Happy New Year - 2014

A New Year - 2014, hooray we're over the superstitious 2013. I can't believe in this day and age of the 21st century that so many people believe #13 is unlucky. Why is this? We saw a significant drop in weddings for 2013 and considered the economy/recession, but that was only a small part in the slow year as we discovered the florists and many other wedding industries like hotels, cake makers etc across the country had heard of brides and grooms holding off until 2014, which is also considered to be a more auspicious year. So far I'm believing this, because the enquiries are a higher and a significant number of happy couples all wanting similar dates, which is great for confidence, but tricky to balance the work load.

Transition from Hot Summer, to glorious Autumn 2013

New Season as the long hot Summer of 2013, turns to Autumn, we look back at some of the amazing flowers Blue Geranium has provided during this transition period.

The Louis chair re-upholstered with a vintage Liberty of London©, adapted William Morris printed fabric - 'Honeysuckle'

Don stapling the Liberty of London fabric to the Louis chair

Don stapling the Liberty of London fabric to the Louis chair

Don & Phil outside Blue Geranium

Mrs & Mrs Wesley's wedding, held at St Peter's Church, Buckland Tout-Saints, Goveton, Devon. 

Window display for St Peter's Church at Buckland Tout-Saints, Goveton, Devon

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Window display for St Peter's Church at Buckland Tout-Saints, Goveton, Devon - These were reused on the guest tables at the Buckland Tout-Saints Hotel (approx. half mile)

Box of Bridal flowers

Classical pedestal & Urn arrangement outside St Peter's Church, Buckland Tout-Saints, Goveton, Devon

Groom's buttonholes

Bride's Bouquet

Connie Atkinson (now Wesley) with her father and bridesmaids, (before entering her new life as Mrs Wesley), outside St Peter's Church, Buckland Tout-Saints, Goveton, Devon, Saturday, 7th September 2013

The following wedding will bring back many memories for many reasons including the process we made with Elizabeth Brogan to achieve her dream of the perfect pretty in pink wedding day...

Garden rose bouquet in an original vintage enamel jug

Groom's buttonhole of O'Hara, Super Bubbles roses, snowberry, stephanotis, freesia, delphinium and astilbe.

Bride's bouquet and bridesmaids posies of Norma Jean and Super Bubbles roses

Tray of buttonholes for the groom, bestman, ushers, paigeboys and corsages for ladies.

Prince Jardine in all its glory amongst coordinating tonal roses like Pepita, O'Hara, Keira, Super Bubbles, pink snowberry...

Tall (80cm) lily vases on 9 round guest tables complete with a (40cm) sphere of scented English style garden roses, dahlias, hydrangeas, pink snowberry, astilbe, amni visnage - The Great Hall, Dartington Hall Estate, Totnes, Devon

Top Table runner of pale pink roses and other seasonal flowers

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Wedding Cake Topper

Guest Table Flower Arrangements

Top Table Runner

The roses before we used them in the Wesley wedding at Dartington Hall.

Well what can I say about the first half of 2013? Cold springs to mind, it feels like we've endured winter since April 2012 and finally the sun is shining with some heat at last.

Blue Geranium has provided flowers for some beautiful weddings so far this year and I can honestly say they are all unique in their own special way.

Ivory posy - Totnes Castle in the background

A beautiful hand-tied posy of ivory Spring flowers; ranunculus, tulips, Bridal Crown narcissi and variegated pittasporum.

Summer posy

A gathered style posy of Duchess De Nemois paeonies, Snowflake & Pepita spray roses, Norma Jean roses, matricaria (camomile), oregano and variegated pittasporum.


This beautiful combination of tonal flowers were for a vintage styled wedding at Dartington Hall - Bordeaux anemone, Ocean Song, Memory Lane and Amnesia roses.

Vintage pressed glass vase complete with roses and anemone...

Continuing with the vintage theme that has been running for a few years now... Amnesia, O'Hara, Norma Jean, Amnesia roses look like Neapolitan ice-cream.

Delightfully scented posy

Gathered cascade bouquet

Delightfully scented gathered posy of roses, matricaria, oregano, hypericum, freesias...
A gathered cascade of tonal blue, lilac, pink, white; Clematis Pirouette, ranunculus, Bordeaux anemone, lilac (syringa), veronica, Snowflake roses, Memory Lane roses, tulips, hyacinth, 

At last a taste of summer with a hint of bling...

Paigeboy buttonhole of Snowflake roses, matricaria (camomile) & lavender

Avalanche rose, dressed with matricaria, lavender buttonhole

The long and hot Summer of 2013

It's been a while since my last post, guilty of neglect your Honour. We're experiencing a rare phenomenon in this country, bright blue skies and there is actually a bright ball called the sun, which gives of lots of warmth. It must be the first time in almost eight years since we've had a summer that we can actually call a summer. This leads to my next subject and it involves the care of cut flowers in this heat. We don't have a chiller unit at Blue Geranium, we've never really needed one. The constant sound of a fan, humming in my ear all summer has been the only source of breaking the heat for the poor flowers. I'm still not convinced it's worth investing in a chiller unit for one summer! The front of the shop is facing West and has been exposed to full sun, which mean by 1pm, the door-step posies and plants are repositioned inside out of the harsh, direct sunshine. We rarely experienced this problem in the first year.

Display of hydrangea and heather plants and doors-step posies.

The shop is becoming known for its beautiful displays, or visual merchandising style, which is also attracting custom for the collectables we've accumulated over the years. Combining fresh flowers, plants and vintage vases is finally working as more customers will come in to browse and potter over the collection of vintage Dartmouth Pottery, Wedgewood, Arthur Wood boat style vases and urns and buy them as well as choose a selection of flowers to dress their new vases. The shop also attracts "dealers" on the prowl for a bargain! I'm OK with this as long as they make sensible offers or refrain from patronising and condescending comments like "You haven't got any real antiques", or "Have you got any silver, or watches?" - I'd have thought it was obvious what we sell at a Florist.

Deep pink hydrangea plants and English lavender on the doorstep of Blue Geranium

 What will the rest of 2013 bring us? Hopefully more summer ;-)

New Year News

We're in the middle of January and it's quiet as expected for the time of year. One by one we've received images, blogs and magazine copies of flowers that Blue Geranium has provided flowers for over the past year.

http://www.100layercake.com/blog/
Melissa & Rob Brooks- Burnicombe Farm

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?pbid=fc62fec3-9dab-4f00-aad9-c2a24ef49394 - Pages 198-200 - Rachael & Julian Baird - Dartington Hall

http://www.boho-weddings.com/2012/10/29/outdoor-south-devon-wedding-by-helen-lisk/
Claire & Neil's Outdoor wedding at Dartington Hall - Photography by Helen Lisk

Looking forward to receiving many more from my wonderful happy couples XXX

Blue Geranium Flower Press: The approach of Winter

Blue Geranium Flower Press: The approach of Winter: Winter is almost upon us with December only 3 days away and already a chill has landed after the torrential rains we've endured for almost a...

The approach of Winter

Winter is almost upon us with December only 3 days away and already a chill has landed after the torrential rains we've endured for almost a week. Last night I witnessed a beautiful full moon that looked bigger than I've ever seen before and the night sky was shimmering bright, but freezing cold air deterred me from staying out to admire. Inspiration for Christmas is gearing up with a wild and wintery theme at Blue Geranium this year. Lots of foraged goodies like pine cones, berries, pruned branches of magnolia, larch, lychen smothered apple-wood and mistletoe are already starting to deck the halls of One Castle Street, which has been noticed by passers by.

The window displays are dressed with classical elements including a stylish Beswick lustre ware urn with a hand-tied bouquet of pheasant feather, nestled amongst moss and lychen covered branches on a period style Louis chair, framed by a gold gilted frame (a running them this year), complete with silver/pewter effect porcelaine birds, Victorian crystal glasses, pine-cones and crystal chandelier pendants.