Flower Shop Stories

Falling for Frome

Well, as it always does, it starts with flowers. But soon I find myself falling in love with Frome.

This small Somerset town has a mixed reputation; some good, some bad. On the plus side it has a thriving art's scene, interesting places to eat and a number of pretty cobbled streets that meander up from the centre of town. But Frome also has much poorer areas of social deprivation.

However it seems, despite the recession, Frome is on the up. And I am also on the up. Up the top of St Catherine's Hill visiting Grace Haskin's new shop, Bramble & Wild.

Who could fail to fall in love with Grace's shop, with it's pale blue door and its cool stone coloured interior?

Grace has been open for two weeks and is starting to feel settled in.

As I chat to her about her new venture several customers call in looking for small gifts and posies.

When Grace started Bramble & Wild she decided to move into Frome so she would be close by for the early morning starts and late night flower emergencies..."I have forgotten our anniversary...!"

It turns out Grace is a fan of Frome and she says more and more people are discovering its delights and relocating here.

"It is a lot cheaper than Bath, yet some parts have much the same architecture."

Grace finds it interesting that many of the business that are opening up on St Catherine's Hill have come from London. "It seems that in Somerset people still look down a bit on Frome, but that elsewhere people are beginning to realise how much it has to offer."

Grace has me convinced, as does the experience of wandering down St Catherine's Hill.

I do love a good haberdashers!

I can't really sew or quilt but there is something incredibly soothing about bundles of fabric and bowls of buttons.

And what a great name for a shop ... Millie Moon.

I may even have to make some bunting!

As I loiter trying to think of something easy to make that I would actually use, the staff are having great fun helping a customer put together a mask of ribbons and feathers for a forthcoming dance.

One last covetous glance at the buttons and it is on down the hill,

past inspiring clothes shops,

vintage emporiums

and shops that now make me want to take up knitting!

I can see I am going to have to come back to Frome.

The Flower Shop in your Garden

I am at Kate's shop, Rustic Rose, getting ready for my workshop. We are going to have a go at making arrangements and posies using flowers from the garden.

As it is a garden party theme, I think we need some bunting, some old china and a vintage mirror to set the scene.

Without actually doing much things are already looking up - Mother Nature is on our side, providing us with a wonderful combination of colours.

I make some hand-tied posies for jugs and jam jars, plus some arrangements in teacups and an old button box.

Then everyone else has a go. To the garden flowers we add some shop bought roses such as the deep red Grand Prix and a sugar-sweet pink and orange rose called Miss Piggy. The stronger stems of these roses provide support in the posies for the more delicate (but beautifully fragranced) roses we have cut from the garden.

One of the ladies, Gail is getting inspiration for her retirement. By the time we have chatted about flowers over cake and coffee I can see she is making plans for future days filled with wine and roses.

Another budding florist, Di, has never worked with flowers before - her days are too busy with her job as a teacher in a nursery for children with special needs.

She is a natural, and I can see she is secretly delighted with the posy she makes packed with sweetpeas and lavender.

In fact she is so pleased with the whole experience she suggests people should be prescribed flower workshops as therapy.

I couldn't agree more!

Gathering Flowers for Gemma

It is an early start at Rustic Rose as I am running a workshop based on my Flower Shop in your Garden book (more of that another time). But very importantly I am also gathering flowers for Gemma's wedding.

Gemma, like me, fundraises for the children's charity Hope and Homes for Children, and this Sunday she is marrying her boyfriend Matt.

A few months ago we went out for lunch to talk flowers and after a glass of wine (the way to my heart) I volunteered to do them for her. I knew Kate would help me get some really lovely flowers, and as I arrive for the workshop, she and the girls are busy unpacking them.

So, Gemma, here are your flowers!

We have buckets of creamy and pale pink roses, white lisianthus with pink frilly edges. We have lavender and herbs and splashes of cerise roses and purple veronica.

I have also added the herb, feverfew as I think it will look so pretty in amongst the flowers in the buckets and jam jars on the tables.

There is just one thing missing ...

On my way to Hatch Pick your Own flower farm, I swerve to a halt to take a picture of the hall in the village of East Knoyle. Someone else is getting ready for a wedding.

And the flower that is missing? You have to have some gorgeously scented sweet peas when you get married. Then whenever you smell them you will be reminded of yours and Matt's day.

See you tomorrow Gemma!

A Tasty Bunch of Florists

I will not hear a bad word said against Essex. I met such a nice bunch of florists there this week (and I do like florists who know how to put on a good lunch). I was invited to the very pretty village of Pleshey to give a talk to a group of women, who became friends when they all attended a floristry course at Writtle agricultural college.

The talk and demonstration took place in Jane's very beautiful barn and later on the flower conversation spread out into the garden.

What I particularly enjoyed was seeing how a passion for flowers could bring together a wide range of women in terms of age and careers to form such strong bonds of friendship. Even after the course ended they continue to meet once a week - now dubbing themselves 'the bunch of florists'.

It was also a lunch for confessions, as one lady explained how she had once nearly forgotten a wedding (but with the help of other florists pulled it out of the bag at the 11th hour). You could see the ladies around the table blanching in sympathy, myself included.

Later that day I was telling the story to my friend Anne who is a vicar. She told me how she once forgot a wedding rehearsal, only remembering as she was drinking wine with friends. She bolted to the church and rushed in late, shaking her head and sighing "so sad, so sad". No one ever asked her what had held her up!

I was particularly taken with Jane's splendid pink lilies, which she bought from Hampton Court Flower Show last year.

Well, actually she bought white lilies - and finding the same stall at the show this year, asked them about the colour change. Apparently (and not a lot of people know this!) lilies can get an embarrassed blush in years where there is not a lot of rain.

Get the Party Started

The marquee is up and there is certainly plenty of bunting!

We are having a party to celebrate my daughter Alex and my birthday. We have a wonderful garden to have it in, thanks to friend's Martyn & Gay and a great tent, thanks to friend, Gill.

www.miltonmarquees.co.uk

I must have done something good in a previous life (!) as the sun is really shining.

The good thing about being a florist is that you are never short of vases, lanterns. hurricane lamps and baskets. For each table I fill a huge basket with picnic food ...well all the food I like to eat on a picnic!

I did think (for one brief minute) of the extravagant things I could do with the flowers, before I thought, I would just like to keep it simple - so all around the marquee were jugs, vases and flowerpots filled with deeply scented stock.

My daughter Libby and her french friend Juliette spent the day baking dozens and dozens of cupcakes.

I ended up taking very few photos as I was having such a good time - or crying when my daughters made a speech! But I will never forget the evening and especially seeing Alex so happy with all her newly graduated uni friends.