Oh to be in England, now that spring is here...

We are at the very end of April and the weather is still not very spring like. The winds are howling outside the shop, threatening to blow all our bouquets and potted plants away. Then it started raining furiously, sending huge drops of water down our way. We had to rescue all our bouquets and managed to keep them all still looking fresh and saleable. The things we have to do other than create! I had to keep sane and the only way is to do something different. Mood boards! Off I went to Arte, the art gallery and master framer for some mounting card and paper tape. The past few weeks have been quite inspiring where flowers are concerned. I found various salmon pink spring flowers at the market and simply had to buy them for the shop. They proved to be popular as anemones, ranunculus and lilacs all came in that 'oh-so-gorgeous' shade of pink which in a moment of marketing genius, I termed 'Chanel Pink'. Everyone fell for them.

I mounted each single flower on the board to form a recipe for the bouquets based on that shade and I had to get Tim of Tim Hollis Photography to photograph them. The results are so satisfying that they have now been added to our reference 'library' for all who work at The White Orchid. So the rain did bring some moments of happiness after all! Would you like to see more?

I have been doing the sums - Mothering Sunday

'I have loved you since the day I came out from your tummy.' 'If you went to Mummy School, you would be top of the class!' 'Home is where mummy is.'
These are some of the beautiful sayings, which I am sure are repeated time and time again, in praise of motherhood.

When I was a child, I used to get very confused when she had to send me to school and leave me with the teacher until the afternoon was nearly over when she duly came and collected me. I used to think she did not like me any more!

Secondary school was better when I would go home and dinner would be ready. My mother would tell me about what happened during the day and even let me do the washing up and look after my brothers and sister when she popped out for her secret driving lessons! My father would not have a clue.

Time flies and we are all older - my brothers now have their own children and whenever we meet, we would recount the stories of mother and father to the young ones. Life is quite different today. Somehow, we all work too hard and there is never enough time to simply teach the children how to 'smell the flowers'. But luckily, we can all still revel in the thought that we all have, in some cases had, a mother and the memories of the many things our mums do for us will live on.

My favourite ode goes as follows:

Mum, I've been doing my figures and they are mind-blowing.
16,424 meals,
5,400 loads of laundry
14,700 hugs,
6,570 bedtime stories
18 birthday cakes,
and all from
1 Mum.

The launch of a Wedding Cake Website.

The wedding market is definitely the place to be if you are a florist, a cake maker,a fashion designer, an events organiser and a milliner to name a few.

My friend, Krishanthi Armitt, has recently launched her website, www.cakesbykrishanthi.co.uk, and in the preparations, has asked me to arrange some flowers to accompany her cakes for a photo-shoot.

Her PR agent, Jo Kent at www.somethingbluepr.co.uk, co-ordinated the shoot and even took the photos herself. I am impressed by the look of the whole set-up and most of all, how my flowers complement Krishanthi's cakes.

Her cakes are not only beautiful and modern, but delicious without being too sickly sweet. I am very envious of her as she can enjoy her work and eat it!

Marvel at these photos and check us out!

What is love?

February 14th. A date which haunts and a date which brings back lots of memories - good, bad and ugly!

Remember the first boy or girl you set eyes on when you were at school? Remember the first letters you wrote to declare your feelings... remember your first time you held hands and felt a sense of excitement coursing through your veins, the first time you went out and spent ages doing your hair and smelling lovely. remember?

The world seems a thousand times more beautiful when you have someone to think about and someone who fancies you... Everything else seems to simply melt away. Life suddenly becomes an adventure and every gesture seems to denote some meaning.

Why do these feelings erode with growing up and having to live life in the real world? I say they never go away when you know where to look...

Recapture those moments. Make a date, get your hair done, put on your favourite dress and ask for... an armful of flowers! Not forgetting the chocolates and champagne.

Have a great night out and stare at the stars, but most of all, don't forget to hold hands.

Long live love!

To 'Miss' with Love - remembering my teacher Jane Packer

Saturday. 19th Novemebr 2011.
My heart was heavy as I woke up early to get ready for the journey to Golders Green.

This feeling was completely opposite to the feeling I had when I woke up on a Monday morning to attend a floristry course with Jane Packer some years ago.

I remember driving to Maida Vale where she lived and was expecting to meet her at the school, which was in the basement of her home. I rang the bell with great enthusiasm and she opened it, smiled and told me that if I were there for the course, I would have to go via the side gate which led down a flight of steps. I was like a child who had just met someone important who was soon to be my inspiration in all I do in the world of glamorous flowers!

There were about sixteen of us, three English ladies, twelve Japanese cuties and me. We all had our aprons with our names stuck on and when Jane saw my name, she asked if I have got someone else's apron. 'No, miss. I am indeed Nicole and I am not a Akiko, Suri or Namiko, and I am from Singapore!' to which she blushingly apologised for mistaking me to be Japanese. So popular was her amongst the Japanese that they had all had their preliminary training in Japan before they came over for the real thing - lessons with her.

She taught us how to be discerning in our choice of flowers, grouping of colours, adding textures and most of all, and I will never forget this - to be extremely critical of your own work. 'Always remember to do the best you can, no short cuts, no leaves below the tie point, neat wiring and always strive to be the best...' There were endless advice on how to be good at what one does.

The crowds congregated in front of the chapel which broadcasted the quiet tune of 'Morning has broken', welcoming the hearse which brought a tear to many an eye.

Her friend, Carole Davis, did a reading and composed a poem especially for Jane. She revealed that Jane had often spoken about being able to do all those things - being more intellectual and using words to express her feelings. Her friend reminded her that no one could have been more talented than her in her work with flowers.

The Chapel was packed with close friends, relatives and friends of her children. The altar was decorated with her favourite white flowers of delphiniums, lilies, avalanche roses, white hydrangeas and stephanotis. She laid under the most beautiful mound of cream avalanche roses punctuated with white hydrangeas and stephanotis. The scent which filled the chapel exudes from the many short stems of narcissus in small frosted glasses punctuated by similar glasses with flickering tea-lights, adding a calm and peaceful feeling all round.

My favourite anthem Ave Maria by Schubert was sung hauntingly by a lady whom I could not see owing to the crowds.

The last hymn 'All things bright and beautiful' was particularly appropriate to Jane as nature has always been a big part of her work.

'... each little flower that opens...', '...the tall trees in the greenwood....', '...the meadows for our play...',

There were quite a few floral tributes from people who have worked with her and of course, her loving and supportive family, all done in the style that is so Jane Packer. The hatbox theme was evident and a favourite.

I will always remember her as one who is kind, generous and never afraid to correct. From her, I learnt to see the beauty of hydrangeas, amaranthus (also known as love lies bleeding),fruit incorporated into arrangements and the observations of the changing seasons, amongst a thousand other things. Her books are often referred to time and time again and most of all, her teaching DVD is a constant reminder of the days I spent down in that basement with many kindred spirits.

I see her smiling at everyone at Covent Garden, I see her smelling the tuberose and feeling the tactile amaranthus, and listening to the hum of people rushing around collecting their flowers early in the morning... can you?

I shall miss you very much, Miss.

Where has the time gone?

The last two weeks have been quite a whirlwind. Too many things have happened at the shopfront and also the home front. Too many people I have to speak to, too many people to ring, too many things to co-ordinate and simply too many distractions and too little time. Ever felt like the whole world passes you by and although you are busy, everything is not quite the way you want it to be?

In this age of instant gratification, I think we have forgotten to stop and ponder. It's all a case of do, do and do. Therefore, I have decided that this week, other than the things I have to do workwise, I am going to simply unwind and do nothing!
Possible? Hmmmm...

Vermeer Inspired Photo Shoot

The White Orchid autumn floral collection is inspired by the Dutch painter Vermeer of 'The Girl with a Pearl Earring'fame.

Vermeer's still life paintings had a darkness which enhances the colours used to depict fruit and flowers in his work. The observation of light was prevalent and through the use of a 'view-finder' which he painted with, created images which were only possible through a keen eye for detail which resulted in a crisp and and 'moody' feel.

Tim Hollis a Weybridge based photographer, took on the task of recreating that mood and feeling through the use of a camera, capturing the same spirit.

I styled the various sets using some of Vermeer's favourite objects. The orange which was peeled, the apples rolling out of a pot, peaches so ripe you could almost
taste the juices and not forgetting the linen with lace borders on which all the objects rested... Of course, the colours picked up also form the palette of the autumnal flowers used to create our autumn collection.

I felt most creative when the shop is closed, as only then can I have the time to think and do these wonderful things, which are almost impossible when you are answering your customers' requests on a normal working day. Still, I must be grateful for everyone who walks through the door but in order to give them more reason to come back, one must continue to work a little harder in answer to the often asked question, "Where do you get your inspiration from?".

Flowers for an engagement party

An engagement party is a good way of inviting lots of friends without the expense of a wedding. Whereas, guests at a wedding may consist of friends and immediate relatives, those who are invited to the engagement party can be friends and business acquaintances who may or may not be invited to the wedding.

The most important thing is that they are all there to wish the couple happiness and joy in their forthcoming marriage.

The event can take the form of an informal affair where everyone can be more relaxed and the food served can almost be less of a sit-down-three-course meal. As with all gatherings, the atmosphere is vital and it should really reflect the couple's interests, taste and aspirations.

Flowers are inevitable at such an occasion. They do not necessary have to be as decorative as the wedding but still play a significant role as it is after an announcement of what's to come. After all, flowers speak a thousand words and can you imagine a dining table without them?

I hope you like the natural 'country garden' style of this floral table-centre.

A Marriage Proposal.

My phone rang this morning when I was checking my emails and what should I hear but the voice of a dear friend who has been thinking about her daughter's marriage. The daughter has been with her boyfriend for years and typically, nothing is happening until last weekend when he proposed with a ring, and my friend is totally ecstatic!

The joys of planning a wedding is not to be dismissed. Some people might find it daunting but not M. She is a great party giver and thinks of all the little details which make it all so worth your while as a guest. The cutlery, the crystal, and most of all the flowers... have to be so right? And why shouldn't they be when every gathering is meant to be a reflection of her personality, taste and beliefs. While we engage in social media, M does it in real time and place. Nothing beats the real thing.

Amidst all that is happening today in a world filled with uncertainties, weddings represent hope and joy. They need not be expensive affairs but simply a means to getting our dearest friends to at least forget about the doom and gloom for a few months and rejoice in the future of two people who have decided to make a go at playing the roles of husband and wife. How wonderful and how admirable?

I am thinking of the dress I am going to wear...