Thinking Christmas

I am collecting some flowers for a workshop I have planned from Rustic Rose and looking around the shop you can see that Christmas is creeping in.

In amongst the conkers and bronze oak leaves you can glimpse a bit of Christmassy glitz.

So I am starting to think Christmas!

With a car laden down with wreaths and pine and pudding basins ...yes, pudding basins, I am ready for a Christmas flower workshop.

Watch this space ....

Rosemary for Remembrance

As I am writing this I have the radio on in the background and I can hear the piped bands playing at the Ceremony of Remembrance from the Cenotaph. It is impossible not to be moved by the familiar and haunting music.

As florist we often include rosemary in funeral tributes as in the Victorian language of flowers it represents remembrance.

Yesterday I called in to see Sarah at Sprout & Flower and the CD of music she was playing took me back to another era...white cliffs...blue birds...

Music is a big part of Sarah's family life as her partner Bob sings in a local choir. Recently he organised for singers from a Vermont choir to visit Mere when on a UK tour. She was delighted to find one of the choir owns an organic fruit, vegetable and flower farm in New England, specialising in the growing of sunflowers, lisianthus and delphiniums.

As we move well into the month of November, Christmas is starting to creep into her shop.

There are lanterns and stars and jingle bells.

I am particularly taken by some festive letters and momentarily wish my girls were little again. Then I realise that I needed worry, they will like them anyway!

For those who would like to have a go at making some Christmas wreaths Sarah is running some workshops at National Trust's Stourhead.

www.sproutandflower.co.uk