

Of course none of the above would have been possible without flowers, and as my cut flower patches have just started to produce some beauties I have needed some extra beautiful British blooms. My supplier did not disappoint. Week after week I would be couriered boxes of wonderfully packaged British grown blooms. Stocks, snapdragons, tulips, alstroemerias, cornflowers, Cornish pinks - all locally grown and in beautiful condition. Thank you. (and thanks too to Ian - the FedEx driver that came every week to my gate carefully delivering my precious boxes!)

But it’s not all ‘thank you’ to those in the physical world that have ordered and enjoyed my real flowers. I don’t need to tell you how important the virtual world has been these last few months. We have all relied on it and you’re reading this now! 

Back in the beginning of lockdown at Easter (I know it seems so long ago!) I put together my first blog and insta story on creating your own spring centrepiece. And so many of you got on board and created and shared your floral arrangements. Thank you. The blog was also shared by local businesses- namely Johns of Instow and HomeSweetHome in Barnstaple - and as always I’m grateful for that support. Thank you

With no weddings and little else going on there has been less to share and shout about on social media. So I dug deep and found a few images I hadn’t shared before. I tried, and failed, to take decent pictures of my bouquet deliveries to share and keep those channels of communication open. So again, thank you to those who liked, commented, shared or even just looked at (just press ‘like’ next time!) because in the words of a big business that resonates to a small business “every little helps”. Thank you. 

Again in Oscar speech style, I should thank my family. You note I said should as I’m not sure how much support there has been amongst the constant feeding, teaching, “mum I’m bored” yells etc etc but I did manage to escape every now and then to the workshop and get a few five minutes peace!

I will leave my final thank you to my brides and grooms of 2020. To all those who have put their wedding plans on hold. Thank you, for being strong and brave. Thank you, for being patient with the world. Thank you, for being patient with me when I forgot to reply to your email! Thank you, for continuing to be a Church Park Flowers bride even if we have to wait that little bit longer.

And then we are back to Rod Stewart to sum up my thoughts on these last few months:

“…fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness, ease my troubles that’s what you do.”

Thank you. 

(Next chapter coming soon!)

Elopement Wedding Flowers - the brave and the bold

“Many people spend more time in planning the wedding than they do in planning the marriage”

— Zig Ziglar

A marriage is between two people. Yourself and your love. Most people want to share this special event with family, friends, friends of family, family of friends – and anyone else who they may have bumped into on the bus.

But a brave few choose to escape the centre of attention and opt for an elopement wedding. The choice to elope may be for any number of reasons – diplomatic, financial, personal – but the result is a day that just focuses on the two that really matter.

I’m extremely fortunate to be a recommended supplier for a local award winning wedding venue here in North Devon that specialises in small, intimate and elopement weddings. With two stunning locations in which to get married in and tranquil settings to relax and spend a couple of days together in, it’s easy to see why people choose the elopement option.

The weddings may be small – but they are perfectly formed. All elements are there – the dress, the hair, the cake, the styling, the photographer – and the flowers.

When it come to the flowers, there is no matching of bridesmaid dresses, no centrepieces to plan around table settings and outlandish themes. More often than not it’s just a bridal bouquet and a buttonhole. This does not make it any less important, in fact the opposite. The wedding is so much more focused on the ‘two’  - so flower choices are so much more personal and central to the day.

I rarely get to meet the couple, planning is often at short notice. But with the power of email, Pinterest and occasionally the phone we can work together to create that perfect wedding bouquet for that very special day.

They say there is safety in numbers, so again I say it’s the brave few that will stand up there and declare their love to each other without the fanfare, frivolity or fuss. Just personal perfection.

Spring time wedding on the 'farm'

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours”

— Mark Twain

Who doesn’t love spring? After the dark, cold wetness of winter we all love the fist glimpse of the sun, the first feeling of warmth and the first sighting of roadside daffodils. 

Spring flowers. They are just so god-dam cheerful. Bright cheery daffodils, bobbing bright tulips, scented hyacinths and the delicate ranunculous. What’s not to love. Put them altogether and they really are everyone’s favourite flowers.  

So take a bouquet of spring flowers, a sunny day, a beautiful ‘bride’ and (best of all) a cute four day old lamb and you get the happiest photoshoot ever! Or actually as we had the brilliant Katie on board it was the “best day ever”

Grace and Elegance supplied the bubbly smiling Katie with one of their beautiful bridal dresses. Wedding Belles and Isabella Grace worked their combined magic and produced pure gorgeousness. 

The Big Sheep were our hosts of the shoot and had built a brilliant straw and hay backdrop. The best.day.ever styling van turns up and like a Mary Poppins carpet bag, produces the most spot on props and styling. Add a good sprinkling of spring flowers and the result is the perfect setting for our star of the show: “Lottie the lamb”. He really was the most chilled out cuddly lamb ever. Stole the show with not a spot of lippy required.  

We were especially blessed to have Gavin Warland on board to capture all of this spring sensationalism.  

There's not a lot more I can say but just let these fabulous images do the talking.  

Tell me why we don't like (blue) Mondays?

“When I have a bad day, I dream about opening up a gelato stand on the streets of Sydney. Doesn’t everyone have a random escape fantasy?”

— Nancy Lublin

Blue Monday: the day (allegedly) that we are supposed to feel at our lowest in the year. Lack of pay check, grim weather, festive adrenaline died out, diets and resolutions boring, the list goes on. But if this is the worst day then let's get it out of the way and enjoy the rest of the year!

Nancy Lublin says that her dream was the ice cream booth in Australia. Mine was that I always wanted to be that sho sho florist in the south of France. Painted in shabby chic Farrow and Ball colours with vintage pails full of frothy flowers in the never ending sunshine. Chic people buying armfuls of flowers and putting them in their wicker bike baskets as they pedal away. A pipe dream? Or an aspiration?

Okay so there may not be wall to wall sunshine (especially today) or fancy paint effects. The pails are black plastic and not all my customers are necessarily 'chic' but I'm still living the dream. Maybe the parameters just needed to be moved a little. 

There is nothing wrong in dreaming big, many a time in a soulless office I would daydream where I would rather be and how I would tell my boss exactly what I thought of them. It helps you get through the bad days and then other days would be 'wow' days. Everyone has bad days, some more than others, but if we can dream our way through them then all the better. 

Now this pipe dream of mine is not all a bed of roses (excuse the pun). There have been plenty of compromises and sacrifices along the way. January is not a good month for a flower grower or florist. My to do list is all about admin and accounts. Income is minimal. Motivation is scarce. But I know in the coming months the flowers will start to grow, the weddings will continue to build. There will be sunshine. And maybe I could paint the door of my very shabby but not necessary chic workshop a hue of Farrow and Ball. 

So what will you aspire to this 'Blue Monday' ?

oh and some lovely pictures of 'blue' flowers to lift the mood...... 

Wedding Flower Crowns

“With grace in her heart and flowers in her hair”

— Mumford and Sons

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Flower crowns - I love them! They are so pretty, so delicate, so individual. Don't think of them as purely for flowergirls, they look equally stunning on a bride. 

There is a real trend currently growing for the bridal crown. This has been taken from the custom of wearing them at festivals where they are worn to symbolise the carefree nature of the countryside, the music, the relaxed vibe. And why shouldn't you take this relaxed - some may say bohemian - look into your wedding.

Of course flower crowns are not a new thing. Julius Caesar rocked a pretty good laurel crown back in the day. The Chinese had their own version using orange blossom which, as it blossoms and fruits at the same time, symbolises fertility. Queen Victoria borrowed this idea and wore an orange blossom flower crown for her wedding to the hunky Prince Albert. But I guess it's the hippy 60's we most associate with the flower crown and it's from there it transferred to mainstream fashion and weddings of today. 

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So wear your crown with pride. Whether small and dainty or bold and beautiful, you can wear flowers in your hair and celebrate being 'you'

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rustic flower crowns

The Friday Photograph - Oversized Bouquets

“if you are going to be thinking anyway, think big”

— Donald Trump

Now I'm not one for actually even listening to Donald Trump but I was rather surprised to come across this quote and find myself, heaven a bid, agreeing. But I'm pretty sure he was not referring to the oversized wedding bouquet. 

Sometimes, just sometimes, big is better and I for one am loving the trend for these bold and beautiful oversized wedding bouquets.

With a wild asymmetrical structure of flowing foliage and statement flowers they truly make a wow factor as you walk down that aisle. 

Now you don't need to go too mad - after all you will be holding it for quite a while during the day and you don't want a sprained wrist by the end of it. But actually stem wise they are not a lot heavier than a standard bouquet and also won't break the bank either!

Of course it's not for everyone, you need the confidence to carry it off so you still 'own' the look rather than the bouquet taking over. Wear a simple fitted dress and this beauty will finish the look. 

These are a couple I made recently on the Tallulah Rose wedding flower retreat. The white one is a real favourite for me. For more inspiration check out my pin board

So, let's say it together, big is beautiful!

and the winner is........

“I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you are prepared for it”

— Denzel Washington

I never enter competitions, I never buy lotto tickets - I always feel the odds are always too highly stacked against me for it to be worth the effort. So why I went against this habit for the Tallulah Rose competition must demonstrate the appeal of the prize. I mean, three days in an amazing location, being taught by one of the best in the business surrounded by beautiful flowers - that would be the jackpot for me! Sparkford Hall Wedding Flower Course Retreat?  This Cinderella was up for it! 

So 200 words or less on why it should be me? Let's see...........

I'm a flower grower and florist.

I spend time with dirt filled fingernails willing seedlings to grow, cursing slugs and rabbits and celebrating when I get the blooms. 

I spend time tweeting, facebooking, instagramming - spreading the word of British flowers.

I spend time talking 'jam-jar weddings' to brides and juggling quotes because they're on a 'budget'

I spend time studying Pinterest pictures, deciphering how to deliver bride's dream weddings

I spend silly-o'clock mornings in all weathers cutting and conditioning flowers

I spend time marketing my business - on my own tight budget

I spend time convincing my husband its a viable business

I spend time doing this with two preschool boys

I spend time doing all of this because I absolutely love flowers with a passion.

What I do not spend time doing, what I've never spent time doing, is learning how to arrange show-stopping flowers in a spectacular house by one of the best and having portfolio pictures to show for it.

For the experience, the confidence, the reassurance from fellow florists and, honestly, for the reward and touch of glamour the course would give me - I would love to 'spend time' at Sparkford Hall.

and guess what? I only went and won it!!!

Sparkford Hall here I come......