My Fair Lady

When I wrote the date this morning, I thought of one thing: this is the day Audrey Hepburn died.

I was a secondary schoolkid and it was the first time I noticed the date of someone famous dying. I had seen My Fair Lady a dozen times and I loved the setting (the old Covent Garden flower market!), the humour, and the stunning outfits. (I wasn't discerning enough to mind her dodgy Cockney accent at that age.)

She later presented a documentary about gardens, and gardens were something that gave her pleasure and comfort. It's reflected in the flower world: She has a daylily named after her, a hybrid tulip named after her - and this short piece of film from 1990 shows her love and her sense of humour during the dedication ceremony. She also has a hybrid tea rose named after her.

The photo at the top is taken from this UNICEF article - she became a Goodwill Ambassador in 1989, and some of my last memories of her while she was alive are footage of her working for UNICEF. I saw that side of her years before I saw her Holly Golightly.

"I can testify to what UNICEF means to children, because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II".

I don't know what Audrey would have made of the news in America today. I'm not as nice as she was, but I've always wanted to be a good person, and I do try to help others when I'm able to. I'll work at the hospice today and I'll donate to a foodbank when I do my food shopping. And I'll look after myself as well.

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others."

British Flowers Week: Five days of gorgeousness

I know British Flowers Week has been and gone, but the summery British flowers have only just begun. My first zinnia opened up this morning, and what a summery flower it is!

I saw this photo on Twitter, and I just had to ask for permission to share it here. The stunning photos were taken by Julian Winslow, the flowers are from New Covent Garden Market, and this composite was was painstakingly put together by Okishima & Simmonds, whose antler-like design featured on Day 1 and brought new energy to the British lisianthus.

The other florists featured here are Hybrid, who used British Sweet Williams and calla lilies for a Shakespeare-inspired shoot; Simon Lycett, who made three very different designs with scented British pinks; Euphoric Flowers, who showed off British flowering foliage, including eucalyptus, oak, scented philadelphus/mock orange and lavender (well worth looking at if you want to use British flowers in the winter); and McQueens, who finished the week off with classic British garden roses. You may know how much I love both British and imported garden roses, but I didn't realise you could get Augusta Luise roses that have been grown in Britain. What a bonus!

Eating Disorders International Conference

I had the privilege of doing event flowers for the Eating Disorders International Conference (EDIC), which was hosted by the UK charity Beat.

I know that Beat does amazing work supporting people with eating disorders, their families and carers, as well as research into the causes and treatment. They also run media campaigns to raise awareness and improve understanding of eating disorders. I was very impressed by the work they did with the British soap opera Hollyoaks a few years ago – it was the first time an eating disorder had been portrayed on television so carefully and in so much depth, from the effects on the person’s mental wellbeing to the harsh reality that eating disorders kill people.

It was wonderful to contribute something beautiful and natural to a charity that does so much good work.

I used the colours of the EDIC and Beat logos – pink and purple were quite easy to find, but naturally blue flowers that would work well was more of a challenge. The flowers also needed to last well in floral foam for the duration of the three-day conference.

In the end, I used Pacific Blue, Cool Water and Heidi roses, blue-purple and pink lisianthus, pink Asiatic lilies (which are not scented, unlike longiflorum lilies), purple bloom chrysanthemums and different kinds of eucalyptus for the two pedestals, and roses, eucalyptus, blue lisianthus and green skimmia for the long spray. I also added some ivy from the garden and decorated the pedestals with pink and blue organza, representing the pink and blue of the Beat logo.

Apparently some delegates commented on the scent of the (Pacific Blue) roses, which was noticeable when people walked into the conference room. And the organisers of the conference were happy with the arrangements.

As my first time doing event flowers for an organisation, it went pretty well. I’m happy with the arrangements I did and I really enjoyed the experience.

A big thank you to Beat, and to the people who helped me do the arrangements, including my friend Manish – a non-florist who has a natural talent for floristry!

Will I help with flowers for the Savoy? Definitely!

I enjoyed my first day of work experience this week, helping with flowers for a wedding reception at the Savoy Hotel. It was hard work, and my shoulders are still aching from all of the heavy lifting, but I absolutely loved it. The women from Urbanstems as well as the freelancers were all incredibly friendly, and it was such a joy to work with them. I rather expected to be prepping flowers or getting water, while they did the creative work, but I was encouraged to get stuck in. I helped with the wreath table arrangements in which we placed bowls with floating candles or tall vases with another arrangement, and one of two huge urns that were at the front of the ballroom. The theme was white but very ‘natural’, so there were buckets and buckets of Vendella and Avalanche roses, white hydrangeas, lilies and alstroemeria, green lisianthus, and lots of ivy. The leftover roses were used to decorate the stage and the table for the wedding cake, and I think the whole room looked gorgeous once we had finished.