Recently I had to accompany a friend on a mission to buy a pair of shoes, it was an emergency you understand, nothing to go with a particular dress for that evenings function.

 

The weather has been lousy this week. Dull grey skies, cold and rainy and just a glimmer of sun now and again. In the garden the plants are confused I have a beautiful double green Hellebore out. Take a look at the photo in my gallery it is complete with colour coordinated bugs. Obviously the creepy crawlies in my garden know they have to harmonize with the plants. My favourite flowers are out at the moment the very lovely Verbena bonariensis, majestically waiving to me from their lofty perch. I love Verbena with the Achillea for a complete contrast in colour. If only the sun would come out so that we can sit in the garden, then life would be indeed wonderful.

Last week I visited Hay-on-Wye, a little town on the Welsh/English border world famous for its bookshops and the annual literary festival held in early summer. With over 30 bookshops selling old, antiquarian and new books it’s the most brilliant place if you are a book lover or searching for an old book, and the bonus is it’s only about one hours drive from where I live. I collect old floristry books and they are few and far between, so a trip to Hay-on-Wye is a necessity now and again. Well I like to think so.There are quite a few flower-arranging books around from the 1950’s, but very few floristry ones. Gardeners on large country estates who did the flowers for the lady of the house wrote the oldest books and some chronicled their ideas, these books are a real rarity. Flower shops did not really come into their own until the Victorian era before this time flowers were usually seen in greengrocers in a few straggly containers or on market stalls. Flower arranging was the province of the wealthy. So to find an old floristry book is difficult, but this week I had such a find, the three volumes of The Practical Fruiter and Florist dating from around 1933. I could not believe my luck and guess what they were moaning about the price of flowers then. These books have such pearls of wisdom as relevant today as it was all these years ago. Nothing really changes. If you have any old floristry books let me know or are looking for a particular book let me know on my next visit I will look out for it. Have a good week.

I have had the most magnificent Agapanthus in the garden this year. Fabulous large heads with over 40 blooms on some of the plants. Mine have never looked back since Brian Skelhorn told me to use chicken manure on them, it pongs a bit when you first put it on but that soon goes or you get used to it, one or the other. They flashed their brilliant sapphire blue flowers just in time for my garden party - perfect timing. We raised £350.00 for charity and had a great time. Has any one got bigger Agapanthus than mine? See pictures in Gallery.

Well I was going to give you blow-by-blow accounts each night of the Eurofleurs, unfortunately my e mail would not work so sorry you have to make do with this after competition account. What can I say about the awesome young competitors at Eurofleurs, all under 25 years of age, but brave, ingenious, creative and delightful. All the competitors had a passion for flowers and creating designs of beauty, plus not afraid to push the boundaries, experimenting with their own creativity. Wonderful stuff. Most of the designs made were from previously unseen materials but they all went for it with gusto and relished the tasks. Wonderful stuff.

 

I can't believe how lucky we were to have a brilliantly sunny week in Cornwall. It's years since we went to Cornwall and it just reminded me how great England is when we have sun. My favourite places were Minack Theatre, the garden hewn out of the rock cliff and looking down on romantic Porthcurno beach.Plus Barbara Hepworth's Sculpture Garden. For floral designers this is a must, fabulous organic shapes in sculpture in a beautiful garden setting. I will be reporting from Eurofleurs next week so log on for up to date news of the competition blow by blow.

A great start to Hampton Court Palace Show with sun after the last few years of rainy shows this was very welcome. Glorious weather, fabulous setting and beautiful displays of flowers, plants and produce, no wonder the crowds were flocking in. This years Home Grown feature complete with fields of gold (sunflowers,) the biggest cabbages you have ever seen, sprouts ready to pick and sensational hanging baskets of tomatoes shows the trend for growing your own.There was an orchard home to the best fed ducks and hens and a well groomed dapper Cock who definitely had something to crow about. In the market garden section there was a display of outdoor cut flowers and showed a return of many British grown flowers for florists. This is very welcome and it showed what can be done on a small patch of land, so if you have a garden at the back of the shop, perhaps it's time to plant a few easy to grow varieties of flowers. Self sufficiency can pay off and what a marketing feature, "Grown by master florists.' In the Vintage England floristry and fashion marquee the college floristry exhibits went to town on nostalgic themes. Here is a list of the medal winners. Gold Medal - Best in show and Best College Exhibit - Hadlow College (Kent) Silver Gilt Medal - Keits Ltd Silver Gilt Medal - Writtle College Silver Medal - The Traditional Flower Company Silver Medal - Jane Packer Ltd Bronze Medal - Somerset Postal Flowers Bronze Medal - Bournemouth and Poole College Bronze Medal - Ohara School of Ikebana, England Chapter See the photographs of the floristry exhibits and snapshots of the show on My Gallery

In a moment of stupidity I agreed to have a charity garden party in July. Afternoon tea on the lawn seemed such a good idea, until I really thought about it. I must have been having a senior moment because anyone that knows me - knows I don't cook. So making homemade cakes is far beyond my capabilities. However not to be defeated last weekend I decided to have a go - at cake making that is. My first efforts of baking - butterfly cakes - was moderately successful. All agreed they were edible if dry. I then made some raspberry and almond tartlets. The flaked almonds on the top were the softest consistency the rest of the pastry and sponge could have been used to stone someone to death. Even the waste disposal groaned and shuddered. Finally and this is definitely finally I made a Victorian sponge - who could go wrong with Delia's recipe - me of course. Tim summed it up with these words, 'It's a bit like a confused scone.' Okay I give up (sigh of relieve from family,) I am going to stick to floristry plus a list of jobs an arms length to get the scruffy garden immaculately groomed before the event. Ray were are you. 'Coming dear,' I hear as he disappears to the bowls club.

I have just got back from Chelsea and have to tell you straight away of the amazing competition for the RHS Chelsea Young Florist of the Year. The young florists all under the age of 25 years of age made the most stunning fantasy parasols. Everyone in the young florist competition and the senior competition said the parasols were the most difficult design they had ever made. The young florists all excelled themselves both in design and technique, its very hard to get a parasol to balance and be light in weight. Well done to all of you, it's great to see your young florists doing such fabulous work. In first place with a parasol fit for a Maharajah was a fabulous ornate and intricate parasol by Joe Massie that won him a worthy gold medal and best in show. A Gold also went to Celia Bates for her rustic design again with a lovely detailed handle. Silver Gilt Medals went to Lauren Curry and Erica Tippett both with fairy tale parasols. Silver medals went to Charlotte Le Marquand and Jessica Rose, with Lauren Goldsack and Bethan McGivern taking Bronze medals. All the competitors were winners of BFA heats to get to the final. You can view all the parasols in My Gallery, at www.lynda-owen.co.uk

 

Congratulations to all the Chelsea winners. It was a boiling hot day yesterday and we all sweltered in very un-Chelsea weather.

Okay who came up with the daffy idea of adding scratch and sniff labels to bunches of flowers? It must be the barmy army. From next week Waitrose are adding scratch and sniff cardboard labels to their flowers. Uhh! So instead of the scent of natural flowers a chemical recreated aroma will attack the customers nostrils. Come on! Just walk into any professional florist's shop and you can get a whiff for nothing and it is the real thing. Buy a bunch of flowers from a reputable flower shop and walk away with the aroma of nature. Proper florists don't need scratch and sniff labels.

This has to be one of the best quotes of all times. Writing in the Mail on Sunday Carol McGiffin reviews her turbulent marriage to DJ Chris Evan, and sums it up with this quote. ' My wedding to Chris was like garage flowers: last minute, cheap and dead within hours.' I hope she now goes to a bone-fide florists' shop. Her next marriage will then last much longer.