Paula Pryke

November Flowering

2011-11-10T03:43:00.000-08:00

The lovely mild weather in East Anglia has meant that we have enjoyed fantastic autumn colour and there are still some gorgeous flowers in our gardens. The September or Michaelmas daisy was over-used in floristry when I first started my career and like Gypsophilia it is taking a long time to shift its bad PR. However in the garden it is delightful to see such vibrant colours so late in the year. Roger Harvey of www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk introduced me to a carmine pink Aster-novae-angliae 'Anderken an Alma Potscheke'. This looks fabulous with Purple Aconitum and Nerines.

Nerines are originally from South Africa where they thrive in well draining soil. They often do well near south facing walls where it easier to replicate the kind of conditions they naturally adore. Like Chocolate Cosmos they have a faint fragrance of chocolate which is very pleasant. This is particularlynoticeable when you open a box of English grown Nerines.

This pink variety is pretty much available all the year but in November there is still lots of white and red available to purchase as a cut flower. We grow some Nerines locally in the UK but The Netherlands is the principal supplier of this flower for the cut flower trade. They have an almost iridescent quality. Red Nerines almost sparkle as if they have been sprinkled with fairy dust.

Elegant flowers on long stems. They look great in drifts in the garden but almost better observed individually in a vase. Nerine bowdenii is the most common in the UK. It's common name is Cape Flower as it is originally from South Africa. It is also known as Japanese Spider Lily as it had been previously thought for many years that it originated in Japan. It was also called the Guernsey Lily as it appeared to be native to the tiny British Island South West of the mainland. It is widely thought that it became a native plant of Guernsey after a ship was wrecked off the cost full of plants and bulbs collected by British plant hunters. The mild climate of the Channel Islands would have suited these bulbs.

Just five stems look elegant in a vase these flowers last for at least ten days

Nerines on a south facing wall at the edge of a gravel drive. The best place for the bulbs to thrive. If you are planting some bulbs, use some grit in the planting as this makes the soil as free-draining as possible and plant in Spring. Placing a layer of mulch on the top of the bulbs for the winter of the first year is a good idea but once established you can dispense with such luxuries! Established bulbs produce there leaves during spring and need as much sun in the summer as possible to make the flowers thrive. Having dormant leaves in winter makes this species tolerate lower temperatures than others in it genus. Like Alliums, by the time you get the flower in full bloom the leaves have faded. Nerines planted from bulbs don't normally flower in the first year. Once established they should flower annually and bloom best when crowded as you can see above.

Country Roses

2011-10-20T06:33:00.001-07:00

The wonderful sunny autumn we have had has extended the season of our English roses. We have a wonderful garden roses supplier that has been sending us stunning fragrant roses from the Stour Valley in Essex to our workshop in London for many years. Usually we have our first roses around June and they start to take off in early October. This year, the early Spring meant that some were ready to cut in April and they are still going strong now.

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of doing a demonstration at Walton on the Naze in Essex and so called into Country Roses on my way to the demonstration. Danae Brooks who runs Country Roses is passionate about these flowers and is a real expert. I was lucky enough to be given some to take home and below are my simple arrangements. They last easily five days and some varieties are even stronger. It is so lovely to enjoy something home grown and so we try to support our local growers whenever we can!

www.countryroses.co.uk

You can't beat a jug for an arrangement at home

5 heads on one stem - sublime

Roses suit vintage pots

Some of the longer stemmed roses and larger headed varieties

Picked and packed in bunches of 10

Massed together they look wonderful

Some of the reds and pink last better. I adore this pink rose rosette shaped rose 'Gertrude Jekyll'. It was voted the nations favourite rose by Country Life readers so I am not alone!

My husband bought me this Victorian Celery Vase from Camden Market
over twenty years ago and it is perfect for tulips and garden roses

Going strong after 6 days!

A Wedding inspired by a Rose

2011-10-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

This pretty pink wedding took its inspiration from one single rose which appeared on all the stationery. After a Church service guests made their way to a huge double-decker Marquee set in a paddock on a Racing Stud. It had a wonderful pink upstairs bar and disco which was revealed later to the guests and one of the only events I have had the pleasure of decorating that had a 'Bride-only' loo and powder room!

Pew end of Roses, Lisianthus and Astilbe

The Rose that inspired the theme

Candy Bianca, Faith and Barbie roses

Candelabras in the church

Bay trees flank the entrance

Formal arrangements at the entrance to the bar

Topiary trees in drifts of pink aggregate

Patterned votives and petals from Serax

Crystals on the top table

These single votives filled with a rose have pink skeletonised leaves on them

Birch poles were used in the mechanics of the trees

1 metre tall ikon vases filled with cellophane and petals. Mirror is great for creating reflective lighting effects with lots of votives.

Often with large white spaces it is good to have flowers at different heights

Concentric circles of roses for the top table as well as a long arrangement at the front

The view from the top table

Paula's Tip

Lighting candles at events can take an enormous amount of time. Over the years I have purchased thousands of lighters, tapers and matches to do this job. Many of the new style barbecue lighters are great but don't seem to be very good at refilling and so are poor value in the long run.

Recently I have been using the Cricket Deco and it is brilliant. It comes with an extra refill which is easy to use. It has a flexible neck which means it is great for getting down inside votives. Look out for them in supermarkets I buy mine from Tesco's and they cost £4.20 with the refill. No more singed fingers!

Paula's Tip Two

You can buy mirror cut to size from any glass supplier. Recently I have discovered mirror candle plates in my local Tesco's which are perfect for using on mantles and tables. £1.50 each

Summer Pool Party

2011-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous event used the beautiful garden roses from

Country Roses in Essex. One of our favourite flower growers.

www.countryroses.co.uk

Summer Luncheon

Garden roses from Country Roses

MInt and Alchemilla are perfect with roses

Petals cover the foam in the straight sided glass bowl

Lavender was used in this bowl

Every lunch would have white embrodiered linen napkins in my imaginary world

You can mix any colours together but I advise taking out the white and cream as the eye gets drawn to the light colour

Votives are from Pols Potten; one of our favourite Dutch wholesalers of vases and decorative items

A few sprigs of summery Saponica made it into the flower displays. I love this old fashioned pink flower and it is British grown!

These roses speak for themselves!

Flowering mint is so perfect for lunch

One of two Zinnias made it into these table designs. An underrated flower in my book

Floating flowers in the pool - You need to turn off the filter so you don't do any damage and also the power will blow all the heads to one end of the pool

Flat flowers float best and here I have included some white Pyrethrum daisies - another underrated flower I feel

Dahlias, daisies and blue Scabious

Petals have to be left on the table right at the start of the party or your end up with Pot Pourri!

Paula's tip

I often collect linen on shopping trips abroad. For beautiful embroidered linen in the UK, see the selection

at www.okadirect.com

October Flowers

2011-10-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

Often I am rather sceptical about the promises made on bouquets and flowers for sale in Supermarkets. One thing that helps to make sure you are buying fresh flowers is to check for the display date which works the same as with perishable food. These Tesco 'Finest' lilies were £10 to buy for six stems but they lasted ten days so overall that makes them very good value. Only a £1 per day to have a great looking vase and a wonderful scent.

£10 for six stems of Oriental lilies. Available in a range of colours. They can be pink, lemon or spotted as well as white so study the bud carefully.
This lemon variety was actually mis-labelled white!

I have to admit that I am not at all keen on Gladioli! I don't grow them in my own garden and I would not usually specify them unless I wanted to use 1 metre tall flowers for a large Pedestal and there were no Delphiniums or I wanted tall flowers for a contract vase.

Then I would chose green, deep purple or dark red and mass with a collar of Hydrangea to make them look more edgy.

However if it comes to October and you want to add some seasonal colour to your home and you want to BUY BRITISH then, Gladioli is your flower and it is really INEXPENSIVE!

In fact when I went on a search for British grown Gladioli in my local Supermarkets I found the way the stores were marketing them very interesting and confusing. They were all from Lincolnshire and the cheapest available were grown by Andrew Ellis in Lincolnshire for Marks and Spencer. At this store you can buy 6 in a bunch and get a further 3 free making them effectively half price at 20p per stem.

Asda are selling five stems reduced from £3 to £2 making them 40p a stem and Waitrose are offering 33% free and getting eight stems for the price of 6 which works out just over 37p a stem.

I think the real value is around 40p a stem and so if the Supermarkets are offering deals it will hopefully be because the last flush of sun has brought them all on-together and the price has dropped.

Whatever you pay for them, they are great value. All supermarkets claim they will last five days which they will easily. Some claim seven days and I think if you use my tips for conditioning them you will get at least that amount of time out of them and maybe more.

Take off the additional leaves, nip out the top three buds of the stem and cut about 2 cms of the bottom in a diagonal cut. Use the flower food provided and top up the vase with lots of water. After five days, remove the spent flowers and re-cut the stems and change the water, giving the vase a quick clean with a few drops of bleach to kill any bacteria that may have formed. If you have flower food, then please add. Two or three days later repeat and enjoy the final top blooms for a further few days.

Asda - 5 Gladioli reduced from £3 to £2 (british grown)

5 stems is lovely but 10 stems makes far more impact so here
for £4 we have a mass of colour. Pick the strongest colour or white.
Avoid pastels unless it is the perfect match for your room.

To make all the blooms open you need to pinch out the top three buds! Gladioli open from the bottom to the top! Just pinch out the top three buds when you first arrange the flowers with your fingers.

As time goes by, you need to take the lower flowers off as they have bloomed and faded. Remove spent flowers to help the flower flourish.

Make sure when you select you Gladioli that the greenery is clean

and a lively colour and there are no brown marks around the buds.

Browning may mean the flowers have been cut and have been cool stored

for a few days.

This Lilac Gladioli is 'pale and interesting!' In the UK we are quite keen on lilac flowers but this colour is a lot less popular in Continental Europe which is intriguing!

I adore the deep and bright colours but there are some pastels I am drawn too!

Pure white Gladioli. White is always the safest colour to give as a gift

Magenta Gladioli opening.

We all love to see the stamens on the lilies but they mark furniture and clothes and generally are best removed. Sometimes they stain the faces of the flowers and so I recommend pinching them out with your fingers when they are open.

I don't wear gloves but surgical gloves are good for this as it keeps you skin from staining

Autumnal Bouquet

Vase of the Week;
House Bouquet arranged in Ceramic vase £65

Everyday Flowers to be published Spring 2012

2011-05-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Anita working with me this week on the shoot for my new flower book out next Spring!

My Garden looking splendid with Alliums! Rachel Whiting is my talented photographer for this project and she has taken some fabulous shots!

Sarah Rock the Art Director and Designer

Tip toeing through the Alliums

Asters, Stocks and Phlox with Stachys Byzantine or Bunnies Ears!

This is the best time to be in the UK!

2011-05-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

"It should have been me!" Well of course you all know that if I had brought trees into the Abbey they would have been pink!

Romance has been in the air and my favourite plant for this season has been Dicentra Spectabilis Bleeding Hearts!

Its been a great year for the Dandelions! Lack of winds have kept them more intact.

The Bluebell woods near my home in Suffolk have been spectacular!

The magnificent Horse Chestnuts in our area are struggling from disease but they flowered profusely this Spring.

The calm weather has been bad for reproduction!

As an X-Hay Fever sufferer I know there are many that will be happy to see this yellow fade!

The first green of Spring is so vibrant. The Hornbeams and Maples in the Westminster Abbey had this glow!

Bluebells

You just want to bottle it!

Wild orchids in the woods!

Connie (named after Mrs Spry!)

Frustrated Dandelions waiting for the wind!

I can't imagine going through the winter without some ivy berries but here they are about to strangle and kill this ancient Beech.

Blue skies, calm winds, sunny weather - you can't beat Spring in sunny Britain!

Demonstration at Dullingham Flower Club

2010-11-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

On the 11th November we packed up two vans and swept up the M11 on a wild and windy autumn night to Dullingham which is between Newmarket and Cambridge!
I don't usually have the time to do evening demonstrations for flower clubs but Lesley Bird who organises this club was very persuasive and managed to pack the hall with over a hundred guests. Itwas a fabulous evening and I was helped on stage by Anita and Hisako while my neice Katie efficiently organised the book sales!

Thanks to Lesley Bird and the flower enthusiasts of Dullingham.
Grateful thanks also to Waitrose for their sponsorship! - Next demo stop - San Diego in April!

Anita, Hisako and Paula on stage!

White Amaryllis is a great favourite of mine for the festive season.

A typical Paula Pryke colour combo!
I adore pink and purple together as
any one who has visited our London
Studio will know!

Waxed mini apples in all the colours are inspiring our
Christmas Decorations.

This new luminous wire by
the Smithers Oasis company is
fabulous for corporate flowers!

Festive white and green topiary

Multicoloured Xmas

Birch is such a wonderful and useful wood!

Conical Topiary

Favourite Decorations

2010-11-30T03:45:00.000-08:00

Hanging decorations are my favourite at the moment!

Exotic hanging decorations!

Paula visits the Aalsmeer Show, Holland

2010-11-30T03:41:00.000-08:00

Always on the lookout for new pink rose varieties. "Taboo" is a new large pink rose with a large head and last for two weeks in a vase:

This red "Naomi" heart was a show stopper!

Perfect new variety for the Autumn:

We had once worked with these 1 and a half metre roses at the Royal Opera House but I couldn't resist being photographed with this vase from the Nervada Farm in Ecuador!

So many great bi-colours!

Downtown Abbey

2010-10-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

It is great to have a good TV historical drama to watch on Sunday evenings in the Autumn and we love all the images of the beautiful Highclere Castle. This castle is one of our favourite venues to decorate and over the years we have designed some very different weddings there!

These lovely bright and colourful images were taken in the summer when we decorated the Castle for a surprise birthday weekend party! The guests had a great summer weekend in the English country.

DK HOME Crystal candleabras with Morrocan tea lights

Colours inspired by the mid summer

Purple Vanda orchids are great in groups

Small Green apples and Celosia add texture

Any excuse to use Glorosia!

This party had an Alice in Wonderland theme!

The Library at Highclere Castle

Rich grouped colour

Trends for Auntumn/Winter 2010/11

2010-10-21T03:55:00.000-07:00

Roses with Hazel and Grasses.

The Green Eye Roses

Textured pots and heavy ceramics are a 2011 trend.

This green eye rose is a favourite of ours.

Getting ready for Halloween

2010-10-21T03:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Trick or Treating!

Halloween Grotto

Autumn Wedding at The Royal Geographical Society

2010-10-21T03:06:00.000-07:00

We did a lovely autumnal wedding using all the best flowers of the autumn harvest. Our Bride flew into London from Singapore with the most gorgeous selection of singapore orchids which we worked into her wedding bouquet and bridal flowers. The Bride was a great flower lover and ha sent us a list of all the flowers she liked. She came down to the studio to put together the collection for her bridal flowers and so we had a really personal and unusual collection. That is the best thing about being a florist working with a continually changing palette and each event becomes totally unique as we interpret the wishes of the Bride on her special day!

Wedding Bouquet - The Singapore orchid were

brought over from Singapore as hand luggage

Hips, Dahlias, Tom Peace Xmum

and Physalis. Perfect for an autumn wedding.

Love this effect!

Glass Urns for Pedestals

I love using crabapples and hips in vases

at this time of the year. The long Italian

hips look great in metre tall vases on the centre

of dining tables.

Bridesmaids Bouquet - Our Bride loves

white Scabious and we managed to find a grower

in The Netherlands who still had enough flowers

to fill a bucket for us!

Dark Wow roses, Mango Callas and orange

Euphorbia fulgens with rose hips.

October Autumn Flower School

2010-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun at our Autumn flower school! We had six visitors from Sao Paulo in Brazil and three lots of family groups of three all starting their own flower business! With visitors as well from Romania and Korea. We had the usual eclectic mix of ladies and a great exchange of ideas and thoughts.





Autumn is a great season for textural flower arrangements with all the berries and fruits and fluffy sunflowers and spiky Dahlias. We are using lots of hips submerged in water in glass vases for our events and flower contracts.
Good luck everyone! Happy Arranging!

Silver Wedding Anniversary Party

2010-10-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of working in Somerset this weekend at the stately Halswell House. This is a great venue if you are looking for a weekend country house venue. Our client who was celebrating 25 years of marriage chose a black and white theme and we decorated the house with white and green flowers with accents of black in the flowers and foliages. We found some fabulous English grown Arabian Chincirinchee at Covent Garden market which were perfect with the seasonal black Ligustrum and Viburnum berries.

The Designer Wedding Show

2010-10-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

Spring Wedding table centre. Cream lilac, Vanilla roses
Brown Hynose and Amnesia roses with spray roses,
Erygium and white Lysmachia.

Mirror and crystal table centres are still our most
popular designs for 2010/2011 weddings!
I adore this serrated edge white tulips which is
appropriately called 'Honeymoon!'

Pink Ranunculus and Pussy Willow
- a marriage made in heaven.

Antique pink roses on a pale pink
cake made by Anne C one of our
top floral designers!

he Designer Wedding show is the
event to be at to see the very best
Wedding Dresses. We love
this show!

Summer party at the Vineyard

2010-07-21T03:56:00.000-07:00

Rich yellows and reds at the Vineyard

Aubergene and Candle table centres

Fennel and Achillea with Vanilla and Naomi roses.

June Corporate Event in London

2010-06-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Corporate Dinner for and Awards Cermony in London at the new Park Plaza Hotel in London.

I adore pink Glorisia and I love any excuse to use the the new yellow and orange varieties. Reineri flowers supplied these gorgeous flowers. Thank you to all their wonderful growers!

Happy Roses Bar Mitvah at Claridges

2010-05-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Roses

Rainbow colour in mirrored dish with disco votives

Turquoise Charger Plates add to the colour!

Globe table decoration of lollies

Candy Globes

Conical candy trees

Suffolk Wedding

2010-04-21T03:36:00.000-07:00