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I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. I’ve scoured the internet and below you’ll find my favourite floral blog posts from around the globe. Enjoy!

FLORAL INSPIRATION

Weddings

Fall fine art wedding editorial with florals by Old Slate Farm

Dreamy floral cloud installation created by by The Wild Bunch and Mad About Flowers

Stunning floral designs by Sinclair & Moore in this Grecian shoot

Modern romance with a rustic charm wedding inspiration with florals by Botanic Art

Cascading petals by Designs by Ahn take centre stage in this NYC shoot

Romantic wedding flowers by The Loved Co at Kestrel Park

General

The best real-foliage wreaths for a green Christmas 2018 via The Telegraph

Australian native flower industry looking for growers

How one flower delivery service is empowering local florists

FLOWERONA’S WEEK

I’m writing this on Saturday evening as this week has been absolutely crazy. And this is the first chance I’ve had to put this blog post together. On Wednesday, I went to New Covent Garden Flower Market to take photos for the next report for their website. And oh my goodness, there was such an incredibly festive atmosphere there! So much sparkle, glitter and pine…

This week, I’ve been having Skype calls with the very talented lady behind the creation of the new Flowerona website and I can’t wait to share it with you!

There won’t be a Flowerona List blog post next Sunday as from tomorrow, the new Flowerona website will be under construction. So, I’ll be unable to publish anything new for a few days.However, I’m SO excited to let you know that the brand new version of the Flowerona website will be going live on Monday, 10th December, Flowerona’s 8th Birthday!

I saw a preview of the new site on Friday and was completely blown away. It’s so beautiful!I’ll be back here on Monday, 10th December. And then on Sunday 16th December, there will be a new Flowerona List blog post.

I hope you have a lovely relaxing Sunday…

(Image: Henry Photography)

Time to chill with this week’s round-up of floral-inspired links from around the globe…

FLORAL INSPIRATION

Weddings

– Enchanting secret garden editorial shoot with florals by Blue Jasmine

– Breath-taking wedding flowers by Rob van Helden for Princess Eugenie

– Stunning florals by Bows + Arrows at this elegant country wedding in Texas

– White blooms by Catalina Neal take centre stage at this fabulous bridal shoot

– Trailing bridal bouquet by Copihue in this Tuscan location

General

– At home with florist Brigitte Girling in the English countryside

– Adding a burst of colour to Melbourne streets, this installation by Joost Bakker

– Why millennials are reviving the faux plant trend

& BEYOND

– An new edition to my desk, this lovely bud vase, with flowers from the garden

– Love this birthday card which my mum sent to me this week

– Hanging in my office, this beautiful botanical illustration by Starkeys Lane

FLOWERONA’S WEEK

Well, so many of my plans were scuppered this week as I caught a horrible cold last weekend, which had me laid low for a few days. It meant that, unfortunately, I had to pull out for two events in London which I was so looking forward to. But thankfully, the rest did me the world of good and by yesterday, I was feeling more-or-less back to my normal self. And I’m so looking forward to the week ahead!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition and have a lovely relaxing Sunday…

(Image: Jessa Schifilliti )

Heavens…it’s October already! Has this year zoomed past for you too? Pause now though a little while and immerse yourself in lots of inspiring links…

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– Beautiful wedding flowers by The Garden Gate Flower Company in this coastal location

– Can Instagram Save the Flower Industry?

– Fabulous flowers by Sassflower at this Welsh wedding

– An eclectic look at Old Covent Garden Market in the 1960s & 70s

– Wonderful wedding florals in autumnal hues by Natasha Kolenko

– Florist Anna Potter from Swallows & Damsons‘ Sheffield home

– Have you heard about the new Flower Vase Hair Trend?!

– New issue of The Green Gallery, an online magazine inspired by the infinite beauty of nature

& BEYOND

– Podcast | How do you become an online florist with Chloe Milligan & Emma Gannon

– Aroma Diffuser from Muji & Essential Oils| Particularly loving the Mandarin scent this week

– Spotify | Started listening to music in my office this week on my iMac and particularly this playlist

FLOWERONA’S WEEK

On Monday morning, I was back at New Covent Garden Flower Market in London to take photos for my next report for their website. And the rest of week, I’ve been spending the majority of the time in my office, continuing to work on one of my two big projects.

By the way, just in case you missed it, I shared three photography tips on Instagram Stories this week and had such an incredible response! Thank you so much to everyone who messaged me, saying that my videos resonated a lot with them. I won’t spoil the surprise about exactly what I posted, but be prepared to be a little aghast…!

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Flowerona List and have a lovely, restful Sunday…

P.S. If you’d like to see images of the Fleurs de Villes event, which took place in London this week, pop over to their Instagram account.

(Image: Orange Photographie)

Thank you so much for all your feedback from the poll on Insta Stories this week. By a landslide, there was a request for me to continue compiling these Sunday blog posts for you on a regular basis!   I’m so pleased you’re enjoying them. Here’s this week-end’s round-up…

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– Rustic Spanish inspired bridal shoot with breath-taking blooms by Siren Floral Co

– Spectacular floral arch by Evergreen Flower Co at this Ohio wedding

– Retro engagement shoot in a rowboat full of flowers by Rogue Florist

– Beautiful ombre floral wedding inspiration with designs by Bows + Arrows

– Passionflower’s wearable florals via Floret

– Romantic Northern Italy castle wedding with florals by Nina e i Fiori

– A florist’s guide to hypericum, my latest report for New Covent Garden Market

& BEYOND

– Kraft Square Scrapbook from Paperchase | As featured on my Insta Stories this week

– Aubergine Parmigiana | One of my favourite recipes from The Body Coach Veggie 90 Plan

– FloriBook | My go-to app for checking cut flower variety names

EVENT

Fleurs de Villes Taking place in Covent Garden in London next week (October 3rd-7th) is Fleurs de Villes. This five day event blends luxury floral couture and fresh flowers with bespoke floral-dressed mannequins and a pop-up fresh flower market. A dozen florists, including Lucy The Flower Hunter, Bloomsbury Flowers, Amie Bone and Maison de Fleurs will be paired with leading brands to design stunning displays and bring them to life with flowers. Head over to the Covent Garden website for further details and check out Fleurs de Villes on Instagram to see past events from around the world.

FLOWERONA’S WEEK

It’s been a lovely autumnal week, one where I feel that I’ve worn several different hats! On Monday, I was up with the larks and went to New Covent Garden Flower Market to take photos for my October report, which I completed on Friday. I’ve also been working on one of my two big projects, which are taking place ‘behind the scenes’.

Plus I plucked up lots of courage and posted some short videos on Insta Stories, talking to the camera and gave you a little tour of my newly refurbished office, which I love spending time in. I really enjoyed creating the videos and it just goes to show, it’s very easy to shy away from something you feel uncertain (or fearful!) about. But when you actually grasp the nettle, it’s really not as frightening as you originally imagined.

Oh, and I’m on the last week of cycle 2 of 3 on The Body Coach Plan. It’s been incredible and I’ve even progressed over the last three weeks from lifting 1.5kg to 3kg weights, which seemed completely unachievable when I started! Progress is being made…

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Flowerona List and have a wonderful Sunday…

(Image : Blue Rose Photography)

It’s time for this week-end’s round-up of inspiring floral articles!

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– Is color officially replacing softer hues for this season’s Wedding Trends!?

– Stunning images of the Illume workshop run by Sydney based, Oh Flora

– The Top Wedding Florists in the U.S. via Harper’s Bazaar

– Wonderful colour palette and beautiful wedding flowers by Trille Floral

– How can I change career to floristry? via McQueens

– Gorgeous florals by Pollen at this wedding in Dallas

– Modern artisanal inspired shoot with flowers by Hunt and Gather

& BEYOND

– Podcast | Interview with Nishma Robb, Marketing Director of Google | Women in Business

– Adding scent to my office |Alger candle by Astier de Villatte, a lovely gift from a client

– Perfect for organising my office paperwork | KVISSLE Letter tray from Ikea

EVENT 

Sustainable Floral Design – Afternoon Tea | London, 11th October

If you’re heard of the @nofloralfoam account on Instagram, you may like to come to an event in London next month. @nofloralfoam was set up by Australian flower designer Rita Feldmann and it raises awareness about floral foam and alternative techniques for the flower community.

Rita is going to be in London in October and in collaboration with flower designer Shane Connolly, a very informal afternoon tea party will be taking place in The Garden Museum on Thursday 11th October from 3.30pm-5.30pm. You’ll have the opportunity to meet Rita, hear the latest about floral foam and chat informally together about sustainable floral design.

There is a small charge of £10 per person for the use of The Garden Museum, including tea and delicious cake. If you’d like to book your place, simply visit The Garden Museum website.

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of The Flowerona List, and have a lovely Sunday…

P.S. Did you know that the inaugural Canadian Flowers Week took place this month?

(Image : Flowers by Flowerwild & Lavenders Flowers | Photography by Sally Pinera)

Creating a wonderful stir online recently is this incredibly evocative image above. Head over to floral designer Joseph Free’s Instagram account to see yet more behind the scenes photos from New York Fashion Week.

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– Incredible floral headdress creations by Joseph Free for Rodarte’s SS19 Show

– Princess Eugenie Has Reportedly Hired This Celebrity Florist for Her Royal Wedding

– How Floristry Became a Fashion Business via Business of Fashion

– Stunning florals by Jennifer Pinder at this Danish ‘Hygge’ inspired wedding editorial

– The Story Behind Rodarte’s Dreamy Floral Umbrellas via Vogue

– Coastal wedding inspiration shoot with flowers by Foraged Floral

– My September In Season Report for New Covent Garden Flower Market

& BEYOND

– Favourite notepads | kikki.K

– Scenting my office | The White Company’s Sandalwood diffuser

– Make-up essential | NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition and have a lovely Sunday!

P.S. If you’d like to see more stunning floral creations at New York Fashion Week, pop over to Putnam & Putnam’s Instagram account.

(Image : Joseph Free)

Thank you for all your lovely comments about my first post in The Flowerona List series. I’m so pleased to hear that you enjoyed discovering new florists and reading about the world of flowers last Sunday.

Doesn’t this shop above look heavenly? Called Florista, it’s based in Sweden and was featured recently on a must-follow Instagram account for all florists, @the_flowershopkeepers. If you’d like to see more photos of the shop, pop over to the Florista website.

Here’s this week-end’s round-up…

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– Putnam & Putnam : a life filled with flowers (and don’t miss this video)

– Beautiful blush wedding flowers by Honeycomb Affair

– Even on Urban Excursions, Finding Mother Nature’s Charms with Kally Ellis

– The best florists in New York via Goop

– Improve your sketching skills with Gloria B. Collins

– Gorgeous editorial feature with exquisite flowers by Sue Gallo Designs

– What the UK’s coolest florists wear to work

& BEYOND

– Podcast | How I Built This with Guy Raz interviewing Instagram founders

– Chill-Out TV Programme | Vanity Fair

– Every little helps…! | No 7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum

– Chocolate of choice | Green & Black’s Velvet Dark Salted Caramel

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition and have a lovely Sunday!

P.S. Did you hear that Putnam & Putnam are soon to release a new book, Flower Colour Guide?

(Image : F L O R I S T A)

Due to popular demand, I’m bringing back a refreshed version of my Flowerona Links blog posts called The Flowerona List. So many of you have said how much you missed your round-up of beautiful floral inspiration from around the world on a Sunday morning.

I’ll initially be posting every Sunday this month and then I’ll ask for your feedback. Every week, there will be a different number of links. But as this is the first post, it’s a special bumper edition. Enjoy!

FLORAL INSPIRATION

– How the common weed has grown on florists featuring Mary Lennox

– Florist Kitten Grayson one of the bright young Londoners bringing #interiorsinspo to Instagram

– Delicate fine art floral pieces by Hawaii-based florist Designs by Hemingway

– Neutrals with an earthy twist, a lakeside wedding with florals by Amy Osaba Design

– Lush organic wedding inspiration with florals by Prim + Lovely

– The 5 Floral Trends everyone is talking about

– Stunning florals in muted tones by Katie Wachowiak

– What is Garden-Inspired Floral Design? Aesme’s thoughts

– Botanical themed wedding in San Francisco with designs by Sarah Winward

– Painterly desert wedding inspiration with flowers by Janna Brown Design

& BEYOND

– Podcast | Liz Earle interviews The Real Flower Company founder, Rosebie Morton

– Chill-Out TV Programme |This is Us (Series 2) – Head to Amazon Prime for Series 1

– Perfect Afternoon Pick-Me-Up | Sliced apple with Pip & Nut Peanut Butter

– Fail-Safe Foundation | bareMinerals BAREPRO Cool Beige 10

– Essential Workout Attire | lululemon Align Pant

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first post. Do let me know your thoughts by commenting below or messaging me on social media. In the meantime, I hope you have a lovely restful Sunday, whatever your plans!

P.S. Check out Kitten’s Instagram account for videos of her breath-taking floral creation for the article. And in case you missed it and are just starting your floristry journey, you may like to take a read of my florist’s guide to floristry tools.

(Image : Guido Castagnoli)

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending one of The Real Flower Company‘s tours of their flower farm in Hampshire. And what a truly magical afternoon it was!

Guided by founder Rosebie Morton, together with her Trade Team and Paddock Manager Rob Marsden, we were shown around the incredibly beautiful fields of flowers and foliage. It was such a lovely sociable event with a wonderful group of florists.

That’s Rosebie wearing a hat and Rob stood next to her…

Rosebie started off by telling us about all the different varieties of scented roses, which she grows at the farm. And mentioned that they’re currently having their second flush of this quintessential English bloom.

All year round, they also supply roses from their sister farm, Tambuzi, in Kenya which has the highest possible social and environmental credentials. By the way, did you know that The Real Flower Company is David Austin’s UK cut stem supplier and Tambuzi are one of only five authorised David Austin growers? And, something which I didn’t know is that The Real Flower Company have a LEAF accreditation for sustainability and are part of the Farm Wildlife Advisory Board.

Scroll down for lots of photos of the flowers and foliage growing at the farm, when I visited. This week, they’ll be picking English roses, Dahlias, Hydrangeas, Diabolo, Jasmine trails, Purple Basil, scented Geranium foliage, over five different varieties of mint, more than three different types of sage, grasses, Senecio, Viburnum tinus and Weigela.

Amaranthus

Cultivated Blackberries

Dahlias

Grasses

Geraniums & Ammi

Purple Basil

Sage

Borage

More Grasses…

Cotinus coggygria

Leycesteria formosa

Orach

Abelia

Various Mint Varieties…including Chocolate

Ammi

Japanese Anemones

Hydrangeas

WHERE TO BUY THE REAL FLOWER COMPANY FLOWERS & FOLIAGE

Online 

Flowers and foliage from the farm can be ordered online via The Real Flower Company website. If you’d like to register, simply click here. To receive a regular email with a list of what’s in season, send an email to the Trade Team. And if you’re looking for something specific or for a particular colour or shape, do send an email to Jo and Jilly in their Trade Team. Their mixed foliage and herb, and mixed flower boxes are a great way to order English too and they always contain the very best of what’s in season.

New Covent Garden Flower Market

As well as selling direct, you can also find their flowers and foliage at New Covent Garden Flower Market in London. Zest Flowers sell their roses and flowers. And Porters Foliage sell their foliage, herbs and grasses. The Real Flower Company deliver to the Flower Market twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

NEXT TOUR

The Real Flower Company are holding one more farm tour this year on Tuesday 11th September. There are only a small number of spaces left. So if you’re a florist and would like to be shown around, please sign up here. I highly recommend going. I was blown away by the beauty and just so many stunning flowers! Plus it’s an invaluable opportunity to mingle with other florists.

With the trend for natural, garden-style flowers continuing to grow in momentum, the flowers and foliage grown by Rosebie and her team are exactly what you need. And if you’d like to find out more about The Real Flower Company, pop over to the British Flowers Week website and take a read of a Grower Profile.

P.S. I nearly forgot to mention…there’s tea and cake at the end of the tour!

(Images : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

l hope you had a lovely weekend. After the incredible tropical heat last week here in the UK, especially in the South East, I was so pleased to see the rain yesterday and drop in temperature! I love the sunshine and blue skies. But my thoughts are very much with you if you’re a florist or flower grower coping with these extreme weather conditions, which are due to return towards the end of this week.

Onto today’s blog post and I’m delighted to let you know about a collaboration between two wonderful floral duos. On October 10th, Ellie and Anna from The Flower Appreciation Society are welcoming Oxfordshire based Henrietta and Bridget from The Land Gardeners to their London studio for a collaborative Growing & Arranging Cut Flowers Workshop.

This workshop is perfect for anyone who’s interested in growing their own cut flowers and would like to learn how to arrange them in a loose, natural style.  In the morning, Henrietta and Bridget will be discussing how to design, plan and manage your own cut flower garden, from a small patch to running your own business. They’ll also cover how to use your existing garden as a cut flower resource and how to create new cut flower borders. And you’ll learn how to plan a garden, which will produce flowers in Spring/Summer 2019.

After lunch, Ellie and Anna will demonstrate how to design a seasonal arrangement, using flowers and foliage from both their cutting garden and The Land Gardeners’. They will discuss how to prepare your cut flowers for use, colour combinations, texture, shape and form. Then it’s your turn to make a beautiful arrangement using British flowers to take home with you.

Henrietta and Bridget from The Land Gardeners

Ellie and Anna from The Flower Appreciation Society

If you’d like more information about the workshop and to book your place, please visit The Flower Appreciation Society’s website. There you’ll also find details of another collaborative workshop which they’re holding – A Sculptural Installation and Vase Arranging Workshop with Pyrus.

P.S. Here are links to my interviews with The Land Gardeners and The Flower Appreciation Society, if you’d like to read about their floral journeys.

(Images : The Land Gardeners | The Flower Appreciation Society)

Fresh, summery scents are exactly what’s needed when the temperature is reaching record-breaking heights. And Miller Harris has certainly come up trumps with three beautiful botanical fragrances in their new Forage collection.

Called Wander, Hidden and Lost, they’re inspired by the concept of urban foraging. And their perfumers set out to create fragrances reflecting ingredients discovered growing wild in London – in parks (Wander), on the rooftops (Hidden) and in the City (Lost).

MCQUEENS

Today, I’m thrilled to share with you images of their collaborations with three florists, starting off with McQueens who styled the image below featuring Wander. Do head over to the McQueens blog, if you’d like to learn more about the shoot.

JENNI BLOOM FLOWERS

Jenni Prosser from Jenni Bloom Flowers was also inspired by Wander and created these wonderful designs.

REBEL REBEL

And flowers and foliage beautifully arranged by Rebel Rebel showcase Hidden in front of the City of London skyline.

Lost, aptly, didn’t require floral styling…

If you’d like to discover more about these new evocative fragrances, simply pop over to the Miller Harris website.

P.S. I was fortunate to be gifted samples. And I’m well and truly hooked! All three perfumes are just perfect for add a stunning fresh, light, botanical scent to your day…

(Images : 1. & 6. Miller Harris | 2. McQueens | 3. & 4. Jenni Bloom Flowers/Carrie Lavers Photography | 5. Rebel Rebel/Dean Stockton)

Bright and early this morning, I was at New Covent Garden Market in London taking photos for my next report for their website. But whilst I was away last week in sunny Devon, my report featuring Ultra Violet blooms went live.

If you’re not already aware, Ultra Violet is Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2018. And there are so many flowers in this evocative shade in season at the moment. If you’d like to take a read of the report, simply head to the Flower Market website.

And just in case you missed it first time around, here’s a link to my July In Season report. Enjoy!

(Image : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

Perched high above ‘Swathes of Purple’, a spectacular display of 4,600 Verbena bonariensis plants sweeping alongside the Long Water at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, is the Floral RHS Letters installation by florist Floris Van Den Hoed.

I’ve loved seeing the ways that different florists have taken the RHS’s brief for this year’s shows. If you missed it first time around, do also take a look at Lucy Hunter’s interpretation at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

(Images : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

If you live in or are visiting North Yorkshire in the next week or so, then there’s an exhibition that you may be interested in visiting.

Called FarmerFlorist, it celebrates UK cut flower growers in a series of beautiful photographs by Tessa Bunney. And here are just a few of Tessa’s images…

The FarmerFlorist exhibition is taking place at Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole, North Yorkshire, YO62 6UA and is open until Sunday 15th July. For more details about the event, please visit Tessa’s website.

(Images : Tessa Bunney)

If you’re wondering what you can expect to find at New Covent Garden Market this month with regards to flowers, foliage, plants and sundries, simply head over to the Flower Market website, where you’ll be able to read my latest report.

(Image : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

Championing British flowers at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is a beautiful stand by Flowers from the Farm, entitled ‘Floral REvolution’.

It was created by Sarah from Floribunda Rose, Niki from Bucket of Blooms, Caroline from The Hidden Gate Blooms and Victoria from Victoria Blum Calligraphy. Many congratulations to everyone involved for winning a Silver Medal!

If you’re visiting the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show this week, do head to the Floral Design Studio to see the stand and all the wonderful varieties of homegrown flowers and foliage, which are currently in season.

Plus say ‘Hello’ to the Flowers from the Farm members and find out more about this blossoming network of growers and florists.

(Images : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

Earlier today, I had the pleasure of attending the Press Day at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show…and I made a bee-line for the Floral Design Studio and Festival of Roses Marquee. Exhibiting in the latter is The Real Flower Company, with a stunning display.

If you’re visiting the show, which is on until Sunday, do pop by their stand. And if you’re there on Tuesday or Thursday, you’ll be able to see founder Rosebie Morton, who’s presenting ‘A Guide to Roses’ in the Roses & Floristry Theatre.

Here are just a few photos of their wonderful stand…

Isn’t it beautiful? If you’d like to receive regular deliveries from The Real Flower Company, they’ve recently launched a Weekly British Flower Club Subscription. Members will receive a weekly bunch of their very best English wild and meadow flowers, herbs and seasonal foliage freshly picked from their sustainable Hampshire flower fields.

P.S. Did you know that if you’re a florist, you’re able to buy wholesale from The Real Flower Company? Simply head to their website for more details. And if you’d like to visit their flower farm near Alresford in Hampshire, they offer monthly tours for florists. To book your place, click here.

(Images : Rona Wheeldon | Flowerona)

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