The Flower Studio... Coming soon to a big screen near you!

Excited, excited, EXCITED!!  That is one word that could of explained the mood in The Flower Studio this week after being asked to create a bridal bouquet & buttonholes for a movie being filmed on the Island this week.

The film is a romcom starring none other than the rather gorgeous David Tennant (still my favourite Doctor, although Matt Smith is catching up!), Kelly McDonald & Alice Eve.

We were asked to create a romantic bouquet with vintage colours and with only 3 days notice we were relieved that we had some beautiful Memory Lane & Sweet Avalanche Roses in stock!  Mixed with some Mint, Rosemary, Astrantia, Ceropegia, Allium, Creamy Twister & Snowflake spray roses and ivy trails, the finished bouquet was a beautifully scented creation that got the thumbs up from the Director Sheree Folkson (of Ugly Betty fame!)...

You saw it here first, so keep an eye out for the film, due for release in Summer 2011!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

We get asked so many questions about flowers and plants here in the shop and if I don't know the answer I will try my hardest to find it out!

A gentleman came in to the shop this week, on holiday on the Island from the UK and as he approached the counter he pulled a wilted bit of plant material out of his pocket...

"Can you tell me what this plant is please?  It grows all over the Island and it is so beautiful I would like to buy some to take home and plant in my garden!"

It is at times like this that the knowledge I accrued during 4 years at college studying horticulture and training with the National Trust for Scotland leaves my head completely and my mind goes blank.

You know the plant I mean...  it is sometimes red, sometimes pink, sometimes white, grows everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE on the Isle of Man, in walls, rooftops, lanes, driveways, gardens and hedges, anywhere with a minute bit of soil to grab hold of and if it is concentratd in a small area such as a lane, it smells of something akin to cat wee!  But I could not think of the name, so I asked this gentleman to leave it with me and I would find out.

Enter 'Google'!  I typed in "red flower grows in walls on Isle of Man" and crossed my fingers...

Result! http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/mwf1908/text.htm

I knew as soon as I saw the name I would recognise it and there it was... Valerian (aka Centranthus ruber)

So when the gentleman came back to the shop a while later I was able to tell him what I had found, to which he then asked whether I sold this plant in the Garden Centre.  Unfortunately not... along with many plants that grow in abundance on the Isle of Man (Crocosmia being another popular request), if I tried to sell them in the Garden Centre people would accuse me of selling weeds!

It reminded me of an occasion when I worked at National Trust for Scotland Kellie Castle and an English tourist came up and asked if he could buy some of the wild garlic plants that were growing in the woodland... Buy some?? We sent him away with a bin bag full of the Stinking Rogers for free!

But I guess to a visitor to our pretty Island, some of the plants in our hedgerows, such as Fuchsia, Valerian & Crocosmia are more novelty to them and it is a nice thought that they would like to take a bit of our Island home with them. 

Don't forget Fathers' Day...

Sunday 20th June 2010

Fathers' Day is nearly here and if you are stuck for a gift for your fantastic Dad, why not treat him to a funky houseplant or a bouquet of flowers?

Watch this space in the next couple of days for some gift ideas!

Or visit our online shop http://www.flowerstudio.im/buy/buy.html to order his gift... we deliver on the Isle of Man and also world-wide through Interflora.

Happy Monday Morning...

Yep, Monday again.... the sun is trying to get through the clouds and brighten the dreary day.

A coach has just pulled up at Tynwald Mills full of eager tourists who are always full of compliments about our shop and always want to buy things, but I'm guessing the logistics of getting them back to wherever in the UK they have travelled from are not practical.  Its always nice to think that our shop has made them smile though :-)

Talking of smiles... an orchid that arrived in to The Flower Studio on Saturday has been getting lots of compliments....

... the gorgeous Vanda orchid in a huge champagne glass vase.  Even its beautiful cousin the Phalaenopsis is struggling to catch peaoples eye with its spectacular cerise ink splattered markings!

Anyway... I have orders to make up for delivery today and paperwork to file (burn?).  Have a great week everyone :-)

Summer is just around the corner....

It is nearly the end of TT week here on the Isle of Man, which has meant a slightly quieter than usual week at The Flower Studio as our shop is on the race course and I would guess that our target market is not necessarily German bikers!  Although we have been trying to push our International deliveries with Interflora so they could send flowers to their loved ones at home... saying that though, a lot of the visitors seem to have their wives with them!  Lucky ladies!

My flower delivery this week made me smile with the anticipation of all the lovely flowers that are in season over the summer.... Beautiful Paeonies, blousy Delphiniums and Hydrangeas, and now my shop is a little warmer I have ordered Heliconias, Curcuma and other lovely tropicals that would of just suffered in the fridge like conditions we had in here over the winter!

Take a look at our Facebook page for more photos:

The Flower Studio