Tag: London Florist

Five things that will make a wedding even more beautiful after a pandemic

I was chatting with someone recently about how Covid19 has become a defining point in time, separating that innocent naïve time BC – Before Covid – from this more anxious and bewildering AC – After Covid. At the moment of course, we’re still in the bit in between, the Lockdown Limbo bit, but its heartening to see that slowly, people are beginning to plan for AC, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the beautiful bustling business of wedding planning!

So whilst ‘Lockdown Limbo’ has certainly had a significant impact on everyone’s psyche, turning things on their heads as we are forced to reassess our priorities, the prospect of going back to the blind manic sprint through life, without taking the time to at least stop and wash our hands, is hard to imagine.

We may even look back with nostalgia at the BC era and ask ourselves do we really want to return to it? (erm… YES we hear you scream, I want my life back!) but ask yourself this… weren’t there some things in the BC era that we just put up with because we didn’t have the time, or the headspace, to address them? And maybe, just maybe, this Lockdown Limbo will result in many of us accepting, relishing even, the simpler things in life.

So anyway…. weddings….

But I digress! So! Weddings. If you are planning your wedding for the AC era then we at Hybrid would love to know: have your plans changed? Are you still planning the same style of wedding as BC? Have you spent lockdown on Pinterest creating amazing boards full of things you never knew existed? Have you reassessed the vibe and feel of your fantasy wedding? Does it still include hundreds of guests and traditional ideas of pomp and ceremony?

We are willing to bet that whilst some are planning the biggest matrimonial party the world has ever seen, many couples have shifted their ideas and are focusing on alternative ‘fresher’ values. All those guests you would have invited before BC (work colleagues, school friends you haven’t seen in 10 years, your mum’s neighbour from when she was 6) may not seem so VIP anymore. It may seem more important to celebrate in the real world, with the people you really care for.

During lockdown, we have been meeting (via Zoom) with couples who are planning their weddings in the future and we have learnt many things (not least that Zoom wedding consultations are awesome! Why on earth did we not do these before?) and just for you, we have listed our findings below.

The five things we have learnt about love (and wedding planning) in the time of Covid….

1. Keeping a sense of flow and airiness

It would appear that “socially distancing” is here to stay, for the foreseeable future anyway, and so providing guests with a sense space is something they will appreciate. This feeling of airiness appears too in the popularity of ethereal style wedding dresses and informal wedding attire, not to mention eclectic wedding styling, relaxed wedding breakfast menus and of course, wild and rambling florals. This sense of ‘flow’ suits outdoor weddings perfectly, or larger venues which can space people further apart, and will generate a more relaxed atmosphere in which guests can experience different zones or areas.

All images above by Two by Two Photography

2. Keep it small… but go big on detail

We have discovered that couples are choosing to invite fewer guests than BC. Currently UK weddings are limited to gatherings of 30 guests and what we have noticed is that by keeping the wedding party smaller, people can spend more on memorable experiences.

All images above by Two by Two Photography

Couples are wanting to give guests a unique experience made up of memorable moments that celebrate their lives and each other. More than one photographer is being used to ensure all the precious, candid moments are captured, the food served is more bespoke, entertainment is more interactive to maximise the fun, mixologists are creating cocktails personal to the happy couple. Oh, and of course, florists are creating the most amazing floral installations to impress, inspire and provide the perfect photo and video opportunities. (No pressure there then!)

All images above by Two by Two Photography

3. Keep it Hybrid (no, not us!… the other type)

Virtual events are now – like it or not – a ‘thing,’ but the future is ‘hybrid’ – a mixture of virtual and real (we knew calling ourselves Hybrid was a good move!).
A hybrid event is something which works well for weddings with the ‘Go Big on Detail’ part from number 2 above, really coming into play. For example, beautiful floral displays look amazing on the screen, just take a look at Instagram if you don’t believe us, and the personalized cocktail and menu recipes can be used by people watching virtually so they feel included and part of the celebration. This way, family and friends from all around the world can say they were there.

4. Keep it personal

Weddings are, and always should be, about the couple getting married. This might be the only one time when a couple focuses on sharing with others what is important to them. If a couple has had to reschedule their wedding, then even more reason to make that day, when it eventually comes, personal to them.

Whilst in ‘Lockdown Limbo’ there has been more time to remember what is important to us. As florists, we have been asked to include flowers that represent a couple’s background and interests. One groom, who has recently taken up pottery, has made beautiful glazed pots which we will include in the table-scape design and which will be given away to guests as a keepsake for the day. Origami and paper craft is also popular as a personalised gift, or sent to guests attending the wedding “virtually.”

5. Keeping it local and seasonal

Do you remember the daffodils and magnolia of March, the tulips and bluebells and stunning blossom of April? The iris and peonies of May and roses and foxgloves of June? And what about those stunning hydrangeas and sweet peas of July, closely followed by the sunflowers and dahlia?

As you can imagine, we have seen and admired literally thousands flowers throughout our career; attending markets every day for 16 years, you get to see a lot! But we have never, ever, quite appreciated, or dare we admit, noticed, the beauty of each season’s flowers as we have done, during lockdown.

We’ve found this renewed appreciation of nature echoed in the fact couples are opting for a more natural garden style look at their wedding, rather than extravagant tropical designs. We have been encouraging followers on Instagram to peek into other’s gardens for wedding inspiration. And with so much to choose from at each stage in the year, the beauty of nature transcends even the dreadfulness of lockdown limbo.

There are some amazing independent retailers out there who’ve kept us going throughout this time, stocking locally grown flowers so that any wedding held between the months of February to October could be filled with British grown, seasonal flowers and foliage to really celebrate the time of year.

At the very beginning of this year, Evolve Events asked us to share our thoughts on floral trends for 2020. Kind of bittersweet to read it back now. We wrote:

“2020 is our time! Ever since we formed Hybrid Flowers back in 2004 we have been mad on mixing and blending different flowers, colours, foliages to create floral designs… We are celebrating and admiring flowers for their individual beauty (not their old-fashioned connotations) and treating them all equally for what they can bring to an amazing floral design. We are also cherishing flowers and greenery which is grown on our doorstep and as, for our clients, the provenance of floral elements is equally as important as the wow factor. This year therefore isn’t about one particular colour scheme nor is it about mixing up every colour under the sun; it is about the ‘impact’ our designs make in both sense of the word!”

Safe to say that 2020 didn’t quite turn out as expected! But we were right in our predictions for what will be important in floral designs. And our wedding clients seem to agree that future weddings won’t be about tradition and expectations so much as quietly celebrating a more cautious, humble way of life.

Featured Image and images where stated are by the supremely talented Two by Two Photography 

Why we are all now feeling pretty blue….

We started writing this a few weeks back, before we realised just how much our lives were about to change. When pandemic hit, initially we lost interest in writing, everything seemed a little pointless to be honest.

But then something significant happened, whilst we were watching TV in fact, it was during the ‘Clap for Carers’. We watched as the camera panned across London and we saw our beautiful London icons – London Eye, The Shard and Tower Bridge – all lit up in blue in massive celebration of the NHS. It got us thinking about meaning and symbolism: in times of crisis, the simple things in life can take on a very new meaning.

Way back at the beginning of 2020, the significance of Pantone’s colour of the year – Classic Blue – wasn’t obvious, we were just annoyed that only a few flowers out there actually grow this colour. We didn’t, for a moment, consider that this colour would become synonymous with a pandemic; symbolising the bravery and altruism of our amazing NHS staff working on the front line.

These were our thoughts on the Pantone’s colour of the year pre virus pandemic…

We have written before how each year, Pantone release their ‘Colour of the Year.’ Our first question, as florists, is always “how many flowers can we think of that naturally appear in that colour?”

If we can think of five, we are ecstatic! If we only think of three, we are “moderately satisfied.’

Last year’s ‘Living Coral’ was awesome; we could use peonies, roses, and camellia galore. This year’s ‘Classic Blue’ has influenced some stunning designs in fashion, especially on members of the Royal Family, and it is a universally appealing colour, but sadly, that appeal doesn’t apply to the flower world! We really struggled to find our five flowers.

Consider the well-known rhyme: Roses are red, Violets are blue. I’m afraid that drives us mad! You see, violets are not blue! Violets are, well, VIOLET. Similarly, blue anemones and blue hyacinths are purple, not blue. And believe us, we know this because over the years, many of our corporate clients have used a variation of ‘Classic Blue’ in their branding, asking us to echo this colour at corporate events or within their weekly flowers. But there are only a few….

Now, Classic Blue is a lovely colour; magical, unique, otherworldly almost. It evokes images of deep lakes, evening skies and Mediterranean seas. It is both calming and meditative, yet also alluring, intriguing. It is the colour of summer and, indeed, trying to find classic blue flowers in any other season is daunting. Having given it a lot of thought, we list below the three ‘Classic Blue’ flowers that are both readily available to the luxury event florist and guaranteed to have a real wow factor:

Delphinium

These truly stunning spikes of colour appear in white, pink, peach and purple, but are at their most striking when in a stunning deep blue. Often used in tall arrangements on pedestals, bars and stages, these beautiful specimens are used to create a fountain of vivid blue flowers.

Cornflower

The blue of the cornflower is a colour so striking you could lose yourself! Powerfully intense, these little fluffy petalled blooms are perfect as part of a table-scape. The Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer loved the hue, and the most coveted of all sapphires is named after it. The flower is tiny, so use as part of a rambling collection down the centre of long tables or nestle within larger contrasting flowers to form a dome shape for occasional tables and dining tables.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea come in several shades of blue from the palest powder, to the most intense. To make sure we get the right colour for our events, we always ask for Chelsea Blue as in our experience, describing the colour needed to a Chelsea Football fan will get the message across pretty well! At least, we’ve never been let down when ordering this particular colour. These lovely large blooms are perfect for both pedestal designs and as rounded table centre pieces.

And there we have it. Three stunning varieties of true-blue flowers. We were ‘moderately satisfied’ with this year’s colour theme.

But that was then…..

This is now; spring time and in the midst of a pandemic virus. But there are 2 flowers that have taken on significant meaning for us, which we had overlooked until now:

Nigella (Love in a Mist)

When many of our clients in central London nervously started to plan working from home, we wanted to send them some love, and something interactive they could do at home (we’re nice like that!). So, we sent them some seeds to grow- blue Nigella seeds to be precise.

We wrote on the card:

“To our wonderful clients, a little bit of love (in-a-mist!) for you. We hope these flower seeds bring you a little more joy and some of nature’s beauty to your homes during this difficult time.
Take care, love Hybrid”

Myosotis (Forget-me-Not)

Sometimes, a flower arrives at our studio that causes a commotion. Its sheer gloriousness is enough to make us stop in wonder and gets us thinking, what would be the best way to photograph it for our monthly photo shoot.

Sadly, we couldn’t pose for March’s shoot before current events caught up with us. But had we done so, we think Forget-me-Nots would have stolen the show. They are the colour of the amazing blue skies that we have been so lucky to see recently and, of course, the colour of our beloved NHS.

One day, when all this is over, maybe there will be a flower that comes to symbolise the seismic change the world has been through. If so, we think it should be blue in colour and represent the spring, we think it should be called ‘Forget – me – not’.

And for those of us in the UK this Classic Blue hue has even more meaning as it represents the NHS.

We wrote on our Instagram:

Thank you to every NHS worker for doing your absolute best, we will never ever forget all that you are doing and if we could send you all the Forget-me-Nots in the world, we would.

And this is why, for the UK at least, Pantone’s Colour of the Year was a pretty good choice. And why we are proud to be feeling pretty blue.

Our top 3 images from our floral portfolio (and why they probably won’t be the ones you think!)

If someone were to tell you about an amazing company they had just discovered, where would you turn to first to find out more about them? We would hazard a guess that your first port of call would be their website or Instagram feed. In this image led, digital age both social media and websites are vital for getting a company’s message out there, and both require a fair amount of maintenance to ensure they accurately reflect the brand.

Relating this to our own, much nurtured website, we wondered which really is the most effective medium, our socials or our website, for generating the most enquiries. We asked the wonderful Abigail, from You and Me Collective, who said:

… We are hearing more and more that are clients are getting enquiries directly through their social channels, almost entirely missing the step between social and website….Websites and social channels are open 24/7 so how they look and feel is essential. I would never say you don’t need a website because this is the treasure trove of information where you sell yourself to a customer, a high quality engaging social channel is key alongside it.

You see, not so long ago we finished updating the Hybrid website with images of our most recent work. We must come clean and say that this process was possibly the most arduous task ever! We found it so hard to see the ‘flowers for the trees’ (so to speak) as we have thousands of gorgeous pictures of our work, and with the exception of a few of our absolute favourites it was nigh on impossible to whittle this vast number down. This resulted in hours spent scratching our heads over which images to choose.

We turned to our friends at Christchurch Creative for their advice. Sarah Worswick, Director said:

When choosing images for your website, quality is key. Make sure every image is sharp and reflects your brand identity. Use strong visuals to hook-in your site visitor, choose images which feature ‘real’ people too. Don’t forget to name every image you use. This way, you can optimise each shot you upload, as search engines can easily index them. Add in the alt text to describe what the image is showing, which will aid search engines, too.

After we had finally chosen the lucky few pictures and uploaded them and the whole process got us thinking: Can you really convey a message and the passion you have for your work in just one image? Are you able to look at a photograph of your own work objectively and if you are, should you only post pictures that will receive the most ‘likes’?

Abigail told us:

I get asked this all the time! Instagram and Facebook especially are to be seen as a portfolio… if you look at photographers, they’ll often post a detail shot (ring, flowers, table setting), then a couple shot, then a full party shot showing a 360 reveal of the party. Carousel posts and stories are always a fabulous way to show off – carousels allow you to post up to 10 pictures so you can really showcase the full gallery. Stories are a great ‘look’ into behind the scenes, what you’re doing as a team, the creative process and the event.

What we took from this is that you should only show images that represent you, your values and, most important of all, showcase your work. If you really want your audience to get more of a feel of that image and why it is so important to you then by all means elaborate on it in the comments part of your Instagram feed. And if you really want to give that image further meaning and authenticity then of course you must write a blog on it!

So, without further ado, here they are: our 3 most favourite images and beneath each is our reason why they just had to be featured on our website.

No 1:

This is the entrance to the Grand Hall at The Grand Connaught Rooms in central London, who knows how many times we have walked up and down this staircase in the last 16 years.

In fact, this is where it all started for Hybrid. We’ve done Christmases, weddings ceremonies, award evenings and installed flowers in this building, every week, since 2004. The event shown in this image, the launch party for DeVere, was our most favourite ever. The theme was the great British outdoors, so we covered this stunning marble stair-case with beautiful lush British grown greenery and flowers. We were so lucky to work alongside the supremely talented Chelsea Flower Show sculptor, Emma Stothard who included her amazing woven animal sculptures throughout the party.

No 2:

We adore this perfectly candid shot of Sophie’s wedding at the Landmark Hotel. For us it conveys a true ‘behind the scenes at London hotel wedding’ feel with our beautiful couple nervously preparing their speeches with the Master of Ceremony, surrounded by bridal party flowers, candlelight and waiting staff. The romantic early spring flowers were divine and the burgundy ranunculus were just perfect.

This image shows not just our clients, but also the staff of the hotel. For a wedding florist it is impossible to look back on an event and not remember the huge effort everyone who works at the venue puts in before the guests arrive. The professionalism and five-star service shown by all staff, and the wonderful excitement and anticipation that you can’t help but feel.

Ps. Here’s a little peak at Sophie’s beautiful bouquet and stunning dress detail too!

No 3:

We have such fond memories of this tablescape: it is such a simple design and this is precisely why we love it so much. It shows that less can be more, and a beautiful selection of elegant flowers in just the right colour theme can create a huge impression. We wanted to use flowers which would glow in a modern, clean way, flattering the stunning concrete surrounds of the ‘structural expressionist’ building that is the Lloyd’s Building in the City of London.

We loved working with the acid yellow of these callas which we set against the pale orange bell-like blooms of a very special flower called Sandersonia and combined both with deepest pink Gloriosa lilies. This is one of our most favourite combinations of fresh flowers and to top it off we were able to use our treasured classic brushed steel Conran candlesticks to complete the contemporary look. For us, this image serves as a reminder to create floral designs that in harmony with the venue and appeal to the type of guest sitting at the table (in this instance, one the guests was City of London legend, Mark Carney! We LOVE him!).

And so now we would love to know, does knowing more about the stories behind our top three images change your perception of us?

15 Years into 15 Minutes: The Christchurch Creative Interview

This month we celebrate our fifteenth birthday. In fact, we can’t quite believe that we have been creating Hybrid floral designs in this amazing city of ours for fifteen whole years! We couldn’t think of a better way to honour the occasion than to re-post an interview our Caroline gave to Christchurch Creative earlier this year.

When the lifestyle and interiors journalists asked us to take part in their famous ‘15 minutes with…’ piece we were overwhelmed.  Not only does their Style & Decor blog celebrate floral design, they also cover the creative industry as a whole, featuring some of the UK’s most successful independent furniture, interior and fashion designers, photographers, bloggers, stylists and retailers.  To be one of their chosen few has certainly been one of our highlights! 

So here it is, the past 15 years in the UK’s creative world, condensed into 15 minutes….

15 mins with…Caroline Ball of Hybrid florists

We catch up with Caroline Ball, co-founder of one of London’s leading florists, Hybrid Flowers, who created the florals for the St Paul’s Cathedral wedding of TV presenter Ade Adepitan and singer-songwriter ‘Elle Exxe’ last year. In this exclusive interview, Caroline reveals her favourite seasons for flowers, the latest floral trends and more here:

Tell us a bit about yourself and the team?

After studying Communication and Animation at Goldsmiths College, I was unsure of my next step. I thought it very unlikely that I would be paid to stand in gardens all day painting flowers. So I took a job working for a florist on Fulham Road. It didn’t take me long to realise that this was true happiness.

I could never wait to see the results of my work. However, in floristry, impatience is a perfect attribute as the flowers will not wait for you! You must make something beautiful quickly, before they die.

Whilst working in London, I kept bumping into this extravagant mad (and highly talented!) guy, Alan Simpson. He then become my best friend and business partner. Together, we started Hybrid and now employ 14 people from around the globe.

How and when did you set up Hybrid?

Call it “youthful optimism” but in my 20’s I decided I only needed few pounds a week to live on. So, with little to lose, I began my own corporate contracts for offices. Back then, I didn’t even have a driving license!

At the same time, Alan was asked by a gorgeous Anglo-Italian couple if he could create their wedding flowers. In fact, they were struggling to find someone who would work between Christmas and New Year. He conscripted me and together we worked non-stop over Christmas. So we created the most amazing Art Deco-inspired glamorous ‘Italian meets East End’ wedding in the Park Lane Hotel.

Following on from this success, I somehow convinced Alan that he didn’t need much money to live on either and he should come and work with me! He agreed (phew!) and, in 2004, Hybrid was launched. We have never looked back.

How would you summarise the work you do?

Alan and I are proud to be one of London’s top flower companies. In addition, it’s a great privilege to create beautiful arrangements for an astounding array of events, parties, weddings, hotels and offices.

Our team is magnificent; their knowledge, training and unique perspectives challenge and inspire us every day. Our work is custom-designed to the client; one day, we may create wedding flowers in Holland Park. Then the next day, a huge reception piece for a large bank in Canary Wharf.

Where are you based?

Nestled in the railway arches of London’s Vauxhall, our flower studio is the florist’s nirvana: space for props, vases and work benches; a cool temperature that flowers love and a creative office space for client meetings and team brainstorming. What’s more, it’s just a stone’s throw from our favourite suppliers at the Flower Market.

What types of floral arrangements do you make?

We turn our hands to making anything. Once, a client called to ask if we could create a laurel chaplet (like Olympians are given on the podium). They had been calling florists all over, but none knew how to make one. However, we knew exactly what to do owing to our training in traditional floristry techniques.

Can you tell us about some of your recent commissions?

A few months ago we created the florals for Ade Adepitan and Elle Exxe’s wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral and Queens House, Greenwich which was covered in Hello! Magazine. It was a wonderful brief covering Ade’s background from Nigeria and Elle’s Scottish roots. We could use any flowers as long as they clashed!

Recently, we created the table centres for Brockman’s Gin. These featured beautiful deep coloured black branches strung with candlelight, decorated with rich red foliages and our current favourite: beautifully patterned begonia leaves.

We also design and install Christmas décor for hotels and work with the most amazing festive colour schemes. Last year’s favourites were nude colours with caramel, apricot and silver.

How does a commission for a wedding or event vary from a corporate commission?

For weddings, most people have poured a lot of time and thought into planning this once in a lifetime event. We keep this understanding at the forefront of our minds and help our clients find the best way to achieve their dreams whilst keeping within their budget. Our aim is to be realistic and creative in equal measures.

For a corporate commission, the idea is for florists to use flowers to represent a brand or identity. But, more and more, an amazing corporate event is all about creating truly memorable experiences for the guest in which they may be transported to another world.

Do you have a favourite type of project to work on?

We love working on events which have a quirky element. Often our clients spend hours planning a major annual event and conjure up the most amazing brief. We love discussing their and our ideas and creating sample designs for them to view. It helps when the event is held at a amazing venue as we are then given access to view the most amazing spaces from behind the scenes.

Tell us about some of the buildings you have dressed?

As London florists, we have dressed many iconic buildings: from Parliament, The London Eye, The Gherkin, Tower Bridge, The Shard, Shakespeare’s’ Globe, Canary Wharf and anywhere in between. Our work has included dressing strip clubs in Soho, hotels on Park Lane, Castles in the country side and boats on the Thames. We are also on the suppliers list for The British Museum, the Museum of London, Queen’s House, Cutty Sark, Merchant Taylor’s Hall, The Royal Observatory. We will always be proud to be a floral supplier to St Paul’s Cathedral which, for us, is the most iconic building in London.

What are your favourite flowers to work with?

Honestly, we do not have favourites. Each flower has natural qualities that can be used to create something amazing. Some flowers are easier to work with than others. Some are perfect for long lasting installations whilst others are wonderful for an instant ‘wow’ factor.

Roses, if opened to perfection, will always look stunning. However, our studio will particularly appreciate any flower which appears delicate whilst having longevity!

How many different types of flowers do you work with?

On any given day, our suppliers have access to thousands of varieties of flowers from all over the world. Ecuadorian roses are stunning, Italian agapanthus are massive and British sweet peas are divine. As leading florists, we are constantly on the lookout for new varieties in unique colour combinations or shapes. Last year, we worked with the cymbidium growers Cy More Flavour and Marrewijk Amaryllis growers in Holland. It was so fascinating to hear all about the passion these family businesses put into creating new breeds of flowers.

What is your favourite season for flowers?

We love either early or late summer. Early summer brings the most beautiful fresh foliage and seeing fresh buds gives us the feeling of anticipation and joy – there is a reason that Chelsea Flower Show is in May. The colour of flowers becomes more intense in late summer: dahlias and chrysanthemums look like they’ve stored up the warmth of the summer sun in their petals, which are deep and rich. It is possible to source most flowers all year round. But, if they’re out of season, they can be expensive and never seem as vibrant and flavoursome (strawberries in February anyone?).

What is your preferred colour combination?

Some flowers look great on their own in a vase. For example, a big bundle of blue iris in bright, daylight-filled room can look stunning. However, sometimes you can create the most amazing combinations of colours by spotting a tiny fleck of colour in the throat of, say, an orchid, and placing a colour matched flower or leaf next to it that will really bring that out.

Which projects do you have in 2019?

We have some really exciting projects on the horizon. One in particular is a ‘Sustainability’ event showcasing planted elements, recycled containers and locally grown flowers combined with a fantastically kitsch leaf motif.

Any floral trends we should look out for this year?

People are becoming more and more aware that flowers, plants and foliages can be used to create a vibe, feeling or atmosphere – think more ‘installation’ than flowers in a vase.
Be on the lookout for dried flowers, quirky grasses, funky plants; there is nothing off limits and there never will be!

Where do you get your inspiration?

Often our aim is to recreate the great outdoors, inside. Perhaps a client’s childhood memory of a calm woodland filled with bluebells. It is so often about nostalgia. We also get our inspiration from other creative industries such as architecture, interior and graphic design and other iconic eras from history.

Do you have any top tips for wannabe florists?

We recommend finding out what being a florist is really like and being open to hearing the bad stuff. Floristry College is one option as is work experience: both training and experience are essential to getting a foot in the door. Many people only want to be events florists but you can’t only be a party florist without knowing how to do the less glamorous things.

Search the internet for blogs and articles on floristry or speak to local florists. When people say it is hard work, it is really, really hard work. Back-breaking, hand-ruining sleep-depriving and stress-inducing. There are no short-cuts, but if you’ve still not been put off, enroll in a floristry course that will give you work experience too. Choose a good course that will teach you the boring bits too. You need to know it. 

….Spring 2019 

So that’s it.  Fifteen years in 15 minutes from the perspective of our Caroline.  We cannot quite work out the precise date of our 15th Birthday (as how do you mark the very beginning of something any way?) but all we can say is that sometime in March 2004, all those years ago we started on our journey.  We met some amazing people in that time and built the best network of wonderfully talented and dedicated people from suppliers, clients and florists who have come together over the years to make our little world go round…. here’s to the next 15! 

How to style a wedding the perfectly imperfect way

There is a school of thought which argues that Western ideals of beauty are based in symmetry and perfection, whilst in the East, aesthetic value can be found in the damaged or imperfect.  For this particular wedding day, we were asked to create florals for our perfectly named couple Emily and Emile, who wanted beauty conveyed in an utterly imperfect way!

Not only did our clients eschew typically ‘perfect’ flowers, they were also into the aesthetic of broken things. To clarify, Emily and Emile are great admirers of the ancient and very beautiful Japanese art of Kintsugi.

The inspiration:

Kintsugi, which literally means ‘golden joinery’, is the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer which has been mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. Dating back to the 15th Century, it has evolved into an art form by which utterly unique and beautiful objects are created from once broken pieces.

In promoting repair as an intrinsic part of an object’s history, Kintsugi has become a metaphor and philosophy for life: for some it demonstrates human resilience and how we as people develop from negative experiences, taking the best from them and owning them, which in turn makes each of us who we are.

The brief:

And with this in mind, our challenge; should we choose to accept it, was to piece together a very relaxed look, with simple, unassuming flowers but in a very careful, impeccable way.  We would need to incorporate wild, rambling natural foliage into very formal and historic London buildings: St John’s Church in Notting Hill and Merchant Taylors Hall in the City.  Our clients wanted us to make everything look effortless and unaffected, whilst at the same time paying every attention to detail.

No problem, we accept!

We briefed the team that the look was to be disordered, but that we need to be meticulous about how we created it! We agreed to avoid using typical ‘flower-shop’ flowers –so no dahlia, tightly spiralled roses or trendy succulents – and turned our eye to using branches, foliage and simple, elegant flowers that could hold their own without shouting ‘everyone look at me!”. Through the usage of symbolic thistles and olive, our floral designs were to look very natural and gratifying.

The details:

September is the perfect time of year for wild looking late summer flowers.  Using a floral palette of white, along with touches of red and blue to complement the venue interiors, we incorporated masses of stunning eucalyptus with lots, and lots, of candlelight.

We worked with wedding planner extraordinaire Knot and Pop to create a beautiful look for the bridal party, ceremony and reception.  A loose and flowing bouquet for the bride was made from eucalyptus, dill, the most heavenly mix of garden roses and white scabiosa and astrantia, together with thistle, wild blackberries and twigs. The simple, delicate and timeless button holes for the gentlemen were made from the roses and thistle for Emile. With the cool tones of blue found in the thistle highlighting the stunning bridesmaids’ dresses and the tiles of the St John’s Church, the look for the ceremony was one of pure elegance.

The venue:

For Merchant Taylors’ Hall we created a feature entrance design to look as if it were growing around the formal grand stair-case. Simple white delphinium, hydrangeas, grass-like red sanguisorba, garden roses, blackberries, eucalyptus, olive and ruscus all combined to compliment this stunning historical hall.

The Parlour, with its 18th Century original Chinese wallpaper, was simply dressed with a rambling, but not over-the-top, mantel design of matching flowers which perfectly complimented the collection of elegant furniture.

The courtyard, a hidden gem within the City of London, was beautifully set with white dressed drinks tables tied with swags of foliage and dressed with a smattering of key flowers.  Later in the evening the courtyard became alive with the dancing, flickering flames and shadows from candles which combined to create an atmospheric and befittingly romantic space.

Rambling eucalyptus and olive garlands were laid along the stunning guest tables in the Great Hall, interspersed with blown roses, blue thistle and deep red juicy blackberries. The nodding seed-like heads of sanguisorba and scabiosa were entwined amongst lots and lots of candlesticks and perfectly set tapered candles.

No detail was missed from the perfectly positioned tables, the stunning dining chairs and exquisite place settings which were styled by Susie at Knot and Pop.  And as for that reference to the beautiful art of Kintsugi? Well, everything that Susie touched that day, definitely received a dusting of gold!

All stunning images courtesy of M&J Photography

16 slightly random questions to ask a florist

When a friend of mine asked me if I would answer some questions about myself for an article she was writing I thought “erm… might I introduce you to my business partner, Alan…?!” for you see I am not terribly keen on talking about myself.
However, she persevered and threatened to infect my precious garden roses with aphids if I didn’t comply, so under duress, I agreed.

And I have to say I got a lot out of answering the questions! In fact, they gave me space to think about some really big questions, like: “How did I end up as a florist?” and “What is it all about anyway?” I also couldn’t help but wonder: “Would she really be so mean as to ruin my beautiful roses?”

You see, even when you love your job like I do, and have worked hard to ensure the team you work with are happy and engaged, and even when you are surrounded by beautiful flowers in sumptuous settings, you can still feel, sometimes, that things are passing by too quickly and you may want to stop and take stock. I can think of two significant occasions when I’ve really needed to do this: once when I realised that I’d been a florist for over half of my life, and the second when I turned 40 earlier this year.

The “interview” is below, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed taking part!

1. Where did you grow up?

Surrey, but I guess I really grew up when I went to live in South East London at age 19.

2. What’s the earliest thing you can remember?

As all good mums did with their babies in the 1970’s, my mum would often plonk me in my pram and leave me in the garden whilst she got on with yoga, or making a pineapple upside down cake… okay, I can’t really remember that bit but I can vividly remember looking up at cherry blossom. Our road in Ewell was lined with the most glorious cherry trees which were full of stunning puffy, pink petals that, a few weeks later would cover the street in beautiful pink snow-like confetti.
I have a tendency now to place my children under random cherry blossom trees every April just to ensure they have similar memories!

3. How much do you think your childhood influences your work:

As a child, I would always draw and paint flowers and I look for ways to show the patterns and shapes in flowers and leaves now, as then. I will always have a soft spot for begonia and cyclamen leaves.

My grandmother loved sweet peas and would display her home grown flowers in her house every summer. The organic mix of so many colours and varied heights always fascinated me. This memory has taught me that flowers, like the sea, cannot, and should, not be controlled too much.

4. What’s the weirdest place you’ve sought inspiration from:

Well! I am often travelling on the train and as a result, I been known to find a lot of inspiration from the verges on railway tracks. Also, as a car passenger travelling on the most boring of motorways I can let my mind wonder and come up with quite a few creative ideas.

5. What formal education do you have?

I have a Ist class BA hons in Communications and Animation from Goldsmiths however, the past 20 years working in the industry has been my biggest lesson!

6. What’s the wisest thing anyone has ever told you?

You’ve got to give yourself a chance to get lucky.

7. As they grow older, what do you think your children will ask you to tell stories about?

I think they’ll ask me about the time I arranged flowers for the Queen’s lunch table. It was very long and very grand! And I expect they’ll ask me about all the different weird and wonderful places Hybrid have been to in London.

Even now, I play a game with my daughter where we look at a sketch map of London that hangs on our toilet wall, and she points to a random location and I have to tell her an interesting fact or story to do with that area.

8. When did something start out badly for you but in the end, it was great?

That’s easy, it was for the first ever hand-tied bouquet I ever made for the first florist I worked for. I had only made a few beforehand and as I was making it I thought ‘Oh my this is going horribly wrong they are going to see straight through me and my lack of experience will be uncovered!’. But for some reason I kept going and realised that perseverance can take you quite a long way and actually I was alright at this flowery stuff!…

9. Which flower will always be in fashion, no matter how much time passes?

Roses: the whole world has spent thousands of years growing them. Just don’t let my friend near them.

10. Which is the most unusual brief you’ve ever been asked to fill?

Flowers to be given on stage at The Royal Albert Hall to a whole host of amazing female celebrities who took part in The Vagina Monologues in the early noughties. The flowers had to be very themed, descriptive and very striking! I was wincing when I was making them.

11. What are you interested in that most people aren’t?

Vans and trucks.

12. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve broken?

Our first van.

13. What do you think you are much better at than you actually are?

Axe Throwing (ask the rest of our team, this was the first part of our Christmas party last year and I was THE worst).

14. Do you think that aliens exist?

Not in the slightest.

15. What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it?

Am afraid it has to be the bar scene from Only Fools and Horses and the sick caterpillar scene in CBeebie’s ‘Hey Duggee’.

16. What’s the funniest joke you know by heart?

What do you get hanging from trees?…

Sore arms.

Christmas styling … why you don’t need to throw loads of flowers at it!

In case you’ve not noticed, soon it will be Christmas; that most wonderful time of the year! A time to relax, be merry, deck the halls! With social media awash with images of the perfect Christmas, from opulent flower walls to entire buildings covered in decoration, you may be forgiven for thinking that to create a Wow, you must GO BIG!

Of course, insta-images of 12 foot high Christmas trees swamped in bows, candles and glitz create a real impact, but, as a rule, at Hybrid we abide by the “less is more” adage; we believe that the essence of Christmas can still be captured using a few, well chosen, beautifully styled flowers rather than a tonne of sparkly birch trees. 

For our designs at this year’s London Christmas Party Show we were asked to create a design within an alcove at the largest Livery Hall in London, Plaisterers’ Hall, which backs on to the remains of the original Roman London Wall. In this unique venue, we wanted to create a lush Christmas atmosphere without going too over the top; we wanted the warmth, the magic and the feel of Christmas but didn’t want to chuck glitter at everything.

The essence of Christmas style:

To achieve this, we decided to go back to basics and asked ourselves what is the essence of Christmas? What are the most Christmassy colours, scents, textures around, and which little touches can we add to our design to make people feel the magic of Christmas?

We challenged ourselves to create a timeless design that would be in-keeping with a Christmas scene from when the original Plaisterers’ Hall, was built back in 1556, as well as combining the essence and spirit of a contemporary 2018 Christmas. Our solution: a colour scheme of red, amber, gold and emerald green mixed with velvety textures and lots of shiny things.

And so we set about creating a bit of an optical illusion within our curved alcove.  Appearing as if a rounded table was set into the wall (when really it was half a table making the most of the deep curved alcove behind) we filled the space with lots of Christmassy details.  We used two different textured velvet cloths sourced from our friends at Borovick Fabrics in Soho and a beautiful lace edged chargers.  We used brushed gold cutlery, tumblers and goblets and added beautiful, rich, warm coloured fruits like pomegranates, oranges and grapes.

And of course, no Christmas table would be complete without a scattering of cinnamon sticks and candlelight.  Our key flowers were scarlet coloured roses, opened to perfection, combined with traditional poinsettia flowers and glossy green foliages.

Bearing in mind our “less is more” philosophy, the next question we asked ourselves was quantity: we knew these lovely festive details would speak for themselves but what if – What If – we went BIG, just this once? We ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ for all of 5 minutes before deciding that whilst a smattering of Christmas details would hit the festive spot perfectly well, should we not throw caution to the wind and really indulge in the joy of Christmas?

And with that, we were off! We ordered ourselves not one, but two types of velvet red rose, ‘Red Naomi’ and ‘Freedom’ which we set amidst the shiniest, deepest green aralia leaves we could find, contrasted with touches of Cupressus foliage and combined with the most beautiful faux silk poinsettias. There was no holding back as we sprayed pomegranates gold and studded the oranges with different patterns of cloves, finished off with a red ribbon.  And what Christmas table isn’t complete without a full-on floral arch full of red flowers and winter foliage completely surrounding the festive setting?!

Looking back, we feel a little giddy! Those glass-urns, the goblets, That Arch! All adorned, stuffed, embellished with hundreds of breathtakingly beautiful roses. Was our flirtation with opulence worth it? Well! We think it might have been, especially as we won the award for Best Stand was as voted by the visitors (a delightful surprise).

Our top tips for creating the look:

But truly and honestly, we feel that the same effect can been created with a lot less, our ideas for decorating your own Christmas party without breaking the bank are below:

  1. Red

Use red, sparingly, in the same way as a movie star may use a dash of scarlet lipstick, to create a hint of glamour and colour without drenching the senses. To do this, you must find the most vivid red flowers you can afford, but here, less is definitely more, don’t get too many: roses or poinsettia plants are perfect (you can cut poinsettia flowers and place in vases of water for a more delicate look).

  1. Green

Combine with green shiny and textured foliage.  Deep green glossy leaves, such as evergreen camellia, laurel or aralia leaves from a garden are perfect, and combine these with common or garden stems of conifer (yes, we said conifer!) or, if you are bit posh, stems of rosemary.

  1. Gold

Add a touch of Gold: buy yourself a can of gold spray paint and spray pots, tumblers, little vases or candleholders deep, rich opulent gold (pears also look gorgeous touched, but not completely covered, with gold).

  1. Orange(s)

And last but never least, our most favourite Christmas decoration of all time will always be clove studded oranges.  They. Are. A. Must. Easy to create and heavenly to smell.

Image courtesy of the great guys at Splento 

Day of the Dead… W Hotel Style!

At Hybrid, we like to do our research; we will do whatever it takes to ensure that we fully understand a brief. Often this means looking into the historical significance of flowers or working out which floral scents will complement others in a display, but sometimes things can go a bit weird. A bit spooky. A bit, well, otherworldly. And this is a case in point. As soon as we were given the terribly exciting brief from our friends at W London for a Mexican themed “Day of the Dead and Decadent” party at The Perception we knew that we were going to have fun with this one.

Purely research, you understand…

As luck would have it, our lovely Liliana at Hybrid knows a thing or two about the tradition of the Day of the Dead (El Día De Los Muertos) and she whisked us off to lunch at La Bodega Negra, a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Soho, purely for research purposes you understand. Here we chatted to Liliana and her friend to find out all about the Mexican valued tradition of celebrating and remembering their lost love ones.

Stop thinking Halloween right now!

Now, it is important to note that the Day of the Dead is in absolutely no way a scary, ghoul obsessed, ‘Halloween’ type thing; It is more a celebration of life and a demonstration of respect for deceased family members. It just so happens that the Mexican way of expressing this is stylish, glamorous and sassy!

Every year, for a couple of days at the beginning of November, in towns and cities throughout country, Mexicans take part in candlelit parades and processions, throw raucous parties, wear stunning costumes and put on elaborate makeup. They also surround themselves with flowers, in particular the vividly coloured, fluffy petalled marigold, for which which we have a massively soft spot.

That day sitting at La Bodega, we learnt that beautiful, floral ‘altars’ are created every year to welcome the spirits back to the living in an explosion of colour.  In fact, every restaurant in Mexico City will display an altar in celebration of this national holiday. And those beautiful skull decorations that we have all seen? Well they aren’t intended to scare people.

“La Calavera Catrina”, aka the Lady of Death, first appeared as the Aztec Goddess Mictecacihuatl, Queen of the Underworld, protecting the bones of the dead and presiding over death at festivals like the modern day El Día De Los Muertos. More recently, José Guadalupe Posada resurrected the image circa 1920 in an etching called “La Calavera Catrina”. The aim here was more satirical: to make fun of the current trend in Mexico to aspire to be like aristocratic Europeans.

Fast forward to present day and La Calavera Catrina is seen everywhere. Her face appears on all types of goods including food, masks, craft items and, of course, in fashion. Her face has become synonymous with El Día De Los Muertos.

The team at the W London Leicester Square knew exactly what they wanted for their event: a ‘Day of the Dead and Decadent’ party that would ‘see the spirits of Soho take centre stage for two epic nights’.  Guests were to embark on a journey starting at the entrance of the unequivocally trendy hotel on Wardour Street.

The ground floor of the sleek, black, night-club style lobby was filled with richly coloured flowers, candles and of course, La Calavera Catrina in the form of an altar.  We decided that our beloved marigolds would be the main flower and combined them with amber coloured dahlia, spicy chilis, magenta carnations, anthuriums, glorisoa and craspedia.

Revellers made their way up to the first floor where the elevator doors opened onto the most exclusive of parties set in one of the most trailblazing hotel interiors in London.  Throughout The Lounge and The Perception Bar guests were entertained by breath-taking acts featuring fire performers whilst exquisitely costumed mixologists served electric cocktails with, naturally, plenty of tequila and live DJ sets to create a truly exhilarating vibe.

A beautifully decorated leather sofa, hand tattooed by local Frith Street Tattoo (what, you mean you don’t have a bespoke tattooed leather sofa?), was pride of place amidst curved seating areas and centre stage: our piece de resistance of wild, colour-themed florals.  We filled white vases with Chinese lanterns and gloriosa lilies, and black painted asparagus-fern was strung alongside black and white sketches of human skulls.  Elsewhere, token floral offerings were made to the spirits set on tables surrounded with jars of marigolds, callas, chillies and candle-light, vintage photographs and ceramic skulls.

Andrea Dutton Photography

It was a very special party, and one, we hope, that did those departed souls re-visiting the land of the living on El Día De Los Muertos proud.

If you want to experience the wonders of the 2018 Day of the Dead festival for yourself, the V&A are holding their own free event on 2nd of November with live music, dancing and puppets plus an ‘ofrenda’ dedicated to Frida Kahlo.  Alternatively check out Disney’s animation Coco inspired by the Day of the Dead holiday, this movie is full of joy colour and of course marigolds!

With thanks to W London Hotel for party images and Andrea Dutton for installation images.

“Make those flowers clash!” … our vibrant celebrity wedding as featured in Hello!

Our first ever meeting with Ade Apepitan MBE’s future wife, Elle Exxe, was at Hybrid HQ in Vauxhall. The incredibly inspiring, self-styled music artist arrived with her wedding planner, the wonderful George Watts AKA “The Wedding Fairy” and proceeded to give us the most exciting floral brief: use any flowers you like, but they must clash!

Elle and Ade wanted to mix their Scottish, English and Nigerian backgrounds.  They didn’t want their wedding flowers to be ‘flowery or pretty’, they wanted them to be bold and they wanted them to be beautiful.  Best of all, we could use any flowers we wanted to create that look!

Elle had already decided to use Hybrid even before meeting us (soooo love it when that happens!) and she knew exactly the kind of atmosphere she wanted to create.  She had been planning her wedding for two years with her TV presenter and Paralympian basket-ball player fiancé; it was to be the most exciting, vibrant and full-on happy day.

Their wedding ceremony venue was no less than the High Altar at St Paul’s Cathedral, not everyone can marry in this part of the Cathedral and it was only permitted as Ade is a MBE.  As an approved florist for St Paul’s we always feel that tingly sense of excitement whenever a client asks us to work there and the fact that the wedding party would then travel to another of our most adored wedding venues, The Queen’s House, Greenwich via a boat we have had the pleasure of decorating many times, the Dixie Queen was the icing on the (wedding) cake! 170 family and friends from all over the world were invited, including top sports people and personalities from the entertainment business. It was going to be the most exciting day for us at Hybrid and we weren’t even the ones getting married!

Allister Freeman

A couple of weeks before the big day George informed us that the wedding was to be covered by Hello! Magazine.  And (as you can imagine) our immediate thoughts on this snippet of information were as follows:

Hmmm, this is no biggie, the flowers are certainly going to look A-MAZING, but…. we must make sure Ade’s button hole looks perfect. We cannot abide magazine pictures of wonky button holes! 

The morning of a wedding is always a very special and memorable time for any florist (let alone bride or groom!).  The day you have working towards has arrived and you finally get to present the first part of your many creations to your clients.

Ade and Elle, stayed at the same City based hotel with a view of St Paul’s.  Whilst their hotel rooms were next to each other, the atmosphere in each couldn’t have felt more different.  Elle’s was a hive of activity, full of hair and makeup artists with friends and bridesmaids all excitedly rushing to and fro. Edinburgh, London and Nigerian accents could be heard whilst I presented the bride and the bridesmaids with their vibrant statement bouquets.

Allister Freeman

Next door was a different story, Ade was looking relaxed with his sister and looking out over the view in anticipation of the day ahead.  I could tell how excited he was from his chatting: asking how the set-up at St Paul’s Cathedral was going and telling me about the grand-finale firework display over Greenwich Park. All the while I was attaching the most impeccable buttonhole of red roses, thistle, ginger petals and palm fronds to the coolest blue suit with embellished crystals I had ever seen. My overriding thought was:

this button hole is not going to move all day! 

Allister Freeman

The whole wedding day was a delight; we caught glimpses of the couple and their guests as we travelled between venues and stood-by, with silly grins on our faces, as their day unfolded.

And the flowers! Oh the flowers….

The bridal party carried a mix of tropical gingers, gloriosa lily and roses along with asclepia, orchids and dahlia. We wanted each bouquet to be as vivid as the handmade African-print lined dresses and each pedestal design and pew end in the cathedral to be as colourful as the beautiful stained-glass windows.

The Ceremony

Allister Freeman

The Journey

Allister Freeman

The Reception

Allister Freeman

For the wedding breakfast in the Great Hall of the Queen’s House each table displayed a simple gold vase bursting with unique combinations of the most vivid blooms and foliage from all over the world.  Tropical gingers, heliconia and gloriosa. Orchids, protea, anthuriums and asclepia. Croton, kentia, dracaenas, and ferns.  Dahlia, hydrangea, delphinium, and thistle.  Each table centre was different from the next and each place setting decorated with a tropical monstera leaf  and the cutest menu cards we ever did see.

When we look back, it is not only the bright vivid flowers that we remember (did we mention that we could use any flowers we liked, as long as they clashed?) but the wonderful personalities that we worked with on the day.  From chatting with two of the coolest female vergers at St Paul’s Cathedral (who gave their seal of approval for the flowers) to being an added tourist attraction to the inquisitive visitors looking round St Paul’s. The incredible caterers, Party Ingredients and the wonderful events team at Queen’s House were as usual, the perfect pros.   And as for our stars of the day?  Well they were the kindest, happiest and genuinely loveliest couple who truly deserved their very special day.

Allister Freeman

Two weeks later we received our copy of Hello! and were delighted with the coverage and are pleased to say that the button hole stayed put perfectly!

Hybrid Studios

With thanks to the wonderful and highly talented reportage wedding photographer that is Allister Freeman for images. 

 

Just what is it with florists and green flowers?

We have come to the conclusion, based on years in the industry and having observed, chatted to and worked with many brilliant experts, that for 9 out of 10 florists, the colour of flower we most like working with is actually green. Not luxurious red, or impertinent pink, or even vibrant yellow, but green! Now, I love my profession, but even I find that a little odd!

Why, when there is so much range in the different variety of flower and a whole rainbow spectrum of colours, do florists get so excited over green flowers? One theory (based on no empirical evidence I must add) is that our green obsession stems (excuse the pun) from the perception that green flowers are special, rare, unique.

Image taken in the Chapter Rooms, St Paul’s Cathedral

They don’t conform to the idea that flowers must stand out and shout in order to be seen. Green florals can be subtle, shy even; they won’t jump out and hit you in the way that say clashing pink and yellow would.  And we don’t expect them to be the first flowers a client would choose, especially if looking to create a vibrant party design. But to us they are the most elegant flowers of them all.

To a seasoned florist who has seen-them-all, green provides are more calming atmosphere and something a bit different.  More so than white, green can be thought of as the most neutral of all colours in a florist’s palette.  Green hued blooms challenge the observer to see and notice the fascinating detail of a flower: its shape, form, texture and pattern.

We asked our good friend and colour mentor Karen Haller, a colour psychologist, to shed some light on what it is that people have about green:

So why are we are humans drawn to green? There’s a few things going on. It’s the colour that we most attribute to nature. Often, we have green in our lives to reconnect us back to the feeling of being in nature. It’s restful and gives a sense of peace. Like being in a lush green forest.

It is also one of the most sophisticated palettes you can work with. If you don’t want to clash with an interior, or if you wish to create an soft and natural creations, then stunning floral designs in shades of green will help you achieve this.   To add a hint of another colour, whilst still retaining the green theme as the star of the show, opt for cool hues such as blues, greys or whites.

But be quick! Summer time is the perfect season to do this!

Here are a few of our favourite greens:

Papaver – these poppy seed heads provide the loveliest rounded shapes in green hues, from grey to blue to jade;

Green Tricks – the fluffiest dianthus ever and perfect for adding a unique texture;

Hypericum – such pretty glossy berries which provide amazing detail amongst other, fluffier green flowers;

Phalaenposis orchid – the freshest palest greens appear in the faces of one of the toughest varieties of ‘Moth’ orchid.

Hydrangea – one of the largest green flowers available, these provide the perfect element to designs and are probably the most delicate looking of all hydrangeas;

Anthurium – the darling flower of the moment our favourite pale green anthurium is known as ‘Marysia’.

Molucella – this is the most amazingly tall lime-green flower which can be used to provide impact, also known as ‘Bells of Ireland’;

Gladioli – natural and fresh, when all of the pale green florets open on these long stems, the look is always clean and fresh;

And what do you partner with all of these beautiful green floral varieties?  More greenery of course!  In fact, when it comes to foliage, nearly all florists have a rather unhealthy obsession with leaves.  Of course the choice of greenery out there in our green and pleasant land is vast but the impact you can make with foliage is immense.  But that is for another time.

Top tips for a floral career from the original Hybrid Heroes

On our Instagram bio we state, proudly: “The most amazing team of event and corporate florists.” This may sound a tad OTT, but we really do mean it! They. Are. Amazing! Not a week goes by when I don’t feel a sense of almost maternal pride whilst listening to the fabulous Hybrid staff chatting about their projects with such great enthusiasm and energy.

In fact, each member of our 14 strong clan contributes something individually wonderful and eclectic which, when combined, forms the very essence of Hybrid. Together, we form the most amazing team which, for me at least, has become even more than that: it’s an extended family, full of people you actually choose to spend time with, each with their own talent and personality.

We caught up with three of our most long-standing Hybrid Heroes whilst installing designs at a recent English Garden summer installation at The Brewery in the City of London. I wanted to ask them what made them become florists in the first place and if they have any words of wisdom for people thinking of a career in floristry.

Fiona has worked at Hybrid for four years, Liliana for nine years and Gabriella for six. This is what they said:

Do you think you were destined to become a florist?

Creating something memorable from flowers has always been in Liliana’s blood, ever since she and her brother would play outside as children in the countryside in Cordoba, Argentina, where they would make little characters from the seed-heads of clematis flowers.

For Fee, it was a childhood spent playing outdoors in Yorkshire where she would pretend to be a presenter on a TV cookery show and use piles of leaves decorated with flowers as food!

From an early age, Gabs, was drawn to the beautiful enticing and fascinating flower shops in her home city of Budapest.

Both Gabs and Fee chose to study Horticulture directly upon leaving school. Fee studied for three years at Leeds City College which for her was a welcome change from the formal dynamic of classroom learning. For Gabs, ‘horticulture’ was the first word that jumped out at her when she opened the book of careers given to all Hungarian 14 year olds at her high school. She went on to study six years of Horticulture at University in Budapest. Coincidently, both loved learning the Latin names for plants and the design aspect of their courses before deciding to specialise in floristry inspired by the flowers they had been taught how to grow.

Liliana travelled all over the world before moving to London in her thirties where she was inspired by her then house-mate to study on a 3 year floristry course at Southwark College.  The alumni from the 2003 graduation year is one to be proud of, including flower experts and florists such as Rona Wheeldon, founder of Flowerona, Rafael Ballesteros, Manager of Galton Flowers and Mary Woolcot the owner of Windmill Flowers. Liliana’s tutor proudly stated that it was a very competitive year!

The first question we are always asked by people thinking of moving into floristry is, is it worth going to college?

All three whole heartedly agree that yes, you need to have a sound knowledge of the basics.

For Liliana, going to college gave her the confidence to be a professional:

For me, it was the most amazing thing I could have done as it opened my eyes to different forms of floristry and you need to have that knowledge to be professional.

Gabs agrees:

Studying allows you to be the very best you can be.

Upon leaving college, Liliana and Fee, were given lucky breaks by wonderful flower shop managers in London who believed in giving good college graduates a chance; they never looked back!

Do you still love flowers after all these years?

Liliana jokes that her hands certainly don’t! But all three agreed that they still love flowers. Liliana loves growing her own and using them in her house.

Fee explained that there are always new flowers emerging in the industry which make you fall back in love with the simplest flowers that you have used for years.  Her passion is always sparked by new varieties of old style flowers such as the quirkiest varieties of carnations called ‘Nobbio Violet’ and ‘Peach Extazis’.

We asked what each would be doing if they weren’t working in this mad floral world?

For Liliana, it would be something crafty or artistic, perhaps fine art whereas for Fee, as well as creative writing, she would be immersed in history, delving into myths and legends and the history of ancient buildings.  Which is why she always volunteers to install event flowers at some of our most historical London venues such as Merchant Taylors’ Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral and The Queen’s House, Greenwich!

Gabs however, would have liked to study Microbiology, especially creating new flowers, or an architect!

Do Gabs, Liliana and Fee have any tips for people considering a career in floristry?

Gabs advises to never stop learning, make everything as if you were making it for yourself and keep the passion.  The industry is so intense that once you stop loving the industry, you will leave, so keep the passion alive!

Fee recommends keeping perspective and not sweating the small stuff. She said:

Listen and learn from the experienced florists, they will teach you new tips and tricks.  Each florist, each shop and company does things differently absorb it all and you’ll find what works for you.

Liliana is more pragmatic, advising to be prepared for cold days, early hours and lots of psychical work:

It is very creative but you can never rest on your laurels.  If you work in the flower industry, keep in mind that it is one of the hardest environments to work in as your product is perishable so you must always be thinking of ways to sell your creations.

Gabs added:

It is never boring! It is one of the only professions where you will be continually thinking, prioritising, calculating, selling, creating, physically lifting and moving, driving, liaising, marketing, planning, drawing, presenting and writing and that’s before touching any flowers!

Made up of individuals, Hybrid, is more than the sum of its parts: our combined experience means that we can always ask each other for advice or run new ideas past one another and there are moments of sheer joy when we sit down and simply chat, talk about the old times, discuss philosophies of life and learn something new about each other.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about the Hybrid Heroes and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about a career in floristry.

The people behind British Flowers Week

It seems like only yesterday that the wonderful people behind British Flowers Week, New Covent Garden Flower Market (known simply as ‘The Market’ to those of us in the biz), asked a select few of their top florist clients to choose a key British flower and create 3 distinct designs around it.

It was a genuine honour and privilege to be one of the chosen florists of 2014, and we haven’t stopped harping on about it since! You see, The Market asked just five of their finest and gave us a whole host of amazing British flowers to choose from.

Their aim?

To showcase great British flowers through great British floristry.

Our choice of British flower came easily: the Sweet William. I agree it’s not the most obvious choice, but we like to be a little different at Hybrid, and the Sweet William is a flower for which our Alan has real soft spot. In fact, the amazing Sweet William is used regularly by Hybrid in all three areas of our work: events, weekly corporate designs and weddings.  Click here to see what we did with the designs.

Now in its sixth year, for floral designers, growers, florists, flower arrangers and customers alike, British Flowers Week is becoming the highlight of the floral year (yes indeed… move over Chelsea….).

So we decided to take a look at how much this amazing floral calendar event has developed over the last few years and asked the brilliant Claire Levi, Communications Executive for New Covent Garden Market Authority to tell us how it all came about.

How was British Flowers Week born?

Here at the Flower Market at New Covent Garden Market, we’ve traded in British grown flowers and foliage for centuries. Up until the 1970s, the only flowers you saw came from flower farmers in Britain. Today, most of the flowers we see used in the floristry industry or for sale in your high street flower shop will have been grown by large scale commercial growers and routed through the Dutch auctions.

We wanted to promote and give visibility to these British flowers, their sellers, growers, and the independent florists championing locally-grown. Although beautiful British flowers are available all year round, we wanted to take one week to focus all our attentions on promoting them, generating interest and press coverage to boost the British flower industry.

Was it solely a Flower Market idea?

The initial idea was solely a Flower Market idea, but the campaign would never have been possible without the support of the entire floral industry.

How has it changed over the last 5 years?

What started as a relatively small project has grown from strength to strength – I think we never really expected how big the campaign would become! – Although our aims have stayed the same.

Over the year’s 25 florists (including yourselves) have created stunning designs using British flowers and foliage that we shared with the press, on our website and across social media as the cornerstone of the campaign. This year, we’ve changed things up a bit, with six florists creating all British floral installations that will be on display at the Garden Museum throughout the week for people to visit.

Social media use has increased so much over the last five years too, that the hashtag #BritishFlowersWeek has grown and grown, with more people getting behind the campaign online. In 2015, I created the website www.britishflowersweek.com too, to act as an online hub for the week.

More florists and growers are holding events up and down the country to celebrate the week too, particularly members of the Flowers from the Farm network who do amazing work in promoting locally grown flowers.

What is the aim for British Flowers week?

We aim to:

  • Showcase great British flowers through great British floristry
  • Raise awareness of which British flowers are in season when
  • Encourage the public to buy more British flowers

Any key people involved in British Flowers week that you couldn’t do without?

There’s so many people who’ve made British Flowers Week what it is today! As I mentioned, Flowers from the Farm are hugely important in promoting British Flowers Week through their network across the UK. The British Florist Association are also great partners in sharing the campaign with their members. They’ve also created some great free posters for florists to use, and the lovely team at The Paper Studio have been providing free posters and gift tags to florists for years.

The whole team at the market, and friends of the market like Rona Wheeldon of Flowerona provide invaluable support too and Liz Anderson was vital in helping with PR in the early years of the campaign.

Ultimately though, British Flowers Week wouldn’t be such a success without florists, like yourselves, who’ve given up their time and effort to support the campaign and continue to advocate for British flowers, wholesalers and growers. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who makes time to support the campaign.

Many thanks to Flowerona, Julian Winslow and New Covent Garden Flower Market for images 

The top 5 Ultra Violet flowers inspired by Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2018

As a florist with a degree in Communications, there is nothing I enjoy more than interpreting a client’s brief using flowers to convey their message, and I believe that the right combination of flowers in a design can send a powerful and long-lasting message to all those who view it. Put another way: flora themed design can be used to strengthen a brand, create an atmosphere, and enhance an identity.

When used in a stunning display, flowers have the power the unleash forgotten memories and create associations and may cause the onlooker to actually feel different. For example, vibrant orange and pink can make you feel a bit wild, happy and adventurous, whilst that same orange with whites and fresh greens will create a more chilled out vibe, reminiscent of summer days.

We often ask clients to give us three key words to describe the ‘message’ they want to convey. We have received all manner of adjectives from ‘sharp’, ‘professional’ and ‘dynamic’ to ‘glamorous’, ‘sexy’ and ‘shocking’. To our design team these three words are the key to unlocking inspiration, permitting us to unleash our creative edge to ensure the flowers we chose are the most effective at conveying this message.

Every year, Pantone, a company based in New Jersey most commonly known for providing a system for matching colours, releases their colour of the year. For 2018, this colour is Ultra Violet. At Hybrid, we eagerly await news of each year’s colour and spend a lot of time discussing which flowers will best match whichever colour it is.

No surprise then that we have always preferred the more florally inspired years:

2014’s Radiant Orchid was blooming ‘with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination’ and gave us scope to develop designs with warm deep pink tones.

2017’s Greenery was a ‘refreshing and revitalising shade… symbolic of new beginnings’ and was perfect for so many foliage inspired designs.

However, this year’s Ultra Violet is without doubt, our all-time favourite!  Violet has the power to anchor and give depth to so many other colours and flower combinations. Whenever a brief dictates ‘vibrant, bold and strong’, we think: violet. Right now, spring and summer give us perfect blooms in ultra violet tones.  Violet is a bold and brazen colour and can be used to create the most amazing statement designs, it can also make colours placed next to it come alive.

Ultra Violet is so important that we feel it warrants further praise and reverence, we asked our friend and colour mentor, Applied Colour Psychology practitioner Karen Haller for her view on this colour:

The ultra-violet ray is the last colour before the invisible and reflects stepping into the unknown. It’s the ideal hue to reflect taking a leap of faith and connecting to our inner self, our intuition and taking our self-awareness beyond our current thinking.

The colour’s vibrant namesake, the violet flower, also brings great joy as it is one of the first flowers to appear each year. This little woodland bloom heralds the start of spring with its deep intense colour, its surely one of the most audacious in the natural world with it’s sensual tone hinting at drama and intrigue.

Aside from the valiant yet petite Violet, here are our top five Ultra Violet flowers:

  1. Anemone

Anemone is a spring bloom of an intense deep purple with a black face.  Although its sold to us as being “blue”, we are buying it for its glorious violet colour.

Tip: their soft, long, delicate stems work beautifully in vases of fresh water on their own or as part of a collection, but don’t try and use them in floral foam if you are making over 15 table designs as your team will never forgive you!

Best mixed with: orange roses and cherry coloured ranunculus.

  1. Flag Iris

These shapely tall flowers stand head and shoulders above their smaller cousin, the ‘common or garden’ Iris.  The violet coloured varieties are particularly dramatic and their striking silhouette is simply stunning.

Tip:  don’t cut these stems too short as they are born to be tall, dramatic and glamorous.  Arrange them simply in a beautiful vase with their spear like leaves as the only foliage.

Best mixed with: nothing! Simply place them in front of a plain backdrop to really promote and show-off their shape.

  1. Hydrangeas

As summer arrives, we seek out the violet version of this amazing bloom, each individual vivid floret creates the most striking domed shape.

Tip: these large rounded domes of violet add weight and depth to most floral designs. Use them as a base shape to enhance other stunning summer flowers.

Best mixed with: a blown open cerise coloured peony, or alternatively use bundles of violet hydrangeas in modern vases set amongst matching vases of bold shapely flowers to create impressive colour blocks of flowers.

  1. Vanda Orchid

The assortment of violet tones available from vanda orchid growers is breathtaking.  These striking blooms look amazing under a spotlight at events and their reliable long lasting vase life means they are perfect for weekly vase designs in both offices, restaurants and hotels.

Tip: stems of Vanda orchids can be arranged beautifully at the mouth of tall vases and their individual heads can be removed from the stems and submerged in water, placed into individual tubes of water and strung into tall branches.

  1. Delphinium

Each floret of the vibrant purple delphinium has the most amazing violet tones. Packed together, their impact can be phenomenal! This delphinium is probably one of the most striking flowers available to florists and is one of the tallest flowers around in British gardens at summer time.

Tip: use these beautiful stems to make massive fan shapes of colour in large containers atop striking plinth pedestals.  They look equally stunning in modern glassware in high end modern architectural spaces as they do in traditional stone urns placed in within landscaped gardens at summer soirees.

We hope that you will be inspired by the flowers we have showcased here and that if you are looking for a display that is eye-catching, sensuous and bold you remember these Ultra-Violet heroes, especially if the message you’re looking to convey is one that is punchy, deep and mesmorising!

BTW the most uninspiring Pantone colours of the year were for us Turquoise, Emerald and Marsala. A turquoise coloured flower? Anyone?

Easter floral styling with four understated spring stars

When we were asked the other day to put together a few Spring floral collections to echo the essence of Easter 2018 we set about creating something that combined innocence, awe and wonder with a sense of new beginning. We wanted flowers that would excite and combine childhood fun and brightly wrapped eggs with something more delicate and subtle.

So far, this year has been besieged by cold weather and I’m sure we’re not alone in feeling that Spring is long overdue. We wanted our floral designs to hint at the arrival of Spring and thought what better way than putting these gorgeous, often overlooked, paler coloured flowers centre stage.

The understated floral stars

For us, the colours associated with Springtime and Easter are a mix of yellow, white, blue and pink. For this shoot, we wanted to focus on quirkier versions of these traditional shades.  The stars of our show were undoubtedly a cast of cute faced, butter yellow primroses; the pure white, lime flecked bells of the snowflake flower; the glowing blue rounded pods of muscari and the flamingo pink, tutu-petalled ranunculus. However, the show would not be complete without a luscious backdrop of vivid woodland ferns which were given a helping hand by a few super hardy chrysanthemum, rose and orchid flowers.

The styling details

The wonderful lodge style details of our venue, Amber Lakes such as the antler and horn inspired dining chairs and mirror frames added perfectly to the feel of the shoot.  Combining these with our own bark covered props and containers plus the most stunning branches of magnolia created the perfect setting to display the unsung heroes of the spring floral world. Add a few hanging glass globes, touches of moss-bound kokedama and succulent heads and we were in our venue styling element!

The treats

We are delighted with our enchanted Easter extravaganza however, for me the overwhelming memory associated with this shoot, is the wonderful scent of chocolate.  Chocolate mixed with fresh earth and woody foliage; chocolate mixed with delicate blue grape hyacinths and lemony primula; chocolate mixed with the delicately scented snow flake flowers.

Working on a shoot with stylist and event planner Daniella Pittorino is always an absolute pleasure and she commented on the day:

Always going above and beyond, Hybrid beautifully styled the venue… bringing the egg hunt to the table, they even tucked Easter eggs into the wonderful centrepiece!

And we didn’t eat one! This amazing Monannie cake complete with hand made Easter bunny ears on the other hand…… well that’s another story!

All images courtesy of Pearl and Pear

Three things all Zero to Hero events entrepreneurs have in common

When Clare McAndrew, Marketing Director of Story, invited us to speak on an expert panel at the London Summer Event Show, we thought to ourselves:

Well, we always love a chat, especially with other event industry creatives… but are we really that fascinating?…. and would our collective experiences be enough to inspire and advise a new generation of startups?

Clare reassured us:

Our audience would LOVE to hear your stories, especially as all of you brilliant suppliers started from nothing and went on to create something great… ! I guarantee that people would find what you have to say inspiring….. Oh and by the way the seminar is already fully booked!

It turns out, Clare was right!  Alongside our Alan (Simpson Co-Owner of Hybrid) was Peter Gibbons, the dynamic owner of Lux Technical; Susannah Mountfort, the innovative Founder & Director of Gingerline & Flavourology and Taran O’Doherty the super cool Founder & Sales Director of Yahire.  Despite each of these companies contributing to the events industry in very different ways we all had so much to say and all shared remarkably similar backgrounds and experiences.

And here are just three of them:

  1. Having that Eureka moment!

Take Alan. Alan kind of fell into floristry, and I mean that quite literally! As a teenager, rehearsing for the local am-dram production in the Church Hall, he somehow managed to topple over one of two identical floral arrangements put there for a funeral due to take place that afternoon. Embarrassed and shocked, he did his best to reassemble the arrangement and amazingly, and somewhat to his surprise, he succeeded! No one could notice the difference between the original and the one he’d recreated!  That was his calling! He enrolled himself on to a YTS and started his floristry training and the rest as they say, is ‘Zero to Hero’ history.

It would appear that we weren’t alone in local theatre acting as a catalyst for success. Peter Gibbons started his journey as a teenager volunteering for a local theatre where he developed his passion for lighting and sound. This led eventually to him buying the assets of a company whose owner was about to retire and Lux Technical was born. He now employs 10 full time staff and creates events for the most amazing clients including Google and War Child.

Susannah Mountfort’s unique idea was to fuse together art, performance, food, drink and design. On The Gingerline, guests are sent to a secret location for an evening of extraordinary performance, narrative, set design and amazing food. She has since created Flavourology and Chambers of Flavour, both offering multi-dimensional dining experiences. She even wrote her own piece of software which monitors dining guests moving through the interactive events space, this was later adapted for Starbucks.

After working for an event furniture hire company for a bit, Taran O’Doherty decided to set up his own business with his best friend from school. One night they both got drunk, pulled out a notepad did some rubbish drawings (his words not ours) and hey presto! Yahire was born. With no business plan or experience, very little money and no way of knowing how to would gain customers Taran and Ben bought 300 folding chairs and 30 trestle tables which they stored in Ben’s mum’s home. Yahire now employs 80 people and is the stand-out name in the industry.

  1. Not giving a monkey’s

So! Sounds simple? Have an idea and hey presto, you’re an entrepreneur. But stop press… all is not as it seems!   When asked about challenges along the way we all agreed on these:

#1: Getting people to take you seriously

Youth can be on your side, but if you’re starting up your own business, sometimes it can prevent people from believing in you. Peter came to London in his early 20s and agrees that ‘coming to London when not one of us were over the age of 25, was a challenge.  You need people to know that you and your company were utterly capable and able to deliver no matter what.’

Susannah took it as a challenge when working with other non-event industries as some did not take her seriously. She wanted people to recognise an ambitious plan and believe in her idea. Fortunately, ‘the desire to prove anyone who said we couldn’t do it wrong was hugely motivating’.

#2: Being motivated

Having self-control and keeping focussed can be extremely challenging. As Taran explains: ‘As a leader, remembering your goals, and not get distracted is very challenging. After a couple of years, your new company becomes a job, and it can be tough to keep focussed and move in the right direction’.

#3: Loneliness

Setting up your own business can be lonely, even when there are two of you setting out to conquer the world.

Peter advises to ‘Build yourself a support structure: my family, friends and business mentors have been key as it is a very lonely place at the top, and it feels as if you are the only person feeling it’.

At Hybrid we’ve found that as our business has grown, our clients, suppliers and staff all become as precious as our own families, so before you know it you’ve created your clan of like-minded people!

  1. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yoda, Jedi Master

When Clare asked the panel what it is you need to set up your own business within the events industry: for Alan the answer was simple:

‘Passion.  So many people come to us and say:

Oh I would have loved to have done that!

I say either go and do it, or stop talking about it!’

Taran agreed: ‘So many people deliberate or say they are going to do something and find excuses not to, but you have to believe you are capable of doing anything.’

Peter adds ‘Surround yourself with people who challenge you, if you are always hands on, you are never going to be able to scale it up, so bring people in who are better than you. The key to our success has been people, there is no two ways about it.’

So if you have an idea that you think rocks, go for it! What’s the worst that can happen?

With great thanks to Splento for all images

 

Where do florists find that magical Christmas feeling?

One might be forgiven for thinking that a busy London corporate and event florists would be made up of a group of hardened professionals, immune to the magic of Christmas. After all, we do spend a large part of the year focused on finding new festive colour schemes, sourcing unique decorations from near and far as well as carefully counting baubles for opulent pine trees. And don’t even get us started on Christmas spreadsheets!

With so much time spent on perfecting festive floral designs, transforming hotel ballrooms into winter wonderlands and creating kitsch holiday-themed table centres for fun corporate parties, perhaps, just perhaps, that sparkly Christmas feeling which ‘normal people’ experience may just pass us by.

However, sometimes the spirit of Christmas can strike you when you least expect it. Take the magical feeling we experienced the other day whilst passing the ice rink outside The Natural History Museum; hearing that eerie muffled sound of a cold winter’s night and the swish of skates on the ice. Looking up and seeing the naked plane trees covered in thousands of twinkling lights against the backdrop of the iconic museum. All of a sudden that lovely Christmas feeling makes you stop in your tracks.

So imagine our delight when we were sent a video of one of our own Christmas installations. We felt that tingly Christmas feeling just by looking back at our own work!

Let’s be honest; we do harbor a not-so-secret adoration of Merchant Taylors Hall. Such a building set within the imposing stone streets of the City of London will always give us that special feeling of excitement. One of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London, Merchant Taylors’ was established in mediaeval times in order to protect the interests of the tailoring trade. The threads and needles representing the trade of The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors’ may well have given the name to Threadneedle Street where The Livery Company has been based since 1347.

That’s six hundred and seventy Christmases!

Whenever we are granted the great honour of decorating such a building it gives us a special sense of joy. Especially when you consider that this landmark venue has literally played host to hundreds and hundreds of Christmases; 670 to be exact.

With such a rich cultural history within its ancient walls this unique events venue embraces the very latest events trends so how could we not strive to reflect Merchant Taylors’ vast experience of hosting London’s finest Christmas events. As our Alan reflects;

It is every florist’s dream to get their hands on a space as stunning and historical as Merchant Taylors’, especially at this festive time of year, so my creative juices were overflowing when I set about submitting our ideas! Imagine my joy when they chose everything we had designed!

The overall styling was understated, incorporating lots of traditional fresh pine, cones, branches, silk pheasant feathers and artificial apples and oranges; combined with glittered poinsettias and sparkling leaves.  Along with gold asparagus fern, these were to feature throughout the decorations, including archways over the doorways, the wall light decorations, the stunning carved staircase through to the giant wreaths in the Great Hall and of course the 14ft tree!

A Hybrid Christmas at Merchant Taylors’ Hall from HybridFlowers on Vimeo.

The team at Merchant Taylors’ have always been a wonder to work with and had this to say about our Christmas decorations;

As Merchant Taylors’ Hall is an iconic mediaeval Livery Hall with a historic heritage and busy modern event space, it is hugely important to find the right partnership for its Christmas decorations. From the beginning, the Hybrid team worked closely with us, offering support, guidance and time. The creative design process was seamless and embraced the Hall and its heritage.

Looking back on these floral festivities still has the ability to revive our Christmas spirit. It just goes to show that the right floral decorations, combined with a truly stunning venue, can spark the magic of Christmas within even the most hardened of London florists. If that isn’t a Christmas miracle then we don’t know what is!

The two flowers that make a florist’s life worth living over the winter months: Part One

A while back, as a welcome break from short, dark, drizzly autumn days the team at Hybrid were given a special treat in the form of an evening at the stunning Royal Observatory Greenwich, where we were lucky enough to be taking part in a venue showcase. We were greeted with the perfect autumnal evening and a magical, starry atmosphere in a truly amazing setting.

It was one of those happy, sociable nights that just fly by and we were so delighted simply to be there, amongst such inspiring people and industry experts (although I suspect the canapes, which tasted sublime, and free-flowing drinks from Party Ingredients contributed!). We found ourselves immersed in conversation with other guests, discussing the merits of London over New York, the trials and tribulations of event photography and loft living in Wapping.  However, the one discussion that really got me thinking was about, wait for it…. flowers!  Specifically:

Which flowers capture the very essence of winter?

We all know that, nowadays, you can get your hands on practically any form of fresh produce, regardless of season. That makes our lives as florists easier and gives us far more creative choice with design. There are nearly as many different varieties of rose available in January as there are in June and you can easily buy dianthus or hydrangeas in your local co-op in March! Nevertheless, I felt the need to dig deeper. Maybe it’s the purist in me. That or the maniacal new-age hipster in search of the perfect sour dough starter. For me, the quandary I wanted to solve was:

Which flowers would completely mess with a florist’s life if they weren’t readily available during winter?

After much thought and more than a little pestering of our Contract and Event Designers from me, the Hybrid consensus of opinion was thus:

There are only two truly magical, wintry varieties that qualify: the cymbidium orchid and the amaryllis.

In this blog I’ll be looking at the cymbidium, a wonderful, fascinating and infinitely adaptable orchid that we never tire of due to its amazing versatility and variety. Hybrid have the privilege of working with some amazing cymbidium suppliers in Holland and their knowledge of this plant is second to none.

Sandra, husband Leo and team have been growing cymbidiums for eighteen years.  They produce some of the highest quality orchids under the brand of Cy More Flavour. Their obsession with the variety knows no bounds.

The longer you work with them the more you love them. When you look at any variety closely you’ll find out that every one of them have beautiful details.

The cymbidium plant originates from Asia and each variety flowers once per year, but we wanted to know why they are a winter flower:

Originally, it is thought of as an autumn/winter product because that’s the time that most of the varieties bloom from origin. It depends on the genes of the variety to which month that is, but a variety that blooms in November from origin is not suitable to bloom in April or May.

The sheer variety of cymbidium is vast, each with unique patterning and colour tones. The name Cy More Flavour reflects the idea: ‘See More Colour’. The food mentioned in the flower’s name represents its colour, with coconut for white, cherry for red and caramel for the brown and oranges.

Andrea Dutton

All these colours give us the most amazing palettes to work with. At Christmas time the green and red tones are very popular, and in autumn the copper and brown colored varieties perfectly represent the season.  And for a winter wedding white is wonderful.

It can be used in so many different styles, in classic arrangements as well as contemporary and every style in between.

Hybrid have used these magnificent flowers in all manner of ways, for example:

  • Showcasing their tall towering stems in event pedestal designs
  • Creating wide fanned shaped designs for tall table centres in hotel ballrooms
  • Submerging the whole stems in clear cylinder vases for weekly corporate reception designs
  • Arranging individual stems into clusters of modern vases to fill luxury, contemporary spaces
  • Hanging them upside down from ceilings and arches at parties and weddings
  • Using the individual heads in vials of water amongst bouquets

The possibilities really are endless!

Growing a Cymbidium is not mean feat and creating such a beautiful plant can’t be rushed, in all, it takes seven to eight years from the moment of cross pollination to harvest! First, the grower selects two features of individual plants that they would like to incorporate in a new one. Pollen is transferred and it takes around 9 months for germination. 400 ‘cotyledon’ can be created from one seed but, incredibly, after three years, only 3 or 4 plants will make it through Cy More’s selection criteria. It then takes another three years before the flowers first bloom. And to think that we get impatient having to wait for them just over the summer months!

Cy More Flavour

I asked Cy More which variety was their favourite, Sandra told me:

The variety “Madelon” is a beautiful deep red and named after our daughter. I think George Harrison “Flying High”, a gorgeous red variety with nicely shaped flowers, could be the new classic.

I asked Sandra which florists, in her opinion, did the flowers the most justice:

There are so many florists from all over the world who create wonderful arrangements with cymbidium. The Norwegian master-florist, and former world champion, Stein Are Hansen, is a real cymbidium lover who designs wonderful arrangements. Mark Pampling, an Australian based floral designer, often works with cymbidium in a very fresh and contemporary style.

Cy More’s recommendations:

  • The orchid is the symbol of pure friendship so they make perfect gifts.
  • Never throw away the lower heads of orchids on a stem, use them in a tiny vase in fresh tepid water.
  • Look after cymbidium by cutting 1 cm off the end of the stem and repeat this every five days.
  • Never use cut flower food and do not put the cymbidium stem into direct sunlight.
  • Avoid touching the stigma as this will accidentally distribute the pollen and the lip from the cymbidium flower will turn red earlier.

Andrea Dutton

All images, unless otherwise stated, are generously supplied by Orchids-Info 

How to scare your guests witless: the ultimate Halloween party

There is only one time in the whole year when you are allowed to completely freak out your clients so you might as well do it properly! And where better to scare your guests witless than at one of the most inspired events venues in the City of London?

Guests who are lucky enough to be invited to a Brewery showcase event should drop everything and jump at the chance to attend because the experience will undoubtedly stay with you forever.  Those who were brave enough to accept their Halloween party invitation at The Brewery last October did so at their own peril.

Now as you know from previous posts, we are strong advocates of amazing events industry talent who come together to create stunning events and totally immersive experiences. Having worked with the Brewery for a number of years, we always eagerly anticipate their upcoming events which continue to impress us with their unique themes and amazing attention to detail.

However, we had no idea on that fateful afternoon last October that we would become totally immersed in the downright scary world of House Macabre whilst we were setting up our ‘creepy old lady boudoir’ themed florals.  And that was even before the sun went down and the actors came out!

Reminiscing on the theme behind their spellbinding Halloween event, the team at the Brewery conveyed how;

As a Halloween event it was designed to provide a fun but unsettling environment that explores our deepest fears. The showcase had to be nothing like the guests had ever experienced before.  It had to be completely immersive and create a long lasting impression of a standard way beyond expectation levels.

To bring this sensationally scary showcase to life a wealth of frightful features were designed and created, including:

The deathly invitation

The Brewery team are masters of suspense and in the weeks preceding the event itself a standalone ‘House Macabre’ brand and identity were created. Guests were sent a ‘Death’ tarot card in branded stationary, a dedicated countdown clock micro-site was launched, and death certificate invitations were designed to intrigue and excite all who dared to attend.

First on the scene

On the day of the event itself guests were held outside and presented with cards displaying their table number. This simple yet significant finishing touch enabled the Brewery team to create an eerie ambience that would not be disrupted by complicated table plans. Moreover, a list of rules and warnings were displayed upon arrival to heighten guest anticipation and further immerse them within the haunting world of ‘House Macabre’.

In order to reach their entrance guests had to walk through the scene of a car crash. The Brewery team paid close attention to detail; sourcing the materials for this chaotic car crash scene from a scrap yard and having them specifically transported in for the event. The Brewery team have an excellent eye for detail and explained to us that;

The car crash complete with police man was made to simulate the guest’s death. This then led them through to the scene of their funeral when a wailing mourner led them up the stairs, through smoke and hundreds of old family photos hung from the ceiling, loud videos playing, strobe lighting and self-help audio playing all designed to create a disorientating experience.

Drinks in purgatory

To bring the immersive world of ‘House Macabre’ to life, an entire new space was constructed on the Porter Tun balcony using a temporary ceiling and walls. This area was specifically designed to recreate ‘Purgatory’, with the Brewery team highlighting to us how;

This space was designed to be ‘purgatory’ a tired old waiting room with bored receptionists interacting with guests.

In keeping with the non-traditional nature of their drinks reception area, no drinks were actually served by the Brewery team. Instead, guests had to search nearby cupboards for elusive beers and retrieve cocktails from water coolers.

When dinner was due to be served an actor arrived and announced the fate of the guests. The sense of suspense was heightened even further when guests were led towards their ‘fate’ through a secret hidden door. Upon entering ‘Purgatory’ each guest was presented with a Guide To The Afterlife within which the Brewery team had included;

A welcome to the afterlife, a questionnaire to establish which route their afterlife will take, the menu and details about the venue.

Welcome to the afterlife

The weird and wonderful world of ‘House Macabre’ was created by transforming The Porter Tun room into four separate dining spaces. Each of these eerie entertaining areas was intended to reflect a different room in the ‘House Macabre’ so they had been meticulously designed with distinctly different set builds, style influences and a key character actor hosting the guests.

The attention to detail extended to the table settings; with each space offering different crockery. In fact, the Nursery guests were eating off paper plates! The Bathroom, complete with its freaky contents, was another particularly frightening feature. Irrespective of the room in which they resided, each guest received a gift. From books with the pages cut out and small bottles of gin inside in the Library, to a box with a severed edible finger in the Bedroom, no guest was left empty-handed!

The Bedroom was our home for the afternoon.  We were tasked with creating old and decayed boudoir-style table centres that would look as if they had been abandoned in the centre of each guest table. It is not often that we have to wait for our flowers to die before we can use them but it’s fair to say that this was a one-of-a-kind experience.  October is the perfect time for muted colours, old dusty looking grasses combined with dried seed heads, and beige coloured blown open roses so with these style influences in mind we were able to create some beautifully decayed looking designs that were set onto old black doilies and covered in cobwebs.

The Brewery’s unforgettable ‘House Macabre’ event demonstrates how a powerful event theme can transform an ordinary space into an entirely new world. Immersive actors had been provided with scripts to help them interact with guests and fulfil their ghoulish roles. Unscripted extras were present to invoke unease and suspense. A live pianist provided haunting background music from a raised round stage in the centre of the room by playing macabre versions of popular songs.

All of these freaky finishing touches, combined with the space’s lighting, catering, floral event designs and set decorations, truly transformed the Porter Tun room into the ‘House Macabre’ and provided all who attended with an eerie experience that we will never forget!

With thanks to the phenomenal team at The Brewery.  Images courtesy of The Brewery.

How to be the coolest bride

How can you not be thought of as the coolest bride when your response to being asked if you have a preferred colour theme is:

Anything at all as long as it goes with my shoes.

In fact, how can you not be the coolest bride when you own an entire olive grove in Greece and yet you arrange to marry the love of your life in the coolest place in the borough of Southwark, South London.

In our humble opinion, Kate will always be one of our coolest brides for two very important reasons:

  • She wanted to have an informal and relaxed wedding where people felt comfortable, did not have far to travel and, most importantly of all, had fun.
  • She and her husband George chose to host their wedding in ‘our manor’ of Peckham, London. The place where dreams are made (no seriously, they really are….)

After all, SE15 is where both Alan and I each bought our first flats.  This gritty, vibrant, varied and culturally mixed London district is the place we know so well. Well before the sun was up, we would drive through it’s (virtually) silent streets on our way to the flower market. On rare days off as we would relax on the glorious Rye and on many a night we would sit in one of it’s local pubs (the Only Fools and Horses kind we hasten to add) and discuss all of our dreams (and nightmares!) as we found our place within the wonderful world of floral design.

For Alan and I, for Kate and George, and for thousands of other people ‘in the know’, Peckham is in all likelihood THE coolest place on earth.

Kate and George decided to hold their ceremony at the stunning Asylum, Caroline Gardens Chapel because they had grown up in South East London and had heard good things about the chapel from their friends.

Asylum was also ideal because it was within walking distance of their reception venue; The Ivy House, London’s first co-operatively owned pub.  In the end, in keeping with their care-free, cheerful and cool-as-cats ceremony, Kate and George decided to keep their guests company in between locations as they all caught the good old P12 bus!

When it came to designing the overall look and feel of the wedding, Kate didn’t want to be too prescriptive. Instead, we were simply asked to work with the stunning interior of the chapel, to channel that beautiful blue shoe colour and to give a nod to their Greek olive grove. This proved to be an inspirational brief – especially when we were allowed to run riot with the glorious array of flowers available in the month of July.  A combination of delphinium, sweet peas, peonies, hydrangeas and plenty of candles were just begging to be used.

For Kate’s bouquet, a loose style of roses, olive foliage, sweet peas, delphinium, nigella and lavender were combined to compliment her French designed Rime Arodaky dress.  This stunningly cute, short dress was the perfect choice for her wedding day.

As I didn’t want a long dress it was incredibly hard to find anything in this country. When I saw this designer and found their ‘Civil Collection’ I was blown away, I had to buy it online…. a bit of a gamble but I was so glad when it arrived… it  just about fitted after a couple of extra classes in the gym!

As for those beautiful shoes? Kate found them in Office and their dream dusty pale blue hue served as the ideal inspiration from which to design her bridal bouquet. Kate searched in vain for this perfect pair of heels and told us how;

I looked everywhere from Jimmy Choo to New Look but didn’t feel the glittery glamorous typical bridal heels were very ‘me’.

The end result was a stunning bride, a beautiful venue and a wonderful day that the happy couple was able to share with their family and friends.

So what is the secret to being a cool, calm and collected bride? We decided to just come out and ask her.

Would you consider yourself a relaxed bride?

Not beforehand! However the day passed by seamlessly and I was able to spend quality time with friends and family even though I was nervous leading up to it.

What would you advise other brides about keeping your cool?

Don’t get swept away in it all, it is one day and you get immense pressure from family members and friends for it to be ‘perfect’ but just stay calm, don’t let it take over.

I wish I had asked for more help from people and never feel shy to ask brides that have recently done it. I am already helping two close friends who are planning their weddings for next year. If you don’t know anyone that is recently married ask a friend of a friend as it’s really helpful to speak to someone who has just done it.

If you were offering any advice to a bride when planning wedding flowers what would it be?

Make sure you feel comfortable with your florist.  Planning wedding flowers wasn’t our strongest point. You were able to identify what we wanted by talking to us and understanding our likes and dislikes. This was done in a couple of informal meetings a few months beforehand, which made it really easy. Being able to speak with people so knowledgeable inspired us in to choosing what we wanted.

What stands out for you when you look back on the day?

I am not just saying this because it’s your company, I think the flowers were the best bit! When I got to the chapel and saw them light up the room, it really blew me away.  Everyone I see is still commenting on how incredible they were.

(did we mention she was cool?!)

All images by the wonderful Andrea Dutton Photography

 

 

The Pearl and Pear interview

Every time we are given a brief to design the flowers for an event the geeky part in us will start to rub their hands together.  At Hybrid, all of us love a bit of research and preparation. Whether it be looking into the style and personality of the client, a company’s brand values, the history of a venue or a unique events theme. But when we were asked by the inspirational, creative events experts, Pearl and Pear for an interview and we realised that we had to talk about OURSELVES and our OWN WORK we thought, in true control-freak fashion:

hmm… how can we prepare for THIS? There’s got to be something we can research?

Slowly we realised that there wasn’t much preparation we could do for this particular project and that we were just going to have to wing it.  ‘Go with the flow’ as they say. But first, in a last ditch effort to feel just a little bit efficient, we decided to look up the word ‘work’.

Work: an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result.

Okay… we do quite a lot of this thing they call ‘work’. We can easily talk about that.  In fact we have spent the last fourteen years researching for this very conversation.

And so we did the interview. It was great fun and we heartily recommend winging it…. well sometimes!…

You both started this successful floristry company together – what made you take the first leap?

Each other! Alan and I were both very young, we didn’t have any responsibilities and few expenditures.  Living in London in the late nineties and early noughties, our priorities were being happy and doing things our way. We weren’t afraid of living on next to nothing. And carrying flowers on the tube!

At the beginning we found ourselves working for three separate florists completely by coincidence.  It wasn’t long before we became great friends. We have exactly the same sense of humour. But we are also very different. I (Caroline) am the quiet one who looks out for opportunities whilst Alan is the fearless one who will say- “Why not? Let’s do it!” Our blend of caution, courage and of course creativity ended up being a great combination. We worked harder than either of us ever thought possible and the company grew along with us.

Are you both really as flower obsessed as we think you are?

We have probably thought about flowers every single day for the past twenty years! We are so brainwashed by flowers! As a result we can spot them a mile off. Before our brains even have a chance to register anything else. Just when we think we may be getting slightly complacent, the seasons will change. Always bringing us something new and exciting.HybridPearlandPearAlan

Does Hybrid have any favourite event themes?

Summer with a twist is always fun. It gives us a chance to design all manner of beautiful florals. Using lovely bold shapes and colours. As well as some striking one-off focal pieces. Summer events offer us a golden opportunity to create some gorgeous high impact installations on themes such as Summer Festival Season, English Countryside and Midsummer Night’s Dream. The possibilities are endless!

We understand that as flowers are living and breathing tools to work with therefore they must have their complications – what has been your most challenging event?

Any event on a hot weather day!

Before we moved to our lovely cool and spacious work studio, storing delicate flowers in the summer heat was a nightmare. With many flowers to organise, especially delicate peonies, planning was essential. Most of our peonies are sourced from Holland so we had to work out exactly when to place our order so that our peonies would work their magic and open just in time for each event.

However, when there is a heat wave all that planning can go out the window as peonies can simply burst open and drop their petals as soon as you look at them. Back in the day, we were so lucky that our suppliers allowed us to store our flowers in the market so that they could slowly open. Unfortunately, even with this lifeline, exposure to sudden heat just travelling from A to B can cause peonies to explode in a puff of petals and there is no putting them back together.

Alan still laughs to this day at the memory of me driving back and forth from the flower market with buckets full of hundreds of peonies not sure whether to leave them in the market, take them to our workshop or just get them to the hotel early! In fact, one of our wonderful suppliers gave me buckets of peonies just to calm me down!

What would be your top tip(s) to create maximum impact when using floristry at an event?

Think of just three simple key words to give to your florist which will describe the feel of the floral arrangements that you want for your event.  If you endeavour not to deviate from these key words then you can remain focused on creating the right atmosphere and also give your florist space and inspiration to offer your some amazing unique designs. For example:

  • Pink, Mediterranean, sunshine
  • Sparkle, delicate, soiree
  • Rambling, woodland, ambers

At Hybrid, we always recommend pooling your budget so that you can create a few key pieces for an event. Otherwise, you run the risk of spreading your budget too thinly across a large number of items that won’t have the same dramatic impact on the day of your event.

Last but by no means least, always have a ‘star flower’ at the core of your designs. By doing so, your guests will marvel, comment on and admire this ‘star flower’ and they will forever associate it with you and your event.

Flower arranging is no way as easy as it looks, do you have any insider knowledge or trade secrets to reveal to create the perfect display at home?

Container, container, container!

If you have a choice always buy vases with a narrow neck.  Even if you only have a few stems of flowers or branches of gorgeous foliage, a vase with a narrow neck will ensure they always stay in place.

As a rule it is easier to work with smaller vases. Look for matching sets of little vases and use a few flower heads to create an eye-catching display.

For larger striking designs, it is often better to buy multiples of one particular flower rather than trying to experiment with a whole host of different varieties.  Bundles of daffodils or a mass of dahlia will look amazing on their own or softened with some lovely foliage.

Finally, as florists, working with gorgeous flowers everyday – are you as obsessed at home?

We do have our favourite flowers at home, ones which we know will best complement our own personal styles. However, on the rare occasions we are given flowers, or when we take random left overs home, we do get rather excited and think “Wow, this time I am the client, how do I want to arrange them?”.

All photography by the super talented Holly Clark

With thanks to the amazing Pearl and Pear 

The best things about British flowers (according to events florists)

Last week we were granted a golden opportunity to tell one of our favourite tales whilst guiding a very good friend around a wonderful, local cutting garden. It all came to pass when we stopped to admire some tall towering pale yellow scabious and some stunning, heavy headed, gobstopper-like peonies. Whilst we gazed over to view a nearby mass of beautiful deep pink Sweet Williams our friend said:

Ah yes I recognize them, you see them in the supermarket with the British Flowers label.

This simple statement caused a wave of voices to rush to mind, each offering conflicting cries of;

Oh thanks a bunch, SUPERMARKETS, you win the battle of the florists YET again!

Well that’s nice… at least people are recognizing our beloved British blooms in the world of ‘normal’ people.

But the thought that stood head and shoulders above the rest was;

AHA! A chance for us to modestly tell the story of how we used Sweet Williams as one of the Famous Five florists for British Flowers Week back in 2014.

And so began our wonderful walk down memory lane! Luckily, our Sweet Williams inspired story was met with plenty of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from our friend.

To elaborate, three years ago we were approached by the wonderful people at New Covent Garden Flower Market who invited us to contribute some floral designs for British Flowers Week. First launched in 2013, British Flowers Week is an annual event held in June that celebrates British flowers, their growers, independent florists and the UK cut flower industry as a whole. As such, we were thrilled to be invited to contribute some fabulous floral designs based upon our preferred choice of British flower.

In 2014 we had the great pleasure of sharing this prestigious invitation with Simon Lycett, Okishima & Simmonds, Euphoric Flowers and McQueens. Over the course of the week, each of us was granted a day in which to showcase our favourite British blooms in all their glory.

Julian Winslow

For our day in the sun Alan instantly chose the Sweet William. These modest yet mesmerizing blooms have always had a very special spot in Alan’s heart ever since he first began working as a junior florist in a local flower shop in Leicester back in the 80s. As Alan puts it in his own words;

Back then, with everything so new and exciting, each new delivery of flowers to the shop brought with it new smells and colours. Until then, I had only opened and unpacked boxes of single-coloured flowers such as Dianthus Pinks and Daffodils, so imagine my delight at the discovery of the jewel-like bunches that greeted me when I opened the first box of the season’s Sweet Williams:
There were reds, pinks, hot pinks and whites and two-toned shades, along with bright green and purple; these were all in mixed bunches packed closely together, each tied with little elastic bands. I could not believe how pretty these little gems were, and decided then and there to take a couple of bunches home to my mum. They lasted nearly two weeks!
Since then I have always bought the first bunch of Sweet Williams of the year and taken it for my mum; it’s turned into a sort of tradition.

Rona Wheeldon

Even though our business has expanded and evolved over the years, at Hybrid Flowers we’ve always had a soft spot for tradition. Consequently, our aim for British Flowers Week was to showcase the wonderfully nostalgic nature of Sweet Williams whilst also highlighting the ways in which these beautiful British blooms could be used in contemporary floral arrangements in order to complement the style and subtleties of modern city life.

With these inspirations in mind, we set out to create three floral designs; for the workplace, for events and for weddings. Sweet Williams are the ideal blooms for these types of floral arrangements because they are long-lasting and incredibly pliable. What’s more, the delicate look of Sweet Williams is simply stunning when they are grouped en masse!

Julian Winslow

The Best of British

One of the best aspects of participating in British Flowers Week was the opportunity it granted us to showcase some of the nation’s most stunning seasonal flowers. Much like locally sourced Jersey Royals and Bramley apples, there is no point in forcing British produce. They are here when they want to be (or rather when the right conditions allow) and then they take their leave when the seasons change. There is something quite special about savoring these luxurious, vivid and scented blooms whilst they are in season and then eagerly anticipating their return when they are gone.

Rona Wheeldon

Why florists get so excited about British flowers

These wonderful British flowers provide us florists with a whole host of amazing experiences.  We can’t help but be excited whenever they arrive at our suppliers but not always for the reasons that you would think.  British flowers also give us a chance to revel in some of our other passions namely:

Packaging: Some of our fondest memories stem from unpacking the beautiful crisp white boxes filled to bursting with the most exciting colours, tastes (don’t ask!) and textures.Time Travel: The unique scents of each of these blooms invokes an incredible sense of nostalgia and has the power to take us right back to our youth; playing in gardens or picking roses and sweet peas.

Talking: These seasonal blooms have also sparked some great conversations whilst we have been installing them. From fellow florists to delighted clients, it is an immensely fulfilling process to swap stories about our individual experiences with these familiar flowers.

Another benefit of British blooms is how well they complement international floral varieties. We could never be without our trusty and varied Dutch flowers or flamboyant and vibrant Italian varieties, the chance to mix British flowers with their European cousins opens up a whole new world of opportunities to create some eye-catching floral arrangements!

What does the future hold for British flowers?

Three years on from our day of floral fame at British Flowers Week, we sit down to write this piece and we asked ourselves; how often do we really have the wonderful opportunity to use British flowers? And no word of a lie, at the very moment of posing this question to ourselves, an email landed in our inbox:

I was wondering if you could help me. I am organizing an event for my client…This will be one long table with approx. 25 x guests. I would take your recommendation on how we should dress the table so any ideas are very much appreciated. We would like the designs to be very high-end looking. The group will be predominantly male and we are trying to really emphasize the best of British.

This well-timed email answered our question; British flowers will always have their day in the sun as long as we keep offering them.

If we keep looking at what our wonderful growers and suppliers offer us, from the first violets of the year to the last dahlias of the summer, then British flowers can continue to take pride of place within all manner of fabulous floral arrangements. And this will only happen if we keep offering these brilliant British blooms to our clients. If we put our faith into these fantastic British floral varieties then our clients will do so too.

We have to trust that they will of course snap them up, just like Jersey Royals and Bramley apples, because they are the best.

With thanks to Rona Wheeldon and Julian Winslow and New Covent Garden Market for images

3 health issues florists suffer for the sake of bringing beauty to the world

If you ever find yourself wandering down Fulham Road you may hear tales of a man that some call ‘Jesus’. This modern day miracle worker is one of the best cranial osteopaths the world has ever seen and he regularly ‘fixes’ the team at Hybrid.

Every June there is a special box of over the counter tablets that we florists rely upon in order to bring beauty to the world. The non-drowsy version, we have discovered, is the most conducive to our heavily pollinated profession.

Over the years, each of us have found a special place we go to in order to stop, reflect, gain perspective, seek inspiration and guidance. A place that makes us feel grateful for what we have. After all, beautifying businesses, hotels, venues and special events can take its toll and the 3 health issues that we florists commonly suffer from are back pain, allergies and stress.

A Florist’s Fitness Plan

Despite appearances, we florists are a tough bunch. A unique combination of pretty flower lover, creative trendy design type and weight lifter. Yes, although most flowers are light as a feather, bundle a few hundred stems together into massive buckets and you have a completely different story!

From carrying crates of flowers up five flights of stairs when the lifts are broken, to expertly packing vans to within an inch of their lives with heavy trees and stone planters as well as setting out giant table centrepieces in record speed, these demanding daily tasks can take their toll on the body.

Beginners luck

The early years of a florist’s career are a breath of fresh air when you are young, invigorated and invincible to the powers of pollen. However, it’s a cruel world when you devote 20 years of your life to your craft and then your immune system decides, “you know what? I reckon that innocent looking flower lying in the back of the van is a threat to me, so I am going to react with to it with a vengeance!”.

3 Florist Health Issues Allergy

And it is the unusual types we fear the most – not just the regular lily or daisy family flower. Within less than a few hours of tending to and transporting obscure mystery flowers, our eyes swell up so much that we look like we have just experienced a particularly fraught and emotional punch up.

Only through trial and error, and constant exposure to some of the most random plants or leaves in existence, have we made a list of flowers that each of us old sensitive types should avoid (or rather ask someone else young and enviable to work with) whilst we seek solace, fresh air and miracles of the non-drowsy variety.

How To Annoy A Florist In 10 Words Or Less

Simply say “it must be so relaxing working with flowers every day!”. You may receive a slight grimace and a twitch in the eye as your only response.

Although it may seem on the surface to be a calming profession, for floristry to truly be relaxing and stress free the flower fairies would need to bestow us with magic wands alongside our first ever pair of scissors that would grant us the power to stop time, control the weather and part traffic at a moment’s notice.

3 Florist Health Issues Traffic

Our magical powers would also need to extend to conjuring up perfectly coloured, scented and open (not too little, not too much) flowers from all four corners of the globe at just the right moment!

3 Florist Health Issues Magic Wand

Oh and a bottomless pot of gold.

So, suggest that it must be so exciting, interesting or even challenging to be a florist and you will be sure to receive a much more open and enthusiastic response alongside many, many mind boggling stories!

Three Fast-Acting Remedies For Florists

At the end of the day, we florists love bringing beauty to the world so we are willing to endure whatever allergies, back pain and stress that nature, the elements and the local traffic report choose to throw at us. To help you pursue your own horticultural interests, here are the Hybrid prescribed treatments for said ailments as follows:

  1. The cranial osteopath: Philip Waldman at Chelsea Natural Health (tell him we sent you)
  2. The over the counter tablets: Claratin Non Drowsy (why do they make a drowsy version anyway?)
  3. The destination: A holiday, anywhere at all (where else!?)

3 Florist Health Issues Holiday

When we went back to the 1950s

From the bright colours to the floral patterns and billowy shapes, there is something about summer vibes and the vibrant era of the 1950s that seems to gel in our creative little minds.  So when this year’s theme of the London Summer Event Show was announced to be a fifties British tea party, our hearts skipped an excited beat!

In our opinion, the fifties in the summertime is the ultimate theme for a fantastic floral event. (Although thinking about it, the 80s would also have been a joyful challenge: we will have to tackle that particular era next time…).

The 1950s was a pivotal decade in British social history; a time when the nation regained a sense of security, rose above the uncertainty of the 1940s and heralded a new era of peace. Despite the remnants of a post-war Britain still fresh in people’s minds, an overwhelming sense of hope began to blossom as cities and towns started to rebuild, communities were restored, and their residents began to reclaim their sense of identity.

Our 50s inspiration

What our land could provide freely was the inspiration for the fruit and floral prints on wallpaper and fabrics. Repeat patterns, mixing pastels with bold colours, as well as full and rounded voluminous shapes alongside an overall idea of fun was something we really wanted to capture within our event flower designs.

Back to the 50s Sketches

To celebrate the spirit of Britain in the 1950s, we decided to create a dress made entirely of fresh flowers; thereby showcasing Hybrid’s passion for colour and detail by replicating a much-loved vintage fabric pattern. With these ideas fresh in our minds we donned our snow boots (did we mention the London Summer Event Show is in January?) and began to trawl Soho’s theatrical fabric shops looking for the perfect repeat floral.

Our retro repeat floral fabric pattern needed to complement the red, white and blue of More Production’s street party theme but we also wanted it to represent the vivid colours that were abound in the blousy garden blooms of the era.  To cut a long story short, after a fair few miles spent traversing the streets of Soho, we finally found it….

The easy bit

At the risk of sounding OTT, we have no qualms in stating that matching a theme with real-life fresh flowers is our favourite thing of all time! To make our dream 1950s floral dress, we needed our choice of flowers to lay as flat as possible in order to recreate the flow of the fabric folds that define a voluptuous 50s style dress. We found that beautifully scented spray roses were the perfect choice and the fact they were fair-trade was an added bonus. Complementing these roses with the tone of the peachy hypericum gave us the floral pattern whilst creamy white chrysanthemums, a very 50s bloom, served as the perfect background colour for our daring dress.

Back to the 50s Creation

We called her Doris

Curves and shapes formed the foundation of our 1950s style floral dress and to achieve this fantastic floral figure we relied upon lots of chicken wire and our trusty sewing machine. In this manner Doris, the perfect hostess for our 1950s British tea party, was created! The result was someone we all wanted to cuddle. She stood high up in the middle of Banking Hall looking gorgeous and attracting many admirers.

Back to the 50s Tea Dress

Back to the 50s Doris and Friends

Back-to-the-50s-LSES

Inspired by this thrilling 50s tea party theme, we decided to carry through these classic style influences into our Floral Adornment Master Class. Events professionals and esteemed clients alike were invited to try their hand at creating their very own wired corsages using matching flowers to our darling Doris.

Back to the 50s Bag Adornment

Back-to-the-50s-Hair-Corsage

Back to the 50s Hybrid Star

Some wonderful visitors from across the big wide world of events planning gathered together within this master class to share their unique stories and interests. Many of our visitors enthused about how they found themselves ‘calming down’ and achieving a sense of wellbeing through the process of wiring each rose and leaf with love and attention.

Back-to-the-50s-Masterclass

Back to the 50s Natter

Back-to-the-50s-Visitor

A lovely opportunity for a good old fashioned natter among some fellow floral enthusiasts; the spirit of the 1950s was alive and well!