I’ve been tying myself in knots this week, trying to work out how to best fulfil a brief for flowers in troughs for an event. The first half of the week I was thinking how I could de-municipalize plastic window
Going wild
A Birmingham Arts & Crafts treasure
At Christmas, I was asked to create some festive displays to Birmingham University’s Winterbourne House and Gardens. This arts and crafts treasure, open to the public, is the residence which forms part of the university’s botanical gardens and which will,
Small business Saturday
Last week Steve McCabe, our local MP dropped into the Tuckshop as the national ‘Small Business Saturday’ initiative prompted him to find out what was going on in the world of small- and micro-businesses in his Selly Oak constituency. I was
Ranunculove
I’ve got things sprouting in the porch. Little alien claws which swelled when soaked are now layered in a pot, hopefully doing their rooty thing - but I guess I’ll find out in ten days time when I tip them
Weaving flowers into a life story
Caroline of Forbes Flowers, Aberdeenshire, came to Tuckshop Flowers last week to do a floral workshop on natural funeral flowers and it was such a pleasure to share ideas, experiences and techniques. The woven heart tribute above is just one
Thinking ahead - the lot of the florist
I’m very excited because last night I had a consultation for a winter wedding and now my head is full of Narnia even though it is only just Spring. As a gardener, a grower and a wedding florist, I find myself
Winter beauty
I couldn’t resist these scented narcissi at the wholesale market today. The only tricky choice was which colours to go for - the cheeky, sunny yellows or elegant pale lemons and cream. As my own yellow trumpeters are starting to
Winter hands
Wreath making season has started and it’s time to invest in super strong hand cream as hands get some hammer! Twisting, weaving, wiring and wiggling all take their toll but despite all that, I can’t wear gloves. Somehow, you just