Locally Grown Hanging Baskets Now in Stock

The Garden Centre was once again transformed this weekend with the arrival of our range of Locally Grown Hanging Baskets. 

These beauties are absolutely packed with plants, including Petunia, Lobelia and Verbena which are all grown right here on our lovely Island.

The range includes huge 16" wire baskets for making a real statement, or there are luxury banana leaf and rattan cones and wall baskets.  Each basket has slow release plant food in the compost, so all you have to do is water it regularly to get the most of your display. 

We can also deliver your baskets to your house for you, or maybe it would make an ideal gift for someone?  Well, we can tie it with a ribbon and deliver it to them too!

We also offer a planting service for you to use if you have any baskets from last year that you would like re-filling.  Let us know what colours you like, and we will do the messy bit for you, using only the best quality, locally grown plants that we can find.

Call in to the shop or give us a ring if you would like more information.

A Weekend of Wonderful Weddings!

Yes, I was glued, along with about 3 billion other people around the world, to the beautiful Royal wedding of Will & Kate, not just to get a heads up on what could be a big floral trend for 2011, but because I am a big soppy romantic, and yes I shed a tear when Prince William told his future wife how beautiful she looked when she arrived by his side.

However, I couldn't dwell on the Royal Wedding for long, as I had flowers to prepare for Joanne & James's wedding which took place on Saturday.  Everyone that I met who knew this couple, all said how lovely they were, and that they were so great together, and I can confirm that this is also what I thought after only meeting them a couple of times.

The colour theme for their wedding was Manx Tartan (yes the men wore kilts!), which has blue, purple, yellow, green and white, representing the colours in our beautiful Island landscape.  The flowers I used included Delphiniums, Ranunculus, Narcissi, Tulips, and Tanecetum, with lots of natural foliage to give the designs a natural and rustic feel.

The mood of this wedding was very personal and relaxed and Joanne had collected and created lots of items to make the day really feel special.  She bought in a box full of metal and enamel jugs for me to use as tablecentres and had also handpainted little babyfood jars to fill with flowers too.

 

The Ceremony was in the Chapel of St. Johns and as well as the two pedestal arrangements from The Flower Studio, the church was filled with floral arrangements.  Each pew had a twig heart, hanging from a length of Manx Tartan Ribbon and adorned with a single silk daffodil flower.  I could see that the DIY aspect of this wedding was not stopping with the painted babyfood jars!

And I wasn't wrong, because when I arrived at The Hop Garden to deliver the table centres, you could see that Joanne and James had put so much thought into the reception.   Each place setting had a cute metal bucket filled with chocolates for the favour and attached to the bucket was a label with a different message on each one.

As well as painting all the babyfood jars (they were all individual!) on each table were 2 recycled wine or liquor bottles and they had been painted beautifully with the Bride and Groom's names, the date and lots of pretty flowers.  Inside the bottle were some battery operated fairy lights which I imagine looked stunning after the sun went down.

We speak to a lot of engaged couples every week at The Flower Studio and they all want their big day to stand out, but that does not necessarily mean you have to spend a lot of money.  I bet the guests at Joanne and James's wedding on Saturday were thrilled to see all the personal touches the couple had put in to their day and these touches will have made it a day to remember.

We would love to see any of the unique and DIY ideas you have seen at weddings, whether your own, or someone elses, and any really original ideas will be featured on this Blog.

  

Get up and Grow with The Flower Studio!

For those of you that have visited us down at Tynwald Mills in the last few weeks, you may of noticed a lot of dust and noise coming from the Garden Centre area....

Well, the dust has settled and has been swept away, and the only noise you can here is the trickling water in the stream and the birds singing in the trees, and the Garden Centre area has been transformed into a beautiful oasis, full of eyecatching plant specimens, colourful herbaceous perennials and stylish garden statues and furniture.

We are also excited to introduce the famous brand of David Austin Roses, which, in case you have never had the pleasure, are stunning scented English Roses, with masses of petals and a wide range of colours from soft creams and peaches to deep crimson and cerise.

I first saw David Austin Roses at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (to be honest, I smelt them before I saw them!), and have been in love ever since! They have been a popular cut flower for weddings that we have done at The Flower Studio and now you can all enjoy them in your own gardens too!

One of my favourites is Rose 'Alan Titchmarsh' with its soft fragrance and deep pink petals, but we have 17 other varieties to choose from, so I recommend you pay us a visit and smell/see them for yourself!

Keep watching this space as we are going to start a regular 'Rose-Care' feature, following the progress of a David Austin Rose in one of our customers gardens.

Our Easter Weekend opening times:

Good Friday 10-5.30

Saturday 10-5.30

Easter Sunday - Closed

Easter Monday - 10-5.30

Spring Bridal Photoshoot

Last Sunday, I was honoured to be asked again to join photography extraordinaire Shan Fisher on a Vintage Spring Bridal Shoot.  The weather forecast was excellent, so the chosen location was St Johns Arboretum, a beautiful setting just around the corner from The Flower Studio with lush green lawns and trees covered in blossom. 

I created two lots of flowers to fit in with the theme, one with muted pinks and blues and the other with zingy orange, yellow and green.  Both palettes are perfect for a Spring themed wedding and we used lots of seasonal flowers, so they are great for Brides that are on a budget.

 

Spring Posy - Ranunculus, Viburnum, Tanecetum, Fritillaria, and Craspedia.

Spring Buttonhole - Craspedia, Fritillaria and Tanecetum, tied with green satin ribbon.

We had boxes of props to use for the photoshoot, and 2 gorgeous models, so along with the sunshine and Shan's talented photography skills, the pictures turned out so beautifully (I actually got goosebumps when I first saw them!).  The first set can be seen on Shan's Photography Blog which is full of lots of other Bridal inspiration and also the photos from the Manx Bridal Fashion Shoot



Easter Workshop

It is the time of year where we dig out all our eggs, feathers, and all things Easter!

We would love you join us at our Easter workshop, where we will show you how to make your very own Easter arrangement, using seasonal flowers and foliage and gorgeous accessories.  You don't need to have any experience of designing with flowers as we will show you all the techniques required.  We will also provide all the materials required to make your design, so all you need to bring is yourself!

This year, we are holding our Easter workshop in the beautiful setting of Milntown Estate and gardens in Ramsey.  The workshop will take place in the grand and historic Dining Room and tea or coffee will be provided in the restaurant with views over the walled garden.

The cost of the workshop is £60.00 per person, and will run on Monday 18th of April from 9.30am until 1pm.  The price includes all of your materials for the design, tea/coffee and also a ticket to look around the picturesque garden afterwards.

This will be a fun and informal workshop, no experience necessary, but as spaces are limited, we advise you book as soon as possible.  To book your place, call The Flower Studio on 800061, or pop in to the shop at Tynwald Mills.

I Love You Mum

If I bought my Mum the biggest and most wonderful bouquet of flowers that money could buy, I still don't think it would be enough to say thank you for all the love and support she has given me over the last how-ever-many years!

Any Mum, whether she has had 30 plus years of experience or is a brand new Mum with all that excitement in front of her, deserves something every day to remind them how special they are and The Flower Studio has so many lovely designs for you to choose from, as well as a wide variety of funky houseplants and luxury handcreams and toiletries.

This Mother's Day (Sunday 3rd April), our dedicated team of drivers will be delivering all over the Isle of Man on the Saturday and Sunday, so whatever treats you have planned for your Mum, we can add to her day with a beautiful floral gift.

Our shop at Tynwald Mills is open on Saturday 2nd April and Sunday 3rd April from 9am until 5.30pm, so why not call in and choose your gift.  Alternatively, we can take orders over the phone on 01624 800061 or through our website

And if you are still looking for the perfect Mother's Day card, have a look at Boho Wedding & Events Blog for some unusual and bespoke designs. 

We're walking on Sunshine...

As I said in the last Blog post, I am not biased towards pink flowers, so as promised, I have captured part of the other end of the spectrum for you to gaze at.

And what a beautiful sunny day to share these cheery flowers with you, well here on the Isle of Man it is anyway.  If you are not blessed with this glorious Spring weather, then just focus on the following pictures, and pretend you have you own personal piece of sunshine!

Which is your favourite?

The bobbing heads of Craspedia, or the papery petals of Tanecetum...

Pale Narcissi 'Minnow' or bright and cheery 'Tete a Tete'...

Big bold Helianthus 'Sunrich Orange' or the delicate peach and green tinted petals of Rose 'Cosima'... a girl's name which appropriately means 'beauty'.

So this week there is sunshine inside and outside our shop... why not come down and take a piece home for yourself?