Local Flower Deliveries Midhurst

I hope you’re all doing okay?

It’s been a difficult year hasn’t it?

I just wanted to let you know that we are still delivering flowers locally within 15 miles of Midhurst, West Sussex on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays each week.

We deliver to doorsteps so its all very safe and hands free and the flowers will be delivered in a flower jar so there’s no wasteful packaging.

We can drop flowers each week, every 2 weeks or monthly and you’ll get a flower jar with the first delivery and then subsequent deliveries will arrive without packaging perfectly designed to drop straight into your chosen size flower jar.

We send an invoice with a link to pay by credit or debit card or Bags so that its easy for you.

Do call or email if you’d like to place an order. or you can book online here and just a gentle reminder that it’s Valentines Day on Sunday 14th Feb and Mothering Sunday on 14th March so we’re open for pre-orders now.

Best wishes

Karen

Autumn Dinner at Cowdray House

I really enjoyed creating the house and table flowers for this very special dinner at Cowdray House in October. It's an amazing time of year to be a florist as there is such wonderful material to work with and bringing the outside in as the days grow shorter is always appreciated by the guests.

I designed this dinner to come alive after dark when the candles were lit to create a real 'wow' factor. I used layers of candlelight that would illuminate the flowers, seedheads and grasses and although I didn't manage to photograph the table when the candles are lit I have seen photos that were taken that night; it really did look gorgeous and the feedback after the dinner was fabulous.

The dining table flowers

Autumnal florals, ferns and grasses

I thought I'd share this little arrangement that I gathered for the house last weekend. It's a gorgeous palette and contains everything I love about autumn; grasses, bronze and pink tinged foliage, horse chestnuts, poppy seed heads, sanguisorbia, browning ferns to name just a few. Mixed with a few pale pink chrysanthemums (yes there are some really beautiful ones) and a few appropriately coloured roses in mustard yellow and apricot; I think it's a really lovely combination.

I made the little footed teracotta vase on a pottery wheel and the colours co-ordinate beautifully with the embroidery I made back in 1991. Hand thrown, hand sewn,...!

April Flowers and the Tasty Woodland Treats

What an amazingly sunny April we've had so far, the garden is in full bloom and the sun has been shining, although I hear that there may be some frost next week which I don't think we're prepared for!

I'm writing this whilst looking through the window into the garden and it's filled with lilac, clematis montana, apple blossom, viburnum opulus, bluebells, whitebells and unfurling ferns.

I live next door to the woods so the wild garlic which lines the path into the woods has also found its way into the garden and spread under a tree. It's in full flower and I've been looking at recipes for pickling the flower heads and making pesto from the leaves.

While I'm on the subject of food (for free) I've just passed a patch of wild stawberries in flower and the wild bilberries are now a gorgeous pink colour so it won't be long before the crop is ready. Living next to the woods and walking through them each day with the dogs is such a bonus!

It's so exciting to see the English bluebells all over the garden and the white bells are incredibly pretty with the unfurling bright green ferns catching the light.

The peonies are on the way soon......happy days indeed!

Whitebells and ferns

Apple blossom

Bluebells, whitebells and ferns

Unfurling ferns and bluebells

Wild garlic

Whitebells and bluebells

Wild strawberries

Hellebore Heaven

Whether as a garden plant or a cut flower the hellebore is simply incredible.

From Dec to April these little plants brighten up our gardens with the most exquisite flowers often when few other plants are in flower.

Plant some today so that you'll have beautiful flowers next winter, you won't be dissapointed!

Magnolia Heaven

Who doesn't love be a magnolia tree in full bloom?

The Magnolia in our garden is spectacular and makes my heart sing every day when I drive through the gate.

Magnolia branches are sensational in a vase and I've been selling pink and white branches at Cowdray Farm Shop this week . They're not from my garden though as I couldn't bear to pick them!

December Tablescape

Well, it's a floral time of year and the last few weeks have been incredibly busy for us at This Floral Life.

We've been making lots of wreaths, table decorations, planters and flowers for the Cowdray Farm shop and decorating trees, houses and shops for Christmas. It's been really hard work but so lovely and beautifully festive. It's a great time of year to be a florist!

We've worked on some gorgeous events recently and this weekend we set up gorgeous Christmas tablescape for a private dinner at Cowdray House, Midhurst.

The dinner was in the fabulous Buck Hall and with the huge Christmas tree, balcony fireplace garlands that we installed last week, the room looked amazing. With the fire lit and hundreds of candles around the room, the stage was set for a magical Christmas event.

Christmas at Cowdray House

It's been a magical couple few weeks decorating some fabulous venues for Christmas including one of my absolute favourites; Cowdray House, Cowdray Park, Midhurst.

The Christmas tree was specially selected and cut from the Cowdray Estate and is a truly magnificent tree.

So, two fireplaces, five balconies and a huge tree later....

Autumn Wreath

It's been another great week for our Autumn wreaths and flowers generally.

With half term happening this week and Halloween on Monday our customers seem to be entertaining at home and decorating their doors and homes to welcome in their visitors.

The wreath below is welcoming in visitors at The Cowdray Farm Shop Cafe in Midhurst this week and it's prompted people to ask us about wreath making workshops. We'll be organising wreath making workshops in early December at Cowdray Hall in Easebourne, Midhurst, West Sussex and if you're interested in joining us then please do get in touch.

Sensational Seedheads

My neighbour was tidying up her garden for Autumn and popped in with a bunch of these magnificent allium seedheads.

It's definitely worth planting some of the large headed allium just for the seedheads in September. They look superb in a vase and so beautiful when the Autumn light hits them.

Spring florals

It was an incredibly busy March in the flower studio with Mothering Sunday in the first week and Easter in the last.

These events are huge 'peaks' in the flower business and although it's exceptionally hard work it's also really enjoyable. I loved this year more than any other as in addition to the fabulous variety of spring flowers I get to play with for my flower bouquets and bunches I also get to design planted bulb arrangements which I absolutely adore.

Bridal Crown Narcissi and Muscari planter for Cowdray House

Planted willow basket with Bridal Crown Narcissi for Cowdray House

Bringing the outside inside is even more important when Easter is cold and wet, as it was for at least some of the bank holiday weekend. Watching the bulbs grow and unfold their flowers and witnessing the flowering branches of forsythia, chaenomelis, cherry blossom and magnolia burst into flower is sheer joy.

I've lost count of the number of Easter 'trees' I've made this year for the displays at Cowdray Farm shop and Cafe, clients, friends and myself. Branches of contorted willow, birch branches with catkins, real painted blown eggs and sweet little birds make fun Easter arrangements and, after Easter, you can remove the eggs and enjoy the branches which will burst into leaf heralding the arrival of Spring.

Spring and Bringing the Outside In

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade”

— Charles Dickens

Yes, it really was one of those March days today that Dickens so beautifully described.

The wind was biting but the sun was warm and gave the promise of sunny days ahead. And so, spring is officially here and April is close and all manner of bulbs and plants are tentatively poking their heads out of the ground to check on conditions.

The 'wild' native primulas are blooming on the banks next to my flower studio and I was very excited to see the heart shaped leaves of the wild violets lining the lawn today.

A friend sent me a photo of a glorious display of Scillas over at Uppark (I think it was Scilla Siberica but I can't be sure) and it made me want to plant some of these fabulous bulbs in my own garden. Unfortunately, my suppliers have sold out so I've bought them in as a cut flower today instead and have been adding them to my bunches at the Cowdray Farm Shop.

The flower studio is fully stocked with bulbs of tulips, narcissi, iris, hyacinths, muscari, crocus, lily of the valley and, my all time favourite, Frittilaria. I really love putting together bulbs planters and spring wreaths and it's been extremely busy at Cowdray as the customers, like me, have been bringing the outside in.

Fritillaria Meleagris

One of my all time favourite Spring flowering bulbs is Fritillaria Meleagris.

You may have heard them referred to buy their common names of Snakes Head Fritillaries, Dropping Tulip, Chequerboard Daffodil or Chess Flower; all rather accurate descriptions of these gorgeous little nodding flowers.

Unlike most Spring flowering bulbs which like well drained soil, Fritillaria Meleagris like damp conditions and are happy to be planted at the edges of damp woodlands or in wild flower meadows and will flowers from March to May.

The exquisitely beautiful native wild flowers are members of the Lily family and their colours range from pink and white, purple and white to plain white. I love the purple and white chequerboard ones.

I've planted up some Fritillaria Meleagris in lovely zinc bowls to sell at The Cowdray Farm Shop, on The Cowdray Estate, here in Midhurst where I provide all of the cut flowers and plants. I'm also including the cut flowers in the bouquets I sell as I love to surprise and delight customers with something unusual and seasonal.

I have a little bunch of these glorious cut flowers on my own kitchen table as I like to test the vase life of all of the flowers I sell. I'm happy to report that they are looking fabulous on day 5 and they look set to continue for at least another 5 days!

It's a floral life!

Source: favorites://