Green & Gorgeous Christmas flower design courses

The lovely girls over at Green and Gorgeous are offering some fantastic flower arranging courses to inspire you with your wedding flower design plans next year.

First up are their Christmas wreath courses in December, but since most of you will be planning a spring or summer wedding you may be more interested in the flower arranging courses on offer in 2011.

The first two will concentrate on how to grow your own cutting flowers while the rest will be showing students how to arrange flowers from the garden.

A half day practical workshop for all abilities, they will teach you the best ways to condition and work with flowers straight from the border. There will be lots of demonstrations and handy tips, plus the opportunity to arrange with the best ingredients from Green and Gorgeous's own cutting garden.

During the day students will be shown how to create a hand tied bunch - perfect for a natural bridal bouquet. Also a corsage and a table arrangement will be tackled and the great thing is that you get to take them all home with you. The day includes a home-made vegetarian light lunch and refreshments.

For more information and course dates check out the Green and Gorgeous website

Posted in Green Wedding Courses , Flowers , Inspiration

Seasonal summer wedding flowers

We're now deep into wedding season with eco-friendly weddings taking place every weekend up and down the country. And as promised we will be bring you a second installment of our seasonal summer wedding inspiration from lovely Green Union partner and eco friendly wedding florist Julie Ballard. Over to you Julie:

SUMMER WEDDING FLOWERS:
Peonies, Roses, Sweet peas, Alchemilla mollis, Eryngium (see holly), Gladioli, Delphinium, Stocks, Acapanthus, Scabious, Dahlias and Sunflowers.

The loveliest wedding flowers are those that complement the season and it is generally thought that there are plenty of locally grown British blooms to choose from at this time of year. But it was only whilst planning the designs for an August wedding that I began to realize, in fact, that even within the season flower choice changes month by month and there are fewer suitable flowers available in August, than in say June or July. With a little bit of further research it became obvious that the colour palette evolves too, a fact which is well worth knowing when choosing a scheme for a wedding, sometimes up to a year in advance.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Inspiration , Seasonal Celebrations

Green and gorgeous hens

Jo Wise, the floral designer at Green & Gorgeous, a wonderful flower business that grows their own seasonal British flowers, has sent in this lovely story of her very first hen party which, she says, went really rather well.

The weather was splendid and the house amazing. A group of fifteen girls rented a Tudor manor house in the Chilterns for the weekend, and the amazing chief bridesmaid seemed to have thought of everything from white toweling slippers to delicious food - and Jo, of course!

A Happy Hen

"Finally, after months of waiting, there are flowers to pick again and the season has kicked off for me with a Hen Party workshop in South Oxfordshire.

The bride has already ordered buckets of flowers to arrange herself for her wedding in April, so her chief bridesmaid invited me along to host a morning floristry workshop. As we began the bride announced she'd be keeping her eye out for those who would make the floristry dream team on The Big Day....no pressure then ladies!!

Joking aside, it was really relaxed and everyone enjoyed themselves. There was some pretty hot arranging going on too.

During the workshop we created a spring posy, flowers in a tea cup and a corsage. I took along some anemones, tulips, muscari and scented narcissi - all fabulous seasonal spring flowers available now. We had viburnum tinus and varigated pittosporum as foliage. For me the anemones were the main attraction because t's been such a hard winter and we have had a few losses in the garden. So the rows of anemones that have popped up in the poly tunnel with their cheerful little faces bring extra joy with them.

It was a wonderful way to start the season, so thank you ladies, especially the chief bridesmaid who plied me with coffee and cake."

Green & Gorgeous is offering private workshops for hen parties, which ties in very well with their 'Bouquets & Buckets' service.

If you opt for this service, you can order buckets of flowers for you to arrange yourself along with friends and family. Jo does the hard bit and creates the wedding party flowers which could include the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids' flowers, buttonholes and corsages, delivering them to you on the day of the wedding (when every one would rather be getting their nails done!).

For more information visit the Green & Gorgeous website, email info@greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk or to have a chat with Jo just call 07778 549412

Posted in Green Wedding Bridesmaids , Flowers , Inspiration

Independent eco florists

A little bird has told us that two of our fabulous eco florists are to be listed in The Independent newspaper’s 50 Best Florists 2011 list this weekend!

Congratulations to Blooming Green and Flowers by Julie B. Its wonderful that the hard work of these dedicated ethical flower designers is now being recognised by the world.

If you want to read all about it make sure you buy The Independent this Saturday!

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , News , Press , Seasonal Celebrations

The perfect bunch - seasonal wedding flowers

As the wedding planning season reaches fever pitch and the first signs of spring emerge with the sweetest snowdrops, we will be bringing you seasonal wedding flower advice from lovely Green Union partner and eco friendly wedding florist Julie Ballard. Over to you Julie:

SPRING WEDDING FLOWERS:
Gardenia, Heather, Helleborus, Hyacinth, Larkspur, Narcissi, Muscari, Vibernum, Tulips, Daffodils

A jug of fresh flowers on a table does more than simply symbolise the hope that a new season, particularly spring, brings. It makes us feel good too. Many people notice how, when our environment changes with the seasons, it affects how we feel. This is a good time to treat yourself to something that won’t pile on the pounds but will lift your mood as much as chocolate does - and last so much longer! So, perhaps some tulips? With a little piece of natural fabric to tie?

If you are planning a spring wedding why not start by looking at flowers that will be available in the months ahead – British and locally grown wherever possible of course. We’re not talking about those flowers which are available all year round because they are flown half way round the world or more! Of course the recent bad weather has affected flower availability just as much as it has caused problems for vegetable growers, but the flowers are fast catching up with the season now. With some forethought, many beautiful displays can be created using just a few blooms with plenty of mixed foliage and other interesting ingredients.

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Ethical Vendors , Flowers , Inspiration

Blooming Green wedding flowers

You might think that you can't find flowers in the UK with a tiny carbon footprint. Well that is just not true any more! Now it's getting easier to find local, seasonal flowers, in every shade and always 'green'.

Jen and Bek of Blooming Green have made it their business to produce and supply eco-friendly couples with wedding flowers boasting the lowest carbon footprint you can possibly imagine. Not only do they grow their flowers following organic principles and do their best to avoid using pesticides or weedkiller, but they also use biodegradable packaging and containers which can be reused or recycled. They don't use carbon guzzling heated greenhouses, but just a polytunnel for nurturing their seedlings before they go outdoors and to extend the British cut flower season.

Their bouquets of funky or country flowers, zingy colours, herbs and quirky foliage are sure to make you smile and as you can see from the photos, eco-friendly locally grown flowers doesn't have to mean dull. In fact the brighter the better as far as they are concerned!

What we love about Blooming Green is that they think a brilliant way to de-stress from wedding plans is to go to the farm and pick your very own wedding flowers yourself. In fact they may very well be the first flower farm to offer this option to brides and it's a great way to have dreamy, unique flowers on a budget.

They are in the process of planning open days, courses and other exciting things for 2011. Find out more at www.bloominggreenflowers.co.uk .

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Ethical Vendors , Flowers

Eco-chic flowers for Devon brides!

We were over the moon when Bristol based florists Bella & Fifi told us that they were launching a branch of their business in Devon. Of course there was a certain amount of partiality in the emotion since GU HQ is based right here in North Devon!

Now eco conscious couples planning to wed in Devon and Cornwall can be sure that they will be able to experience hand picked, sweet scented, locally grown blooms on their wedding day.

Bella & Fifi don’t just style seasonal, UK-sourced flowers; they’ll also grow them to order to guarantee the most beautiful, freshest blooms possible. It's an original concept in wedding flowers which we've been bashing on about for the last four years and which we think is taking off in a big way as it's part of the growing trend towards sustainable wedding planning. It makes a wedding day all the more personal and of course more eco-friendly too.

But as Bella & Fifi explain, "it's not just about being 'eco', 'beautiful' is just as important, after all, it's the one day when everything needs to look stunning. We're trying to show that green and gorgeous can go hand in hand."

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Ethical Vendors , Flowers

Eco friendly flower girls

If you're looking for flowers with impeccable eco-credentials and an authentically quirky edge, you wouldn't go far wrong in enlisting the services of fresh flower company Bella & Fifi.

Bella & Fifi work exclusively with gorgeous, seasonal and locally sourced handpicked flowers in the Bristol area. They create stunning, original wedding bouquets, buttonholes and flower arrangements that demonstrate their individuality, their artistic backgrounds and their self-taught floristry skills, free from the restraints of formal training.

When I asked them what made them start a flower business that concentrates wholly on the local and seasonal flower trade (because, let's face it, it's a whole lot easier to buy flowers off a lorry from Amsterdam) they replied: "We wanted to do something creative, useful and environmental, and above all to spread a little happiness. Sustainable floristry just seemed to tick all the boxes, so Bella & Fifi was born."

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Flowers , Seasonal Celebrations

Table decorations that grow on you

There's a definite feel of spring in the air and with the snowdrops looking particularly gorgeous at the moment, it made us think of spring like-table decorations. Seasonal, natural and eco friendly ones for wedding receptions.

We particularly like these glass tanks filled with tulips, hyacynth, ranunculus and grape hyacinth created for Brides.com by Studio Choo.

You could use any combination of growing bulbs to suit your wedding theme. Lush and green, jewel tones, all whites, scented, blues and creams, the choice is endless.

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Flowers , Inspiration

Exquisitely ethical flowers by Julie B

We're delighted to welcome Flowers by Julie B to our Green Wedding Directory!

Julie Ballard, who once worked at world renowned Jane Packer flowers in London, does everything she can to be an eco friendly florist, sourcing locally grown flowers when they are in season and using natural packaging and recycled materials. But this doesn't mean that her floral work is compromised in any way. In fact we think that her work is enhanced by her attention to the seasons and to every last detail that goes into creating gorgeous wedding flowers for her clients.

We're hoping that Julie will soon be sending us updates on the seasonal flowers that she is using in her work and think this will be a great resource for those brides who've decided to have a bash at doing their own wedding flowers.

So watch this space!

For more information about Julie's work go to her website Flowers by Julie B or to find out more about booking her to do your own wedding flowers contact Julie by email julie@flowersbyjulieb.co.uk or phone 01306 868186

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Inspiration

Sunday is Valentine's Day

Sunday is Valentine’s Day and Rebel Rebel deliver all over London.......

Call them on 020 7254 4487 or email Athena@rebelrebel.co.uk, Mairead@rebelrebel.co.uk or gus@rebelrebel.co.uk

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Valentine’s flowers from Rebel Rebel

Earn rave reviews from your leading lady with Valentine’s flowers from Rebel Rebel. Sweep your leading lady off her feet this Valentine’s Day with flowers to take her breath away.

Flowers - gorgeous, fresh, fragrant flowers – are always affordable, always romantic and always rapturously received. Bouquets are beautifully hand-tied, swathed in chic colours of tissue and beribboned, is romance with a capital R.

For an extra romantic touch, you can even send your flowers with a literary message of love - maybe a pocket volume of Everyman’s ‘Love Poems’ or a slim paperback from Penguin’s ‘Great Loves’ series all wrapped up in matching tissue and silk ribbon. Rebel Rebel has teamed up with independent booksellers The Broadway Bookshop to enable you to send the perfect title to your love, even if it is The Gruffalo...

Rebel Rebel delivers anywhere in London. Visit www.rebelrebel.co.uk or call 020 7254 4487 for personal advice and orders.

Hand-tied bouquets from £40
Flower-filled handbags from £80
Book supplement from £10

REBEL REBEL
5 Broadway Market
London E8 4PH

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Gifts & Favours , Seasonal Celebrations

Christmas wreath making fun

Favourite florists Rebel Rebel will be joining in the festive frolics at Broadway Market in London with their own Christmas wreath-making workshops.

Everyone is welcome to try all sorts of different styles, from traditional pine and dried fruit numbers to feather boas and sweeties, like a winter version of this fluffy summer wreath.

Rebel Santa will be on hand with heaps of help and advice......

Broadway Market’s late night shopping evenings are on the next two Thursdays December 10th and 17th.

Posted in Green Wedding Events , Flowers , Seasonal Celebrations

More about seasonal wedding flowers

Spring iris table centers and Rose Buttonhole from Snapdragon Garden
Winter heart decoration and seasonal sunflowers from Sweet Loving Flowers

The majority of large scale flower farms use huge quantities of pesticides, exposing both their workers and the environment to high doses of chemical poisons. Its also fairly well known that flower growers elsewhere may use pesticides that have been banned in Europe, or use pesticides in quantities which exceed European regulations without any protection for the workers exposed to them.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Where will your wedding flowers come from?

Why on earth do we need to fly flowers halfway round the world from farms where workers are exploited and subject to high doses of agri-chemicals when we have such a wealth of beautiful seasonal home grown flowers and foliage right here on our doorstep?

Please watch this clip to learn a bit more about how the cut flower industry can have devastating social and environmental effects on the places where flowers are grown as a cash crop.

Over the last few years we have been so encouraged by the growth of our home grown flower industry and the interest our visitors are taking in seasonal and British grown flowers for their wedding bouquets and wedding reception floral decorations.

Search our green wedding directory for dedicated, talented and creative florists and flowers growers who care about our environment and can offer a wealth of ideas on how to decorate your wedding using seasonal flowers and foliage right here on our very British doorstep.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Learn how to arrange your wedding flowers

Fantastic floral arranger Sarah Pepper has just published her winter flower arranging course list and she's offering some great ideas for those wanting to know how to arrange their own seasonal wedding flowers themselves.

Festive foliage door wreaths, garlands, 'green' Christmas decorations, table arrangements and Christmas gifting (recycling and making inexpensive gifts and decorations) are all on the list of fun days with Sarah. There's a choice of flower arranging courses both at her own studio and also at several National Trust Properties and venues around Devon.

And if you're planning ahead, Sarah offers a choice of other courses and demonstrations throughout the year:

Wedding Design Demonstrations - A whole day to see Sarah making stylish bridal bouquets, buttonholes, wedding table arrangements and more. Sarah's top tips will inspire you to 'have a go'.

Posted in Green Wedding Events , Flowers , Hens & Stags

Designer Flower Zone

Mairead Curtin of Rebel Rebel is on a mission to open our eyes to the bounty and sheer beauty of British seasonal flowers.

She says "If flowers (and more particularly British Flowers in season) are important to you, choose the date of your wedding accordingly. For example right now, for the last six weeks, we have had the most glorious English dahlias and hydrangeas. Brides hoping for peonies on the other hand, would be disappointed and should plan to marry in May." She suggests too that brides should try not to be too rigid with what they hope for because English flowers are at the mercy of the weather.

Now brides hoping to learn more about British flowers, and florists who support British flower growers year round, can meet a whole bunch of them at The National Wedding Show Designer Flower Zone where 12 London florists who use the flower market regularly are all together under the New Covent Garden Flower Market ‘umbrella’.

The majority of florists in the UK never leave their shops and just use Dutch lorries which deliver to them, but that is not the place to get British flowers. British flower growers deliver to the New Covent Garden Flower Market at Vauxhall on Mondays and Thursdays so they're the days to get the freshest English flowers. English foliage comes in to the foliage specialists daily and, at Rebel Rebel, they like to stock as many English flowers and foliage as they possibly can. Some things, like the English Dahlias, are far lovelier than the ones which come from further afield.

Mairead has sent us this inspiring photo and says "I guess the olive tin is the ultimate sustainable wedding flower container. Start hoarding tins, jars and bottles as soon as you know you’re getting married. You can involve all your family and friends in the hunt for good containers – it’s an excuse for them to throw out the gherkins which have been mouldering away in their kitchen cupboard since 1984..."

What: Designer Flower Zone at The National Wedding Show
Where: Earls Court, London
When: Friday 2 October, 12 noon till 7 pm; Saturday 3 October, 10am till 6 pm; Sunday 4 October, 10 am till 4 pm

You can find more committed florists who grow and source British flowers in our Wedding Directory.

Posted in Green Wedding Events , Flowers

Low Impact Wedding Series - Flowers

Because I am a florist my flowers were very important to me and, in keeping with a Green wedding I didn’t want any imported chemically laden flowers. So I decided to use flowers and foliage from my mother and mother in-law’s gardens. I also picked many of the flowers out of obliging road side ditches. Well really my mother and aunt did most of the picking.

Bridal Bouquet: I picked the flowers for my bouquet and the flower shop I worked for put them together. My grandmother’s name was Fern so I made sure lots of ferns were in my bouquet. There were also purple clematis, white floribunda roses, a weed I've heard called pancake weed and a type of purple wild campanula. My florist friends did add green hydrangea that was probably imported, but I didn't ask and I knew they created the bouquet for me and that made it special.

Bridesmaids Bouquets: I made my bridesmaids' bouquets and the groom’s buttonhole the morning before the wedding. Each bridesmaid's bouquet was a little different. My sister, the forester, had green maple seedheads in hers,the friend I played in the forest with as a kid, had wild ginger and my tattooed friend had zebra grass for her wild side.

Buttonholes: I have a very strong rule that if you don’t have a lapel you don’t get a boutonnière. So the only guy who got a flower was the groom. His was several white floribunda rose blossoms. I didn’t have flowers for our parents or anyone else.

Table Centres: I made all the center pieces for the reception. I used antique vases and bowls from my mother's china cabinet. Half the tables had a vintage vase with an arrangement of mixed flowers and half had three glass vases each with one kind of foliage. But with hindsight I don’t recommend doing your own flowers. It took about three hours right before the rehearsal dinner started for me to get them all put together. Luckily there was a very nice janitor at the hall who helped me clean up or I would have been late!

The total cost of the flowers was $00.00

Get more flower inspiration in our blog pages.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Natural Nuptials

Because she's worth it

Did you forget it's mother's day this Sunday? Have you been snowed under with all that wedding planning, so focused on sounding your Mum out about all the things on your to-do list. Things like your wedding budget, meetings with your green wedding florist, finding the perfectly ethical wedding dress and eco friendly caterer. You've been wondering how to find the ideal wedding venue - countryside, coast, historical house or chic city. Maybe you're still not sure what eco wedding stationery to choose and want Mum to help you decide.

Perhaps you're only just starting out and you and your fiance are looking for a perfectly ethical engagement ring and wedding jewellery - planning to find them this weekend.

Well spare a little time for your Mum, she's worth it. If you didn't get round to ordering her a mother's day gift, then a little bunch of seasonal flowers will speak a million words. Get out tomorrow morning, take a walk around the garden and pick a few blooms or buy a little bunch at your local florist or farmers market, your Mum will be charmed!

And if you're just a little curious and want to know more about the ethics of buying a bouquet on Mother's day, there's an great article on the subject by Amy Stewart over at the Guardian.

Happy sunny spring weekend!

Image courtesy of Snapdragon Garden

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Inspiration

Keep Valentine's Day British

For romantics who want to celebrate an all British V-Day, buy direct from a British flower grower for an in-season bunch of delicate flowers from the fields.

A sweet and simple posy of Devon violets straight from the nursery evokes days gone by while a fabulously fragrant bunch of Scented Narcissi heralds the spring.

Or seek out something more creative, home grown and hand made.

Go to Catkin Flowers for seasonal bouquets with sentimental messages of love, Snapdragon Garden has beautiful pots of paperwhite narcissi decorated with a dogwood heart and Sweet Loving Flowers will make a heart of red cornus, eucalyptus and skimmia for you to send to your true love.

Make haste though and don't forget that with V-Day on Saturday you may have to pay more for delivery on the day and last orders are 11th February.

For more information on florists supplying seasonal British flowers this Valentine's Day go to our green wedding directory.

Posted in Green Wedding Events , Flowers

Make your own Christmas door wreath

We've been making our own Christmas door wreaths today, one for ourselves and the rest to give to friends as naturally gorgeous and seasonal Christmas gifts. We collected moss and greenery from the garden, twigs from the hedgerows, conkers, cones and bark from the woods and embellished the whole thing with dried hydrangeas, lichen and raffia.

It made me think that some of you enterprising brides may be wondering how to make one for your own big day. You can find detailed instructions of how to make a similar Christmas door wreath on Snapdragon Garden's blog.

Once you've worked out the fundamentals, then don't be afraid to experiment to your heart's content using all sorts of seeds, fruits, leaves, twigs and seasonal flowers. What you come up with will be a unique reflection of your own green wedding and it'll be a fabulous welcome to guests on your wedding day.

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Flowers , Inspiration

Christmas door wreaths

There's nothing quite like a lavishly decorated door wreath to welcome visitors to your home or your wedding reception. Jane at Snapdragon Garden hand makes door wreaths the traditional way, starting off with a copper ring covered in lovely squishy moss, trailing ivy, box, holly, rosemary, really whatever she can get her hands on to give a generous bountiful look. Then she adds in masses of fresh fruit, cones and seedheads.

Jane began making her christmas wreaths yesterday and she tells us she is only making a limited number this year. So if the idea of having a hedgerow wreath delivered into your city home is an attractive one, or you know someone who'd love it as a gift, don't forget to order yours early!

They will be delivered within the UK by overnight courier and can be ordered for the weeks beginning 8th or 15th December.

Posted in Green Wedding Decorations & Details , Flowers

Seven green ways to personalise your wedding day - Day 2

Not long 'till the Spring Equinox and Earth Day on April 22nd, so we thought it an appropriate time to highlight seven green ways to personalise your wedding day. On day two we suggest you:

GO SEASONAL
As well as choosing seasonal food, which is a no brainer when you're planning an ethical wedding, seasonal flowers will give your decorations an 'of the moment' feel. Talk to your florist about what's available locally and seasonally, or ask someone to grow flowers for you. You'll end up with blooms that that are completely unusual and look absolutely stunning.

We often hear from couples planning a green wedding who are worried about the ethics of using cut flowers. You shouldn't be, flowers are a natural process in the lifecycle of a plant. Most cultivated plants are 'deadheaded' (where blooms are removed) in order to allow the plant to grow strong and encourage more blooms during its flowering season. Just make sure you arrange to have all your flowers composted once they're past their best. Recycling the material back into the soil will encourage more blooming marvelous displays season after season.

Wild flowers, on the other hand should never be picked. They must be left in their natural habitat to do what they do best.

Find out more about locally grown, seasonal, fairtrade and organic flowers from our experts.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Inspiration

Floral accolades

We're always banging on about how talented and dedicated all our partners are, so here's proof... Snapdragon Garden was named at the weekend by The Independent newspaper as one of its Top 50 UK Florists.

Jane at Snapdragon says "We're working on being able to provide mail order delivery of flowers by June". So if you are interested in her mail order flowers do let her know and she will send you a note and a voucher when deliveries begin. Six lucky people on her list will become guinea pigs for her test deliveries in April, qualifying for a bunch of free flowers! So get in touch today...

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

London limelight

It's not easy being green (to coin a phrase) wherever you are, and running a flower shop and event company in central London is probably the most challenging place to 'green' your business. But we're delighted to point out that Rebel Rebel is doing just that. These top London florists have taken up the challenge and are making every effort to be as earth friendly as possible, given their location.

They recycle everything they can - paper, cardboard, glass, plastics - and all their green waste goes to a city farm for composting. They source as much of their flowers and foliage seasonally and from British growers, dealing directly with wholesalers at Nine Elms (the huge London flower market) who specialise in British flowers. Where they cannot source British, their next choice is always Fair Trade flowers. Not only that but, as you can see by this great image of gorgeous grooms, they are exceedingly stylish and terribly chic proving that green is definitely the new black!

If you're planning an eco chic wedding at a London venue, head out to the East End and have a chat with them, they'll do you proud.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Scented sensation

Have you got a Mum who deserves a well earned 'thank you' for all her support and help on the run up to your green wedding? Do you want to tell her how much she means to you at this all important time and stuck for ideas on how to show it?

Snapdragon has come up with this wonderful seasonal UK grown treat to indulge her. The bulbs are beautifully scented paperwhite narcissi and they have been potted up in beautifully aged sage green and white pots that will fit into any interior. And there's no need to throw the bulbs away once they have finished flowering and can be kept from year to year - included in the pack are care instructions for years of pleasure.

The potted bulbs are delivered by overnight courier in specially designed boxes to keep them in tip top condition. So hurry and place your order to get them to your Mum in time.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Seasonal flower inspiration

So you've decided to go seasonal and local for your wedding flowers and need a bit of inspiration with your eco chic wedding plans. You can't go wrong checking out Jane Lindsey's blog at Snapdragon Garden. While you're there subscribe to her fortnightly newsletter full of fantastic tips. A creative and dedicated florist who grows flowers for clients' weddings and events, she regularly posts seasonal news and ideas from her cutting garden in Scotland.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Do truly organic flowers exist?

Well, its true that flowers labelled by the Soil Association in the UK or 'USDA Organic' in the US, certifying them free from toxic or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, are still difficult to get hold of. While organically grown flowers are available in farmer's markets and through small local growers and online, they're not always labeled as such - certification is a costly and time consuming business for small producers. Organic flower growers also struggle to achieve the quality now expected of the product, as some flowers could have blemishes and imperfectly shaped petals.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Fairly traded flowers

Following on from our foray into the world of flowers yesterday, let's look a bit more closley at why we should consider Fair Trade Flowers. I know there's still a couple of weeks to go before Fair Trade Fortnight, but with Valentines day approaching I think this is the time to talk flowers.

According to the Flowers & Plants Association British people will spend around £30 million on 'fresh' flowers this Valentines Day and with around 90% of those flowers being bought by men, so please make sure your significant other sees this before he buys!

Well over 9 million red roses are given in the UK, the majority flown in from Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya and Zimbabwe and over 50 million red roses are traded worldwide on this day alone!

So it can't be denied, if you're going to buy roses, or any flowers that are flown here, it just makes sense to buy Fairtrade. By doing this you will be ensuring that workers and producers on farms in the third world will be getting a better deal from your purchase. The premium you pay for Fair Trade flowers goes towards funding further improvements for workers and their communities, and helps empower them to play a more active role in farm management issues that affect them. It ensures that less pesticides are used in the cultivation of the flowers thus making it a less toxic environment for the workers. You will be instrumental in helping workers look forward to a more secure future and a better quality in their day-to-day lives.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Will you give your valentine a bucket full of pesticides?

While we'd fully admit that pesticides don't usually come to mind when choosing red roses for a valentine, we believe it's about time to start asking people to think about it. True, we don't normally eat our flowers and, for the most part, they're not worn against the skin, so that's probably why its taken longer to recognise the environmental issues surrounding the production of cut flowers.

So the big debate is raging - what is considered environmentally correct in the flower industry? Should all flowers be organic, grown without any synthetic or toxic pesticides? Or should the emphasis be on fair trade flowers, which means that the workers on the flower farms are safe and paid a fair wage? Should we choose locally grown flowers, reducing the cost of emissions? Which flowers can truly be called green?

Image Sweet Loving Flowers

For the next three days we'll tackle each of these questions in greater depth, looking at the pros and cons of each.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Love is like a red red rose

One of our favourite partners Lottie Girling has come up with this gorgeous valentine rose corsage. Made from leather or suede (a by product of the leather industry), these blooms are not only charming and chic, but will still be bloomin' lovely long after those supermarket stems have withered away. She's offering them in an assortment of colours including this delicious red, of course, but if you want something extra special then there's still time to have one made to order. Leave it on the desktop and make sure you get one this Valentine's Day!

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Gifts & Favours

Home grown flowers

I know we bang on a lot about using local grown and seasonal flowers, but there is a reason for it. If you're at all inclined in the green direction then it makes sense not to invest in flowers that are smothered in chemicals and then transported halfway around the world for your wedding day.

Believe it or not it's perfectly possible to create wonderfully eco chic wedding decorations year round using British seasonal flowers and foliage, and GreenUnion is making it easier for you to source them too. If you haven't got access to a large garden full of gorgeous blooms our eco friendly wedding directory has a list of dedicated and talented florists growing their own flowers or sourcing them locally. When they can't source what you need from Britain, they will try and supplement with Fairly Traded of Veriflora flowers.

Take Caroline Ede, an artist and textile designer who has worked on commissions for Liberty of London and the Royal Academy. She loves working closely with her clients to interpret their desires and emotions in a sensitive and loving way and creates a wonderfully natural and romantic look using flowers grown in her own garden in the Welsh Marches.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Low carbon Christmas

While foliage is plentiful at this time of the year with holly, mistletoe and evergreens being sold in markets stalls across the country, you may be looking for something much more special for your wedding decorations. If you're getting married in the UK, go low carbon and choose from Tregothnan's selection of garlands, Christmas wreaths and boxes of foliage which are all grown without herbicides on the sunny slopes of Cornwall in the South West of England. Their aromatic swag (or garland) is made up of a fragrant and colourful mix of various Eucalyptus and Rosemary and is perfect draped over a mantelpiece, surrounding a door, or running down the rail of a staircase.

The website only shows a small selection of what is available from this wonderful estate so I recommend that you telephone or email them for more information about their seasonal Christmas wreaths, garlands and cut foliages.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

In the mood for kissing

Writing about Esther's mistletoe bouquet yesterday put me in mind of the annual Mistletoe Festival at Tenbury Wells in Herefordshire, England, which is well underway with one auction already having taken place, but there are still two more auctions taking place on the next 2 Tuesdays 4th and 11th December. Its certainly something to celebrate this year as Tenbury Wells was one the towns which was worst hit by the summer floods and there was some debate as to whether they would be able to proceed.

All is well and the main Festival events take place this Saturday - National Mistletoe Day. There's the Mistletoe Queen's procession and her crowning, plus lots of other things going on all day including mumming plays, country dancing and other performances, juggling, unicycling, music and christmas songs, a fire show and a parade.

If you can't get to Tenbury Wells, you can buy mistletoe for your green wedding all year round online from the TEME Mistletoe Shop.

National Mistletoe Day this Saturday 1 December 2007
Tenbury Wells, Herefordshire, England

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Blaze of glory

As the autumn season goes out in a blaze of glory, I wanted to celebrate this favorite time of the year by showing you this gorgeous leaf wreath made by Jane Lindsay at Snapdragon Garden. This could give you all sorts of ideas for a colour scheme if you're thinking of a autumn wedding or if you just love golds and reds. And check out how the blue of the bench can be used as a highlight to really emphasise the glowing shades of autumn.

Use dahlias, lillies, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Throw in peppers, squashes, apples, seeds, conkers, chestnut cases or grapes for texture. Top it all off with glowing candles and you'll have the richest of decorations.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers , Inspiration

Organic Fortnight - Flowers

Making this gorgeous and unusual arrangement at the weekend from flowers in my own cutting garden got me thinking about the world of eco flowers which can be a confusing one. Should you buy local, organic or fair trade, or can they be all three? How do you decipher all the different certification schemes? So I asked Jane Lindsay at Snapdragon Garden to write a little bit about it all for us and here is what she has to say:

We would suggest that you take this route in your search for eco flowers:

The first thing to do is find out what grows in gardens near to you in the month that you are planning to be married - is it Sweet Pea or Hydrangea season or is the Lily of the Valley in flower? Seek out gardeners and ask what their peak flowers are in that particular season. If you chose most of your flowers from this list, even if you can't find someone locally to grow them for you, you will be able to source them from relatively nearby. Try local growers at farmer's markets, friends or relatives with gardens and green fingers and persuade them to pop a few seeds in the ground so you can harvest your rewards next year.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

Who could resist?

With Labour Day weekend in the US being the unofficial start to Autumn, and the glorious colours that come with it, here's an inspiration for your celebration that's hard to resist.

Perfect examples of locally grown fresh picked flowers simply arranged and stealing the limelight.

Image from Rose & Radish

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

British grown flowers: A cut above

I recently had an enquiry from an eco chic bride wondering if there were any eco alternatives to wedding flowers and bouquets and it bothered me because flowers are just so much a part of any wedding. The real issue, in our view, is their provenance and what you do with them after your green wedding.

We feel that you should apply the same principles to flowers as you do to food - we all know about buying local and seasonal food, so why not do the same with cut flowers? Just as food farmers in Britain need our support, so do British flower growers who are being increasingly squeezed out of a £2 billion industry (which, incidentally, is the same worth as our music industry) by larger, more efficient, mono-cultural growing units in Holland and elsewhere. Ninety per cent of the flowers we buy here now come from elsewhere - scandalous.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

What's in season?

If you're planning a green wedding at this time of the year you or your florist won't find it hard to source locally grown seasonal flowers that haven't been flown from the other side of the world. At Churchtown Farm on the Isles of Scilly they grow wonderfully scented pinks throughout the summer and autumn. Arrange them with other summer flowers like daisies, veronica, grasses, cornflowers, nigella seed pods and cosmos for a relaxed laid back affair like a picnic or country vintage theme like this one by Idyllic Days.

You'll be spoilt for choice with an abundance of local seasonal food. Courgettes, beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, wonderful cheeses and salad leaves, soft fruits like raspberries and strawberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants. Fish, especially local lobster, is at its best if the weather's good, but our small boats in Devon have had a hard time of it trying to get out this month because the weather's been too rough, so fish is in short supply at the moment. Get your caterer to source only the very best local and organic food.

Posted in Green Wedding Caterers, Food & Drink , Flowers