For me, I usually quite like January. It is a quiet month with no weddings usually and gives me a chance to catch up on admin, stay warm, catch up on my sleep, after the crazy Christmas rush, see people who I have neglected during the busy year, I also like to go away somewhere sunny in January, as the summer tends to be full of weddings. I also love the fresh new start that a new year brings. I love the chance to plan, to look forward, to work on the business and where I will take it this year. However, we all know this year is slightly different. We are spending so much more time inside, our routines may have been changed slightly, we all have a lot more on our minds. I am here to bring you some simple ways that will help you beat the January blues using fresh flowers and house plants.

Flowers for the Home:

There is no doubt about it, fresh flowers in you home can instantly spark joy. From a bright bunch of tulips on the kitchen table, to a large vase filled with mixed foliage. By bringing in fresh elements to your home, this not only cheers up the interior of your house but also your mood too. I cannot help but smile when look at flowers, you can watch them open in time, see how they change, and get a great deal of enjoyment from them in these times when we are stuck inside a lot more. I have found more people last year are welcoming the idea it is ok to treat yourself to a bunch of blooms. Our subscriptions come wrapped in brown paper and are filled with long lasting, seasonal, scented flowers and foliage. Florist choice each time, you can guarantee you will not get the same bunch twice! Enjoy the changing seasons through your house flowers, so daffodils and tulips in the spring, stocks and peonies in the summer, dahlias and berries in the autumn, and amaryllis and foliage in the winter. Each week a new variety of flower comes to market, which is one of the reasons I love my job as a florist!

Send Flowers in Bristol:

Flowers make the perfect gift! The thank you’s, the happy birthdays, the anniversary, the ‘Just Because’. Flowers can mean endless sentiments and can be such a personal, thoughtful gift. The joy on recipients face when you hand them a big bouquet of beautiful flowers, gets me every time! As we are not able to see each other over the next few months, sending flowers can really cheer someone up.

Houseplants:

Many scientific studies have concluded the physiological and psychological benefits of having houseplants in your home. These leafy green beauties are not only an instant mood lifter, they can cleanse the air too, improving air quality within your house. Choose from big leafy cheese plants in the dining room, to more luscious ferns in the bathroom. Plants like sanseveria ‘Mother in Law’s Tongue’ clean the air at night, so it is essential to have one of these in your bedroom, or two… who’s counting?! Of course houseplants are super trendy and extreme instagram fodder, but do not underestimate the health benefits our green friends can bring to our lives. When you discover a new leaf growing too… that is such a highlight of the day, lockdown or no lockdown! Read more about how houseplants can benefit your health here.

How to beat the January Blues? Aside from flowers and houseplants, for me fresh air is key. Owning a dog means I get out every day for a walk, taking in nature and fresh air does wonders for your soul and I cannot be without it! Exercise and eating healthily is another way that helps me stay focused and positive through January. The Christmas Prosecco is replaced with calming herbal tea… yes a cliche, but it does work!

Throughout lockdown we will be delivering seasonal beautiful bouquets in Bristol each week from our florist, and will be stocking a range of gorgeous house plants. Each week flowers will be my choice of the finest seasonal blooms I can get my hands on at the market, and I will be offering brand new plants each week for those plant addicts amongst you. Stay tuned for a big house plant pot delivery in the next few weeks too! To view our bouquet and plant range online, please browse through our online shop!

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January is always a quiet month for me so I tend not do do weddings, however I flowered a local small wedding at Hotel du Vin, for a friend! A Hindu ceremony we made a beautiful archway in rich ruby red and blush tones… flower arches are my favourite and it is rare that one of my weddings does not have some form of flower installation/archway. So it felt great to be starting off the year with a gorgeous wedding… a sign of things to come, I had so so many amazing weddings booked in for 2020! Valentines Day came, which was busy filled with spring bouquets and moving on to Mother’s Day this was a different story. In between I had flowered a small wedding, a bridal bouquet, bridesmaids and buttonholes, which I tend not to do usually. However I thought it was Valentines Day and I will be having flowers in so why not! I did not ever dream that this would be my last wedding for months, and the start of the most uncertain times in my business yet. Covid struck, a global pandemic, the most uncertain times that we have faced as a planet in our lifetimes, and the day after Mother’s Day we were placed in a national lockdown.

To count this year I have worked on 7 weddings, rather than my usual 60 ish. A few with just bouquets and buttonholes, I cannot tell you how emotional it is making just one bridal bouquet and one buttonhole… in some ways you think wow this is incredible, this is what it is all about….real love and getting married! Then the other side of you thinks about all the ups and downs couples have been through this year in terms of planning their weddings, loved ones who will not be able to witness this happy day, the big party that will not be happening. I have never known a more emotional year!! 2 of these weddings had booked me this year in the midst of the pandemic, a last minute decision to just go ahead and go for it… small wedding or not! I admire these couples and was so grateful to be immersed in wedding flowers during those times! Being allowed to fulfil my job and my passion meant the world… I do what we do because I love it, my job is my passion and I love working on weddings! It sounds soppy but people being in love, happiness the day brings, the hope of a new marriage, family and friends all being in one place to celebrate. Little did we know these occasions would be so few and far between this year.

As Covid thrives in social situations, weddings have been pretty much cancelled all year. I remember sitting on my parents kitchen worktop on Mothers Day having the biggest meltdown… OH My God, weddings will be cancelled… what will I do?! How will I make money? How will I pay my bills? How long will weddings be cancelled for? Logistically how will couples deal with this…? rearrange/cancel? The level of uncertainty was unreal, and I know this is the same for so many business, and we all faced uncertain times. I absolutely know the devastating effects of the pandemic, I pay a lot of detail to the news and am fully aware of the situation… I am writing this simply from my wedding florist perspective. The sheer panic made me look at this from a very intrinsic view at the time, and as the shock wore off and lockdown was announced I realised that we were all facing this. All of my couples, my supplier friends, all businesses were in the same boat of course! How were we going to deal with this kept me awake at night and I know so many other people too!

During lockdown many of my couples decided to rearrange, weddings could not go ahead, so they had no choice but to postpone. Those first few weeks were crazy, every time I looked at my emails I had another postponement. We would have never envisaged still being in this position at the end of the year. General consensus amongst the wedding industry, was if we can rearrange the spring/summer weddings to autumn/winter that would work, because surely by then we will be over this and life will be back to normal! Venues have been so amazing rescheduling dates, and suppliers have jumped through hoops to rework everyones new dates. As the summer went on, and tiers were introduced/ rates were increasing again, we realised weddings were not going to happen as we know and love them in the autumn too. Couples therefore found themselves rescheduling their big day again. I cannot tell you the disappointment, the tough decisions couples have made, the waiting, the uncertainty to find out whether their day could go ahead. Or whether we would have new restrictions/new tiers in place which would stop this from happening. When weddings got cancelled in the summer with less than 24 hours notice… it really was such a cruel and uncertain time for these couples and wedding suppliers.

Since we have realised weddings are not looking likely to be going ahead as we know them, again more couples have rearranged. I have had couples move their date 4 times. It is absolutely heartbreaking and yes ceremonies can go ahead… and that is great, but as we find ourselves dipping in and out of tiers, wedding receptions cannot. And if we head back into lockdown the wedding ceremonies can not take place at all. The fact the government even used the term, ‘death bed wedding’ is absolutely unforgivable. This is their view that yes you can get married if you absolutely have to ie on your deathbed… disgraceful terminology. Weddings are about love, celebration, family, and if you want a big white wedding with all the trimmings then yes you are well entitled to this dream, so if rearranging is the one option you have to be able to have the wedding of your dreams then this is perfectly acceptable. We will get there!!

As we head in to 2021 though, I am having my spring weddings postpone too. I have had summer 2021 couples want to move to 2022. The uncertainty continues, and when you run your own business you put your absolute heart and soul into this. Having the constant unknown linger over you can be quite unsettling. We want to be back doing what we love, working on weddings, and I seriously cannot wait until we can all celebrate in a safe way. As wedding florists we are used to blocking out our calendar, but when it comes to the constant movement of dates, couples maybe asking to hold two dates/reserve dates.. of course we have done everything we can to assist this. But when running a business this has been really hard to comes to terms with for me personally. It has been a logistical nightmare and when we are of course all trying to keep our couples feelings and weddings in mind as a priority, we have also had to realise this has had a huge affect on all suppliers involved and our sanity!

As lockdown eased after 7 weeks, we were lucky enough that our flower market could open, however I was uncertain of whether I could offer flowers. The limited movement of travel restricted delivery options potentially? It felt as if I would be maybe doing something wrong, so after a few weeks I offered weekly flowers. I needed the flowers myself, just as much as my customers needed flower deliveries! To send to themselves to cheer up this awful bleak time or to send to loved ones to say how much they are missing them. We have learnt even more so the symbolism of flowers this year, and how a pick me up bouquet can do just that. Flowers spread joy! I was delighted to be able to offer these weekly bouquets. I wanted to keep my interactions to a minimum and travel too, so once a week worked until restrictions eased off again in the summer. There was a big demand for houseplants too, so it was great to be able to offer plants for delivery too. I would have done a few plant pop up shops throughout the year so instead of this I just added to the online shop, which worked well. I embraced dried flowers, I sold about a million peonies in June, the DIY wreath kit went down an absolute storm and have never spent so much time researching cardboard box packaging and courier options… I spent a lot of time in December tracking courier orders that I had posted. Nationwide delivery is now a thing from The Rose Shed. Instagram was even more my friend than usual, and it was great to spend the year building up more of an online community here! It is amazing the have the online support of people you have never met, we can all share our experiences, our wins… our losses. Instagram is a huge source of inspiration, comfort, entertainment and encouragement.

I am so so lucky I have been able to work in some capacity this year, for my sanity and my business. The business has ticked along all year, so I am so grateful I have been able to utilise my online shop and push this, whereas some wedding and events business can simply not, which really is heartbreaking and shows how deep the effects of this pandemic will last. Viable business have gone bust, unable to work, with no plan rolled out on how and when we can potentially get back to work. So I am above all grateful to my years of working in florist shops, my skills and knowledge to be able to just crack on and extend to this delivery side of my business. The biggest of thanks to everyone who sent a bouquet, bought a plant for themselves, took part in a Zoom wreath workshop… the support for my business has meant the world and ensured me to keep going this year!

I have never been good at not being busy. Those lockdown weeks were an emotional rollercoaster. When your whole business is taken away from you, it is a huge thing to get your head round. The feeling useless, unproductive, helpless, hopeless, that you have no purpose…balanced out against the ‘whole world is completely f*&%$d’  where do we start with trying to get through this… is a minefield! This is not a self pity post at all, as I said its a round up of the year! Those emotions were also teamed with many positive ones, there are lots of good things to take from this year. Me trying to learn to do nothing because I had no choice… it is ok to sit there and watch continuous episodes of Four Rooms and not feel guilty! Trying not to try to conjure up work just because I thought I should do… to try to learn to just switch off, which is easier said than done. Above all I have learnt resilience… us florists are a resilient bunch at the best of times, we think on our feet and can readily fix lots of situations when it comes to flowers or wedding logistics and things not planning out as we had imagined. But trying to be resilient in a worldwide pandemic?! As the year has gone on, and the events unfolded… we have all been faced with ever changing situations/ restrictions… each week is a new ‘what on earth can possibly happen this week’ type scenario. This has made me stronger, and definitely tougher… when my initial reaction may have been on the more dramatic side, I believe I can react to things much more calmer and logically, because if we can get through this it is possible that we get through any situation… I hope!!!

Despite the horrendous situation Covid has brought to all of us, the prolonged forced lockdown was the first time I have had a break in forever… I have worked continuously my whole life and have been driven to do so… my business is my passion and I want to succeed and be the best that I can, but I have to admit this has flagged up certain priorities for me. I am happier than I have been personally, so going forward I am going to align this with my business. No one can work 24-7, and work allows you to enjoy the rest of your life right?! I am going to continue to provide the most incredible wedding flowers for my couples, however there will be a few changes around here which I can announce when I am ready to do so.

To all my couples out there who have endured the never-ending wedding dilemma of 2020 your day will come, and it will be the day you planned, the most amazing, wonderful love filled wedding you desire with everyone you want there! And to those of you who are going to opt for the smaller, intimate weddings then I am so on board with that too! Your wedding is going to be even more personal after this whole crazy year, so it is even more important to do it how you want!

The biggest of thanks goes to all my couples who still have the faith for me to work on their postponed big day, my couples who went ahead even if they just required a bouquet and buttonhole, my supplier friends, some of whom are my very best friends… the support is invaluable, we have constantly shared our various wedding scenarios throughout this time, and the reassurance/support/friendship has been incredible! Never underestimate the support of a WhatsApp group… my family (we are such a close family anyway) ‘Covid Soiree’ Group provided endless support and encouragement, enabling us all to share when we were down and also share those small, exciting life moments that still happen! The kids still grow up, the dogs still carry on oblivious and we will all still enjoy a vino on a Friday night which of course has to be shared! To my best school friends, there is nothing we do not know about each other.. and when your political views align in a pandemic blimey be prepared for that WhatsApp to be a very safe space… away from the premise of your social media image… this has been a saviour!!! Jack who has had to put up with the emotional rollercoaster that is myself this year, to pour me a gin and tonic as we sat ready for the latest Boris announcement, be the most amazing delivery driver and florist supporter and take me to the most beautiful places to switch off.  Let’s just hope that 2021 brings healthier, happier and slightly more sociable times ahead…. or what else can we do? Just continue to evolve and adapt to whatever is thrown at us… with flowers by our side and the people we love… that is what 2020 has taught me.

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During the winter I buy my cut flowers from my market, which imports from Holland. This is mainly due to the limitation that British flowers offer, however if you are looking to plant up these flowers in your garden do take a look at Sarah Raven catalogue, wow there are some beautiful ideas in here, with every gorgeous winter flower you would ever need to plant in your garden!

Ranunculus:

An all time favourite bloom, ranunculus have layer upon layer of beautiful soft petals. A sister flower of the peony make them a great choice for winter wedding flowers too. Ranunculus a romantic, elegant feel to them and can provide the English country garden ‘blowsy style’ that we love, in the winter months when not much is growing in the gardens. More and more varieties are available each year making ranunculus a really versatile winter flower working across the colour palettes. The Kloon varieties are just insanely stunning, a super sized version of the ranunculus no winter wedding is complete without these!

Anemone:

A beautiful bulb flower, anemone come in a range of colours from ivory with a black centre, through to paler tones to the brighter, vibrant, jewell tones they are most known for. Rich cerise, deep plum and cobalt blue make anemones a bold choice for a wedding, yet beautiful. Embrace the lack of colour in nature at this time of year and make up for it with these gorgeous blooms. Available from October until around April.

Amaryllis:

These are my ultimate Christmas flower! Amaryllis are the absolute statement bloom for winter, tall thick stems with amazing, trumpet like flowers they are a long-lasting bloom too. They come in the purest, icy whites, pretty peach and pale pink tones, and more vibrant cerise and classic traditional Christmas red. Paired with just berries and simple foliage, this is a go to bunch to dress your home during winter. Each year we have a different coloured variety for Christmas, so who knows what I will choose this year?!

Hyacinth:

Hyacinths are one of the most scented winter flowers you can get. A bulb flower they arrive from market fully closed, and then slowly open up into a floral masterpiece! Tiny bell like flowers fill the whole stem and they come in whites, pinks, blues, lilacs, and deep purples. They work well in a plant pot too, so you can use these inside throughout the winter too and they make great Christmas presents! I like to put the hyacinth bulbs in pretty planters, cover with moss and add twigs for extra interest and texture. A long lasting, beautifully scented gift… what’s not to love?!

Narcissi:

I love narcissi, the brighter yellow ones are really more spring like, however paper whites are a wonderful winter flower which has an amazing scent. A delicate flower they work well just thrown in a vase to cheer up your kitchen table, or their delicate nature makes them a perfect addition to winter wedding flowers. Cream varieties are available too and also varieties with yellow or orange centres, but a white outer petal!

Hellebores:

Now I may have saved the best winter flower til last! Hellebores are an absolute winter winner and are stunning in wedding flowers. They come in so many different tones, and the detail within the petals can be incredible. Tiny polkadot patterns, or the deepest plum tones, through to dusky green blooms. God I love hellebores… can you tell?! They work so well out in the gardens and can be a temperamental cut flower, so I find the English grown, garden picked Hellebores work way better in flower arrangements than the Dutch imports.

I hope the essential guide to winter flowers has provided you with some floral inspiration, whether this is for flowers at home or your winter wedding flowers. For more winter flower inspiration check out the blog for real life weddings too! Which winter flower is your favourite?!

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Foliage garlands work so well! Our garlands are filled with spruce, eucalyptus, dried limonium and pine. All stunning festive foliage, which will not only look amazing, but smell amazing too! Spruce is the scent of Christmas for me! Foliage garlands can also be hung from staircases or mantelpieces too! Drape down the centre on your long table and place your candles and glasses around.

Hyacinths in urns work well on long or round tables, here I have used glass bottles filled with sunning amaryllis and red berries for extra impact. Lots of smaller decorations down the centre of the table look amazing and you can sneak lots of beautiful candle light in too to create a beautiful atmosphere. These candlesticks and festive table linen are from H&M Home, I love the retro Christmas prints!

Remember your place settings too, here I have placed green linen napkins on the plates alongside red berries to add those extra special touches. While we are all spending more time at home this Christmas, we need to make our dinner that bit more special.

Our foliage bunches are a great way to simply dress the table, loose foliage placed along the table is a more laidback garland style, which you can do yourself. Cut smaller snippets from the foliage to place on your napkins, or just throw in a pickling jar so the scent of the pine and eucalyptus fills the room!

We cannot forget flowers too in our Christmas dinner table styling inspiration! A big vase of seasonal blooms in the centre of your vase can provide a real statement focal point, or opt for our trio of terracotta pot arrangements which can be placed down the centre of your dining table or dotted around for extra decoration! How are you going to dress your table this year?!

For Christmas dinner table styling ideas please visit the website, we will be delivering flowers and plants in Bristol until December 23rd! I have also written a previous blog post which delves into more depth about how to style your Christmas dinner table, so do read for extra inspiration!

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First up.. flowers!

Think about the size of your table… are you on a round table or a longer dining table? Mine is rectangular so I prefer the more banquet style dressing of smaller arrangements throughout the centre, but if you have a round table you can get away with a more larger, statement floral vase in the centre. Our Christmas hand tied arrangements in these gorgeous glass vases work perfectly on a round table and make the most beautiful centrepiece! They can be enjoyed throughout the whole day on the dining table and leave plenty of room for glassware/candlesticks/tea lights etc and other decorations you may choose to use.

If you are dining on a longer table our terracotta pot collection is a great way to bring in an elegant yet natural festive feel to your tables cape. Place throughout the centre of your table amongst tea lights and candlesticks for a really relaxed feel. This look also works well with glass bottles in various heights filled with seasonal blooms, and votives filled with larger more blousy blooms. By creating flowers at different heights throughout the table this fills the space and offers an intimate dining experience filled with beauty. I love this look of using smaller vessels throughout, as it allows room for sharing platters/ wine glasses etc.

Table Garlands:

Another way to dress a longer table would be with a foliage garland throughout the centre. There are so many amazing foliage varieties available to us during December. By using foliage such as blue spruce and pine you can bring that classic gorgeous Christmas scent to your dining table. Eucalyptus, berried ivy and pistache are further foliages that I love to use at this time of year. Add fruit such as pomegranates or dried oranges and limes for extra texture and interest.

Place Settings:

I love to adorn each place setting with a sprig of foliage or single bloom. It is these simple touches that offer that more decadent, luxurious feel to our Christmas dining table, making your guests feel special and thought of. Here I have used blue spruce, but long lasting blooms such as ranunculus or roses would work well too. You can tie your place name to the sprig too, which is also a lovely touch!

Candlelight:

How to style your Christmas dinner table? With candlelight of course! Candles are a must and the more the merrier in my book (health and safety wise of course!!) I love to use coloured candles to offer depth and richness, then tea lights in votives to create a continuous look of light at different heights. By keeping your candles tonal, here I have taupe, mink and burgundy, this really does offer a super stylish look to your dining table.

Linen and Tableware:

I am obsessed with tables capes! From various linens, napkins, table cloths and the effect this has, to charger plates, coloured crockery… I am not one for a simple white plate! Glassware is important too, I mean you need a glass for fizz and your red wine right?! Coloured glassware looks stunning or opt for a classic, traditional clear look. Use your linen and tableware to bring a bit of colour and personality to your dining table, or opt for simple, white ceramics which offer a timeless feel.

How will you be dressing your table for Christmas this year?! I hope this post has given you some inspiration and if you would like to order flowers for your Christmas table we will be delivering in Bristol up until December 23rd. Table decorations, garlands, fresh flowers for your house… we will have it all from our Bristol florist in Paintworks. Simply order online here!

Photos Edina Papp and Pinterest.

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The DIY wreath kits can be posted nationwide, or delivered locally in Bristol and North Devon. An online video tutorial will accompany you where I will show you step by step how to create your gorgeous wreath… you can pause the video as you go along so I will be with you at every step of the way. Lots of you have attended my workshops in the past so you will already be pros, but these DIY wreath kits are perfect for anyone who has never made a wreath before!

Included in the DIY wreath kit will be a wire ring, moss to create your wreath base and a reel wire. You will need secateurs and something to hang your wreath on your door, but everything else will be provided in the kit. I will also include festive foliage such as blue spruce, pine, fir and berried ivy with wild thyme too! Festive accessories such as pine cones, lotus seed heads and lime slices will provide a natural feel to your wreath in our elegantly natural Rose Shed style.

The wreath kits are available to buy online from now and can be posted out from the first week in December, last weekend in November so organise your mates and book a date to get festive! The kits are £45 inc p&p which is great value for the variety of foliage and accessories you will receive. If you do not fancy making your own wreath then we can create a beautiful wreath in our workshop and deliver nationwide, or locally… simply order online here. We will be delivering wreaths in Bristol and North Devon during December!

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Fox and Feather:

I’ve shopped with Fox and Feather since the very beginning, and most of my wardrobe is from there! I am not a big shopper, so I tend to pop in a few times a year and that’s it… I really do go for it! I can guarantee I will head into this shop and want to buy the whole shop! An amazing independent clothing and lifestyle shop on Gloucester Road, I defy anyone to walk into their and not want everything!

The Barn:

The most gorgeous Beauty Salon in the Somerset countryside, Kelly and the Team at The Barn specialise in cutting-edge treatments and holistic therapies with the calm and healing of the natural world. The endless list of tempting treatments make the perfect voucher gift and the online shop is filled with amazing skincare, make up and all the treats we love! With each product you get current and knowledgable advice on how to use in order to reap the benefits of your new skin care regime. Highly recommended… Kelly has sorted my skin out on many an occasion.. I can recommend all of her products including eye masks which are the dream for any florist up at 4am!

LS Studio:

Well I have ticked off skincare, so next is haircare! Lukas runs the most brilliant hair salon in Paintworks. His attention to detail is insane and you always walk out feeling a million dollars and more! The product range they stock is amazing too… natural, organic O Way products not only smell great, they are nourishing for your hair, the super cool bottles make them the perfect Christmas stocking filler too!

Milly Maunder:

Who doesn’t love jewellery?! Stunning bespoke designs from Devon based Milly Maunder, either simple layering rings or gorgeous granulated ear cuffs, her whole online shop is just incredible! Because jewellery is always a good idea, and again buying a unique piece of jewellery from an independent designer like Milly makes those pieces even more special.

JG Pottery:

Jim creates pottery from his studio in Bristol and all of his work is thrown, turned and glazed by hand. He tends to make one off items or small batches, so everything is quite unique. Inspired by 60s and 70s pottery, Scandinavian design and classic British design… Jim can post out nationwide safely! Jim’s mugs as we call them, are the perfect gift for anyone, lots of my friends and family luckily now own them! Jim also makes beautiful planters too, suitable for indoor houseplants.

Bristol Cheese:

The Bristol Cheesemonger is a specialist cheesemongers focusing on local, seasonal British cheeses. Working closely with artisan, South west and British producers they research, locate, sell and deliver delicious cheeses from across the United Kingdom. You can even order cheese subscriptions, which would be the perfect Christmas gift to have a variety of cheeses delivered each month!

Meticulous Ink:

Meticulous Ink create bespoke design, and stationery printed the old fashioned way – using beautiful papers, time, patience, and a deep rooted passion for being meticulous. At the very back of the studio they usually teach our lettering and calligraphy workshops. The space is calm and friendly, full of creative inspiration and tactile, analogue trinkets. You can find Meticulous Ink on the northern end of Walcot Street in Bath where they stock everything a stationery enthusiast would love for Christmas! I attended a calligraphy workshop and a modern lettering workshop, which were both loads of fun and taught me some really cool skills to use in my business and card writing!

Pop and Punch:

For anything small person related… try Pop and Punch who stock so many gorgeous children’s decor, lifestyle and homeware products! Look at these cute stockings… I’d be up for putting my pressies in here, let alone kids presents!

So happy shopping all and enjoy browsing through your ultimate Christmas gift guide… I for one am supporting my local, independents this year, I hope this has provided a little bit of inspiration if needed! Of course flowers are always a good idea, and I will be delivering locally up until the 23rd, but if anyone needs a local florist elsewhere do ask I have lots of amazing florist friends throughout the country. So please ring through to an independent florist rather than a nasty old relay service!

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We are entering a new lockdown and that means unfortunately staying at home as much as possible and being separated from our loved ones. The last lockdown showed that we need flowers and plants in our homes and lives more than ever. Flowers were being sent to people we couldn’t see as a way of showing them we love them! With this in mind, I will be continuing my contact less flower delivery in Bristol through lockdown on Wednesdays-Saturdays. Be prepared for beautiful blooms in seasonal colours, which will change each week! Simply order online here!

Our flower subscriptions are really kicking off with seasonal home flower wraps being delivered the first week of every month! If you are looking for fresh flowers in the home then these loose, seasonal blooms wrapped in brown paper are perfect for you. I chose the best seasonal flowers available at the market that day and opt for long lasting blooms so you get to enjoy for as long as possible. Our flower subscriptions also make the perfect gift so how about treating your loved ones or our hand tied flower subscription where you can chose our beautiful hand tied gift bouquets which again will be delivered monthly.

So here are my top 5 autumn bouquets! For sale at the moment, filled with beautiful autumnal blooms and delivered in Bristol or North Devon weekly. Think big chrysanthemum blooms, seasonal berries, long lasting alstroemerias, delicate spray roses and scented stocks. Foliage is key to making these bouquets bang on trend too, with soft grey eucalyptus or the red, autumnal oak foliage! Which one is your favourite?!

For bouquet delivery in Bristol we are sending flowers Wednesday to Saturday from our florist at Paintworks. We will be closed for customers as per the government guidelines but contactless delivery is the way forward for now! Please browse the website and stay tuned for big things in December too with our Christmas collection! Let’s get through these next few weeks as best as we can, and here’s hoping we can all move forward together at some point!

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Christmas Gift Bouquets:

There is no better way to say ‘I love you’  or ‘Wish you were here’ than flowers! I know I am biased, but a beautiful bouquet can really cheer anyone up, especially during the festive period. Our Christmas collection features seasonal hand tied gift bouquets, filled with beautiful blooms and wrapped in brown paper in a gift bag, You can opt for an extra special gift of a delivery in a vase, this means the recipient has a gorgeous keepsake, yet this is also a really low maintenance gift! Our collection has something for everyone, however flowers will be in festive tones so reds, soft muted neutrals, icy whites or brighter blooms!

Dress Your House With Christmas Flowers:

After the year we have had, I am all up for treating yourself this Christmas! We will be delivering seasonal bunches of festive flowers and foliage which will allow you to decorate your house in our super stylish Rose Shed blooms. Beautiful amaryllis are the epitome of Christmas for me, and they are an incredibly long lasting flower ranging from reds, to corals/pinks and pure white. Along with berries and festive foliage this is the statement bunch we all need to welcome our guests and provide atmosphere throughout the day. In the special instructions please request if you would like white or red!

Foliage is so important at Christmas time! Our festive foliage bunch is filed with all kinds of green treats from eucalyptus, pine and fir… not only does it look great it smells great too. Keep as one big statement bunch or separate up into smaller vases throughout the house! You can pick out a few sprigs to use for place settings too… with less of us at the dining table this year it really is about those special touches.

Christmas Table Decorations:

Dressing the table for the festive feast is one of my favourite things to do! Alongside eating the dinner of course! But my attention to detail goes into overdrive… choosing the right napkins and tableware are important in creating that super special atmosphere for a relaxed Christmas dinner. Tea lights and candle wear are important and of course flowers! I have a couple easy to work with table decorations, which will make your life so easy! Terracotta pots in various sizes filled with seasonal foliage and blooms, with candles. I have always preferred the rich, warm traditional red tones, however if you’d like crisp, icy whites then please write in the special instructions. Tailoring your festive flowers to your taste is something we can accommodate with so just please ask! The great thing about these pots is they work well on a longer table, spaced out with candles in between. Or you can place the larger one in the centre of a round table, with the smaller two either side or have them as extra decorations around the house!

Our Christmas vases work well as table decorations too, a sumptuous, full bunch of festive blooms with scented foliage such as pine invoking those serious Christmas vibes will carry you through the whole Christmas dinner! To send Christmas flowers in Bristol simply order online!

Flower Subscriptions:

What do you give the person who has everything?! Flowers, of course! Our flower subscriptions are the perfect Christmas gift and allow the recipient to receive a beautiful bouquet every month for either 3 months, 6 months or a year! Each bouquet will reflect the changing seasons so will be filled with different gorgeous blooms each month. Choose our ‘flower wrap’ subscriptions, which again can be a great gift to yourself too! the flowers come wrapped in brown paper. Or our ‘hand tied gift’ subscription, where our flowers will be wrapped in a gift bag in water, and brown paper! Deliveries in Bristol and North Devon only.

Christmas Wreaths:

Our handmade wreaths are the beautiful way to dress your front door, filled with so many varieties of seasonal foliage and festive accessories. We will be making and delivering our wreaths in Bristol and North Devon throughout December, they make a great gift too! Or our popular wreath making workshops are going online this year, so you can order our DIY kit which has everything you need to make your own. beautiful wreath! Accompanied by an online video tutorial with me showing you how, and written instructions too, the fail safe way to making your very own gorgeous wreath.

I you are looking to send Christmas flowers in Bristol our Christmas collection makes this easy for our customers, however if there is something more bespoke you would love such as Christmas trees, table garlands, door installations then please get in touch and Rachel will be more than happy to help.

Beautiful festive photography: Edina Papp Photography

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Ingredients: What will you need?

In my video tutorial of how to make an autumn bouquet, I am using Dutch stems, such as roses, stocks, chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, hypericum. These are all easy to get hold of flowers from your florist, however if you are lucky enough to have a garden full of flowers, then head out to snip a few foliage sprigs and seasonal blooms. Granted it may not be so colourful this year, but looking at my Mum’s garden she has hydrangea heads drying, helenium, … What I am trying to say, is this hints and tips shared in this video can be applied to all kinds of flowers. You will also need a vase and secateurs… simple!

Step One:

Get your flowers ready! Strip the bottom leaves off your blooms as we do not want any foliage in our water creating bacteria. Separate any of the foliage so it is easy to use, and fill you vase with water and then you are ready to go!

Step Two:

Start with a piece of foliage, I am using pistache, berried eucalytpus, red oak, and hold it in your hand. You may use your right or left, whichever feels most natural! You then need to start creating the shape of your bouquet by adding in more pieces of foliage. Add this to your existing piece in your hand in the same direction, and keep adding, this creates a spiral shape to your stems and will make the bouquet be able to look fuller.

Step Three:

Once you have a base layer of foliage start to add your blooms, again follow the sprial technqiue, twisting the stems in your hand so you can add the flowers evenly throughout. Add some of your flowers in clusters like these roses so you can create a more stylish look, rather than having all the flowers spaced out in threes!

Step Four:

When you are happy with bouquet feel free to tweak any flowers that may need moving. You can feed though any wispy bits such as these zinnias, which offer great movement and texture creating that natural look. Trim your stems to fit you vase and place in! The water will need to be changed every couple of days, and keep your flowers away from any direct sunlight/heat or a draught to ensure long vase life.

I hope you have enjoyed my how to make an autumn bouquet video, and if you have any questions at all please feel free to get in touch over on Instagram. I would also love to see any of your creations at home, so definitely tag @theroseshed Happy Flowering! I’m hoping this will be the first of many videos I share so to subscribe to my You Tube channel…. click here!

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