Image of the different kinds of roses from around the world

Looking Through Rose Coloured Glasses

Give someone a rose, and the first thing they do is smell it, right? More often than not these days, they don’t smell thanks to our quest for perfection. We have been able to breed varieties of roses with large heads, perfect blooms, and thornless straight stems. And amazing as that all is, in this quest for perfection we have sacrificed the very thing that makes a rose so special.

For those of you who value a beautifully scented rose, a garden rose is the way to go.

They tend to have shorter stems that may grow crooked, an imperfect bloom, which may have blemishes (generally only present on the outer barrier petals) and watch out, because there can be some pretty serious thorns! But the fragrance! Oh My! Some have perfumes so intense and intoxicating, you can literally taste them on your tongue!

Here are some of our favourites:

Cecile Brunner

Image of a cecil brunner flower rose
Image: Moosey Country Garden

Named by Joseph Pernet-Ducher after the daughter of rose grower Ulrich Brunner, a senior colleague and rival, in 1881.

Sweet Cecile Brunner is a soft pink, lightly frangranced bloom, that grows in sprays on a short bush. This one has a special place for me, as one of my best friends introduced me to her magic many moons ago. Cecile Brunner is one of the best loved roses, and is a popular choice for bridal arrangements. I think we may feel confident that Cecile herself carried these blooms on her own wedding day!

Julia’s Rose

Image of a gorgeous Julia Rose
Image: Magic Garden Roses

Named after Julia Clements, ‘the high priestess of flower arrangement’ according to the British media, Julia’s rose is a hybrid tea rose with latte tinted mauve blooms. It has a soft fragrance and is best throughout Spring and Autumn.

Clements began her mission of popularising flower arranging after attending a meeting at a Women’s Institute, where she spoke of the joy that flowers could bring, uniting women like herself, whose lives had been torn apart by the war. Through her lectures, her books, flower shows, and flower arrangement socieites, Clements did exactly that.

She has three roses named for her in dedication; “Julia’s Rose”, “Julia Clements”, a red floribunda, and “Lady Seton” a scented warm pink named after her marriage to Sir Alexander Seton.

Julia’s roses, is my absolute favourite rose in all of the world, and has been from the moment I lay eyes on her. I love that the bloom opens all the way up and I love the unique colour  tone, which shows the most beautiful variations from latte to antique mauve depending on the time of year. Julia’s rose featured heavily throughout my own wedding.

Just Joey

Image of a beautiful Just Joey rose
Image: CR Garden Centre

Named after the wife of the raiser, Joanne Pawsey, Just Joey is a large apricot hybrid tea, with an excellent fragrance. If this rose was named some years ago, it would more likely have been named “Mrs Roger Pawsey” but at the time it was named, formality like this was seen as old fashion.  Joanne was know to those close to her as Joey, but somehow “Joey Pawsey” just didn’t sound right.

“Why not just ‘Joey’?” was uttered over breakfast one morning…..and ‘Just Joey’ stuck.

Just Joey’s colour varies throughout the season, from peach to rich apricot ruffled petals. It was voted the ‘world’s favourite’ rose in 1994 by the World Federation of Rose Societies and it is easy to see why which such a gorgeous autumnal tone, and beautiful shaped bloom.

Mr Lincoln

Image of a Mr Lincoln rose
Image: Swifter

I remember being a young florist and first experiencing the intensity and beauty of My Lincoln, a hybrid tea rose with the most intense damask fragrance. It has very large dark crimson blooms, a long stem and comes from a tall bush.

The dedication marked the centenary of the death of Abraham Lincoln (1809-65). Rumour had it, America’s most widely revered president hated to be addressed as ‘President Lincoln’, so in naming this rose, Herbert Swim has honoured his wish that he be known simply as Mister Lincoln.

Another rose, ‘Honest Abe’, is also named in his honour, bearing his nickname. It is a dark red miniature rose with mossy buds.

Now is the perfect time to experience the beauty of a local rose, with them readily available and in store now. Take a bunch home and enjoy their old world beauty, and beautiful fragrance.

 

Featured picture credit: Hedgerow Rose

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Image of wedding flowers by Florist with Flowers

Seasonal Favourites for Wedding Flowers, Month by Month

So many of the flowers we use today are available year round as a result of growing them in controlled environments (like glass houses) or via importation.

Nevertheless, there is something special about choosing a bloom that is ‘in season’ at the time of your wedding. Why? Fragrances have the ability to transport us through time, to a special time and place. Memories like the smell of freshly cut grass, or sandalwood, may take you back to your childhood. A whiff of someone’s deodorant could remind you of a high school boyfriend, and similarly, walking past a garden with freesias growing wildly can transport back to your special day. Similarly, it is nice to be able to buy a bunch of something special for your loved one that is available around the time of your special day, perhaps for an anniversary.

Some especially seasonal favourites include:

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for January

January

Hydrangea

Garden Roses

Stephanotis

Blackberries

David Austin Roses

Tuberose

Curcumers

Globbers (Hanging Gingers)

Hybrid Delphinium

Water Lily

Bouvardia

Frangipani

Jasmine

Calla Lily

Lisianthus

Love in the Mist

Pineapple Lilies

Clethra

Queen Anne’s Lace

Copper Beech

Flowering Eucalyptus

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for February

February

Hydrangea

Calla lily

Curcumers

Globbers

Zinnias

Nerines

Water lily

Frangipani

Jasmine

Lisianthus

Love in the Mist

Pineapple Lilies

Sedum

Clethra

Queen Anne’s Lace

Flowering Eucalyptus

Snowberry

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for March

March

Hydrangea

Garden Roses

Gardenias

Dahlias

Bouvardia,

David Austin roses

Cyclamen

Zinnias

Bruneii (flowering)

Lisianthus

Waterlily,

Spinning Gum

Red Myrtle

Snowberry

Tetragona

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for April

April

Lisianthus

Freesias

Garden Roses

David Austin Roses

Waterlily

Stock

Bud Wax

Tea Tree

Spinning Gum

Nandina

Red Myrtle

Tetragona

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for May

May

Chyssanthemum

Cymbidium Orchids

Tulips

Freesias

Green Goddess lilies

Bud Wax

Thryptomene

Tea Tree

Spinning Gum

Nandina

Red Myrtle

Tetragona

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for June

June

Sweet Pea

Tulips

Cymbidium Orchids

Poppies

Forget me nots

Hyacinth

Camellia

Kale

Corokia

Thryptomene

Tea Tree

Spinning Gum

Nandina

Red Myrtle

Tetragona

 Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for July

July:

Tulips

Violets

Cymbidium Orchids

Oncidium Orchids

Stock

Flowering Magnolia branches

Bruneii

Sweet Pea

Hyacinth

Kale

Blossom

Poppies

Thryptomene

Tea Tree

Spinning Gum

Red Myrtle

Tetragona

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for August

August;

Anenome

Sweet William

Flowering Magnolia branches

Bruneii

Sweet Pea

Daffodils

Johnquills

Snowdrops

Blossom

Poppies

Daphne

Godetia

Thryptomene

Spinning Gum

Tetragona

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for September

September:

Ranunculas

Anenome

Sweet William

Berzillea

Hellebores

Geraldton Wax

Tulips

Cherry Blossom

Rhododendron

Flannel Flower

Erica

Snowdrops

Arum

Poppies

Daphne

Godetia

Spinning Gum

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for October

October:

Lily of the Valley

Snowball Vibernum (Guelder Rose)

Bearded Iris

Lotus Pods

Lilac

Garden Roses

Tree Peonies

Peonies (late in the month)

Queen Anne’s Lace

Hydrangea

Pieris Japonica

Field Freesias

Waratah

Boronia

Arum

Lisianthus

Chincherinchees

Spinning Gum

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for November

November:

Blushing Bride

Pieris Japonica

Thryptomene

Waratah

Peonies

Hydrangea

Jasmine

Arum

Lisianthus

Chincherinchees

Arab Eyes

Cockscomb

Queen Fabiola

Poppy Pods

Lotus Pods

Image for Seasonal Flowers - List of Flowers for December

December:

Copper Beech

Rosella

Dahlias

Gloriosa Lily

Amaranthus

Tuberose

Stephanotis

Calla lily

Hydrangea

Curcumers

Frangipani

Peonies

Bouvardia

Jasmine

Calla Lily

Queen Fabiola

Lisianthus

Gardenia

Cockscomb

Pineapple Lilies

Flowering Eucalyptus

Blushing Bride

We are now in the throws of wedding season. October to March is the most popular time to get married due to the warmer weather, and the variety of flowers available. If you still have some time until your big day, use the time to look at what is around at the time you are getting married. Wander into your local florist and see what is on display during the month of your planned nuptials. Trust your supplier!!! Weather wreaks havoc on our industry and if it is colder for longer during the winter months, or we have an extraordinarily warm spring, there will be variations to the flowers growth, resulting in blooms being available early, or later, for shorter periods, or for longer periods. There are no hard and fast rules with Mother Nature, so give your suppliers a clear brief and then let them guide you on your best choices.

Til next time,

Fwf x

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Image of a Frozen Rose flower - The Floral Fantasy by Azuma Makoto

FROZEN- The Floral Fantasy

There are a handful of people on this planet who literally have the power to blow my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I am surrounded by inspiring and talented colleagues and friends and have a spirited, loving family- I am lucky. But every now and then you see something that seems so simple, yet is so sublime simultaneously.

I introduce you to two Japanese artists that are pushing the artisitc boundaries in every piece they create. They are masters.

Azuma Makoto (@azumamakota) is a floral artist who, in his latest exhibition chose to present flowers, as single stems or as bouquets suspended in giant ice blocks. Some blooms were distorted by being frozen, but interestingly they were snap frozen so their natural beauty and the intensity of the colours were preserved. As the blocks of ice melt, the blooms wither, and you are left with spent flowers and puddles on the floor. Its almost a metaphor for life; a moment in time, realising that life itself cannot be paused, or stopped, life will go on.

Makoto teamed up with Botanical Photographer Shunsuke Shiinoki to open a “haute couture” flower shop in Tokyo in 2002. In 2005 he began exploring the expressive potential of flowers by inventing a new genre of “botannical scultpture”, receiving orders from outside of Japan. After a solo exhibition in New York his unique, experimental works have been exhibited throughout Paris and Dusseldorf repeatedly, and also art museums, galleries and public spaces in Milan, Belgium, Shanghai and Mexico.

Now whilst the concept of freezing flowers probably doesn’t sound all that awe inspiring to anyone out there who has taken edible herbs and flowers and frozen them in ice cubes to add to drinks for a special soiree, I’m sure once you set your eyes on them, you’ll appreciate the difference.

This set my passion alight again, and my heart a-flutter ?

Watch how it all came together before you see the final result

Image of flower bouquets frozen in blocks by Azuma Makoto

 

Image of a Frozen yellow flower

Zoomed Image of a flower frozen in a block

Image of a beautiful flower frozen in a block

Image of Frozen Blocks of flower bouquets

Image of a Frozen Flower at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of a Frozen Flower at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of a Frozen Flower at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of a Frozen Flower at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of Frozen Flowers at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of blocks of Frozen Flowers at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of a blocks Frozen Flowers at the Florist With Flowers blog


Image of blocks of Frozen Flowers at the Florist With Flowers blog

Image of blocks of Frozen Flower bouquets at the Florist With Flowers blog

 

Someone else who is taking inspiration from nature, freezing flowers in space and time, is photographer Kenji Shibato. Shibato’s exhibition “Locked in Ether” showcases flowers literally locked in a moment of time. As time begins to move again, the ice thaws and the flowers are released from the restraint. Shibato’s flowers are more free form and there is less ‘arrangement’ in the placements of the blooms, but the overall concept and effect if the same. I’ve included a few examples here, but if you want to see more, check out his website.

Image of iced beautiful flowers

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So what do you think?

Is this a technique you would like to see in more wedding and event work? Could we create talking pieces for a special soiree that could have the power to blow your guest’s minds?

I love that there is no limit to creativity!

Fwf x

Image Sources:

Azuma Makoto Instagram

Azuma Makoto’s website

Kenji Shibato’s Website

 

 

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creativity word cloud on blackboard

Nature Vs Nurture- Can Creativity be Taught?

We’ve all heard the age old argument of Nature Vs Nurture. Does it apply to creativity? Can you learn to be creative? Can we teach such skills?

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The nature versus nurture debate is about the relative importance of an individual’s innate qualities as opposed to the individual’s experiences from the environment one is brought up in, in determining individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. So what I have been thinking a lot about recently is, are we born with creative ability or can we be taught?

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In recent years institutions have been taking a special interest in schooling individuals in creativity, believing that if these qualities are nurtured from an early age, it is actually possible to teach creativity in schools, and right through to universities. It is also believed that these days, as children are routinely assessed, they are consequently encouraged to conform rather than value thinking differently.

What do you think?

I certainly think that you can learn the fundamentals of anything. You can paint by numbers, you can follow step by step instructions to piece together a set of Lego, and you can learn how to follow a pattern to sew your own clothes. BUT can you develop independant, creative thought?

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I guess for me it is kind of the difference between baking and cooking. Both are incredibly valuable, desirable skills, but I remember hearing my lecturer explain the differences between the two to me once upon a time. She told me that baking is a carefully calculated process that results in a chemical reaction; dependent on following exact measurements and quantities in the recipe. How much baking powder, did matter. How long it baked in the oven, did matter. The particular temperature, did matter.

Cooking on the other hand was more about feelings and tastes. Add more of what you like, experiment with flavours. Feel. Taste. Touch.

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I have heard people say things like, ‘I have never been a creative person, but I would love to be a florist’ and I wonder what kind of florist they would become? Sure you can give a cook a recipe, and if you follow it carefully, and measure accurately, the result should be consistent each and every time, does the same apply for floristry?

For me, the answer is no. Haven’t you ever asked a friend for a recipe for that dish that you love, only to recreate it, and it fall a little short? Sometimes it just lacks that flavour.

And maybe this is the element that cannot be taught- the x factor if you like- ‘Flavour’ OR ‘FLAIR’.

It is true that we all find inspiration in day to day life, through our colleagues, our friends, our mentors. A conversation about one thing can start a thought process and lead you to another. One comment can spark a thought, and before you know it, you are envisaging something new and exciting to create. At least that is the way it happens with me.

Now that is not to say that there is only one type of creativity either. One person can be creative mathematically yet not manage to put together an outfit that matches. Alternatively a person could put together a home so beautiful it belongs in magazines, but when it comes to creative problem solving comes up blank.

Finding a new florist to join your team is a tough process. Qualified, experienced florists walk in and out of your door and the position is left unfilled. Why? Because the applicant may have made something that follows the elements and principles of design but it still manages to lack some sort of flavour.

What do you think, do we florists have a special skill?  Can you see finesse in some florists’ work, that is lacking in others? Do you think people are born with the ability to take things to a new level?

Fwf x

 

 

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