It rained today.....

I know the gardens need the rain, but please, next time not on a Saturday when we have lovely bride's getting married.  Tamsyn carried a lovely bunch of Majolica roses, astrantia and the last of my garden grown lily of the valley, finished off with herbs from Matthew's allotment.  It had the most wonderful aroma. 

 Bridal bouquet modeled by Ellen.  This is as close as Ellen wants to carrying a bouquet!

Matthew mixed purple and lilac sweet peas, flowering herbs and veronica to match the bridesmaid's dress.  Once the flowers were delivered it was onto the marquee to  decorate the cake.

 

I do hope it stops raining soon.  I am thinking of all the lovely shoes that will be soggy by the time the guest's run from the church to the marquee - Hunter wellies are all well and good, but they don't quiet go with floaty summer frocks. 

It's back to paper work now - planning next weekends weddings....

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

SF

A Smart Friday Wedding...

Oh we do like a smart town wedding.  The bride wanted to have an accent of the country so we used the lovely spray rose Majolica with lots of foliages from Matthew's garden.

The bridesmaids wore wrist corsages with purple eustoma to match their beautiful silk dresses and the Groom's buttonhole is just as fabulous.

Tomorrow's wedding has bridesmaids in purple to.  I will be blogging more beautiful floral images tomorrow, when we will be back to Goodwood to decorate the Duke's private box for the horse racing at the weekend.

The hounds both need an afternoon walk, so I think we should make the most of this sunny spell as the forecast for tomorrow isn't looking so good - wet and windy according to the BBC.

Have a lovely evening.

Spriggs Florist

I would like my flowers to have that just picked from the meadow look... Part 2

As promised, Part 2 of "I would like my flowers to have that just picked from the meadow look..."

The bridal flowers boxed and delivered, jugs on tables and ivy attached to every chair and doorway, its time to post the second part of this blog.

Jo and Nick's wedding has been fun from the moment we met - even if Jo did make me watch the Channel 4 programme with Monty Don  and Blooming Green (I will forgive Jo at some point in the future, just not yet).  Being able to use lots of summer English flowers is always a joy - the bluebells and cow parsley are locally grown, the herbs from the garden and the clematis seed heads from Rebecca's garden. 

The ceremony and reception is to be held at Upwaltham Barn, which is a lovely venue just between Petworth and Chichester, with wonderful views across the South Downs and has the most beautiful gardens.

Just one more wedding to do today, then it's back to table arrangements for Goodwood House for a gala dinner tomorrow night. 

Hope the sun stays with us for the weekend.  Take walks in dappled shade, drink plenty and just be gorgeous in every way.

xx

I would like my flowers to have that just picked from the meadow look...

Our bride and groom for tomorrow's wedding have been such fun to work with and have certainly redefined 'chic' style for me.  Here is a sneaky preview of the flowers for the top table, an eclectic mix of jugs filled with cow parsley, bluebells and yellow ranunculus.

I will of course post more images after the wedding. 

As the camera was in hand, or more to the point on the tripod in Matthew's garden, I just had to take a couple of shots.

I just love all the shades of green.

Apologies for the shortness of this blog - but I'm full of cold and want to go home to curl up on the sofa with Petal as my nurse maid - fat chance.

From Country Church to Corporate Symposium

This is what we get up to on a Wednesday in May

This morning saw Matthew twirling around the country with armfuls of apple blossom from dad's orchard and solomon seal, to decorate one of our many beautiful churches.  Then it was back to the shop to start preparing for a corporate event at Wiston House.

Purple and lime green were the chosen colours, so hydrangeas, coolwater roses and anastasia green it had to be.  And then it was just a question of where else can we put more candles and fairy lights?

Matthew is now back at the shop and signing off for a long weekend.  Plenty of walks with Clara the sausage dog, jobs to catch up on at the allotment and some well earned lazy lunches.

The blue bell is the sweetest flower.....

That waves in summer air
Its blossoms have the mightiest power
To soothe my spirit's care....
 
Emily Jane Bronte
 
Today's bride may not have had the best of spring days to wed, but her bouquet was a picture of spring and her two year old flower girl carried a tiny posy of blue bells.

You could eat them with a spoon...

The flowers have arrived from the markets, some from local growers and others have wended their way from Aalsmeer in The Netherlands, via the lovely Johan who likes to call Matthew in the wee small hours to collect our goodies.

Peonies, ladies mantle and sweet williams fill the entrance to the shop with scented lilac and solomon seal stems adding a touch of drama to the whole area.

The buckets and vases purchased at the weekend in Belgium are being unpacked and filled with gorgeous blooms. I have my eye on some rather lovely green buckets - very Farrow & Ball.

English lily of the valley from Yvonne's garden will be in the shop this weekend aswell...

Petal and Clara are awaiting for their lunch time walk, so that's it from Spriggs for now.

xoxo