When I was over in Hampshire, not only was I lucky enough to go down to London to visit Covent Garden Flower Market, but Jay also arranged for us to visit the wonderful Plant Passion! Claire Brown is the horticultural genius behind this lovely Flower Farm, and their tag-line is 'Seasonal, Scented & Sustainable'...
It was really incredible to see so many beautiful varieties growing... to smell the wonderful scent of damp earth in the poly-tunnels, and see so many seedlings stretching out towards the first of the Spring sunshine! I loved seeing how it was possible to grow and harvest so many different flowers on a reasonably manageable plot. It gave me serious hankerings for a little Flower Farm of my own... but for now, a few pots in the back garden will have to suffice!
Perhaps most exciting of all was being able to choose a few blooms ourselves, to design with when we got back to the Flower School... I was head over heels in love with Claire's Parrot Tulips (picked with the beautiful bulbs still attached, it was like something out of a Dutch Masters painting!) and also the Japonica Plentiflora, which I had been hankering after for a while... and was incredibly inspired to get cracking with all the gorgeous blooms we went away with! I incorporated the tulips in to my Dutch Masters inspired pedestal design (well, we couldn't not!), which you can see below. Aren't they just a little bit dreamy?!
A huge thank you to Claire for having us on the farm and allowing me to take some snaps behind the scenes... I could have wandered around all day long!
XO