Flower Safari

The theme for this year’s Chelsea in Bloom competition is Floral Safari, inspired by adventure, discovery, exotic animals, savannahs and jungles. “We’re well known for the scented roses and English flowers from our farms, so when I heard the theme I was immediately excited,” says Catherine, our lead florist. “We have a Fairtrade sister Flower Farm in Kenya, so I started to think about jungle colours, textured grasses and all the animals you’d encounter on safari.”

Elephant in the Window

The centrepiece of our window is a three-foot-high, moss-covered elephant sculpture. “He doesn’t have a name yet – do you think he needs one?” asks Catherine. “So many people have stopped in their tracks to comment on the smell of our jungle rose garlands and to photograph the elephant!” The grasses in the display came from our Kenyan farm. “When people think about imports from Kenya they start to get worried,” says Catherine. “But because we utilise excess space on passenger planes that would otherwise go to waste, the transport of flowers from our Kenyan farm actually has one-sixth the carbon footprint of flowers imported from the Netherlands.” You can find out more about the eco and community initiatives of our Kenyan farm here.

Flying Colours

The columns of rose garlands that frame the main window are made up of show-stopping bright pink David Austin Kate roses, classic pink Yves Piaget roses, warm honey Candlelight and Caramel Antike roses. Catherine then used a mix of grasses including Setaria, Volle Melk and Panicum to give a jungle exoticism. “Our new animal vases from Quail Designs have been attracting so much attention, we’re down to our last few,” she says. “The caramel-coloured giraffe is my favourite and it looks brilliant filled with pink, blush and honey pink-toned roses. I’ve just done a flower arrangement in one now for same-day London delivery. They make a great gift as you can continue to enjoy them even when the flowers are over.”You can find our London florist at 13 Cale Street, SW3 3QS in Chelsea Green. It’s a short walk from Sloane Square, Kings Road, South Kensington and Knightsbridge. To find out more or to order you can call Catherine and the team on 020 7349 8638