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 The Fantasia Flowers plant trend is like the mythical Phoenix; a
resurrected fantasy universe with lots
of poetic excitement. Adventurous
and decorative hints result from new
combinations of creatively styled
plants. Fantasia Flowers is about
styling plants in decorative ways in
our homes, with large surfaces covered
using different colours or types of
plants in exciting patterns. The trend
is inspired by art techniques such
as brush strokes and water colour
effects. Fantasia Flowers contains
an imaginative range of colours
with several basic blue shades used,
primarily, for interior decoration
and accompanied by different flower
shades such as coral, red, canary and
delicate rose. Mix flowers and colours
to create a multi-coloured, imaginative
and creative expression. |
DID YOU KNOW that frozen flower ice bowls and containers are making a come back? Recently shown on TV, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver uses them for his drinks parties! |
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Students and staff in the floristry department at Southwark
College were tickled pink after a special fundraising event
blossomed into a massive success. Floristry course team
leader, Debbie Western, joined her students and donned
pink clothing in 2009 to sell bouquets of flowers and prize
draw tickets on the streets around the Waterloo campus in
support of Breast Cancer charities. It is the second year
running the department has staged this event and this year
more than £1,250 was raised, topping last year’s final total of
£700.
The group activity also served as an excellent team-bonding
exercise with first, second and third-year students mixing
and getting better acquainted while supporting a worthwhile
cause. Debbie said “The idea came about last year when a
leaflet on breast cancer was delivered through my letterbox.
A fundraising event seemed a good way to benefit the charity
and help the new students settle in quicker. The response
from the general public has been excellent and we now plan
to stage this event every October, raising more and more
each year. The students were fantastic and really worked
hard to raise the money.” |
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The world’s largest flower delivery
network, Interflora, has announced
a new partnership with Tesco
Direct. The partnership sees
Interflora offering its entire range of
flowers to Tesco Direct’s customers
via www.tescofreshflowers.com
The site will enable Tesco Direct
customers to send fresh flowers
for every occasion and apparently
prices will start at just £19.99.
Commenting on the partnership,
Interflora’s Marketing Director
Michael Barringer said “We’re
delighted to be offering this service
to Tesco Direct customers and
believe that this will be a very
successful partnership between
two leading brands.” Ian Crook,
Marketing Director at Tesco.com,
said of the deal “We believe that by
partnering with Interflora to offer
our customers this new service, we
are providing a valuable addition to
our extended Direct range.”
Interflora, as the UK’s leading online
florist, is ideally placed to offer
this new flower delivery service,
and understand the importance
of getting quality fresh flowers
delivered with care and on time. |
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“Supporting the industry” is a slogan
appropriate to the activities of the
international florist organisation
known as FLORINT, as well as
Smithers-Oasis (OASIS® Floral
Products & Floralife® Postharvest
Products). FLORINT supports
the national florist organisations
in achieving their goals, as well as
organising international projects and
events like the European competitions
in floral design. Smithers-Oasis
provides solution-based products,
education, design techniques and
inspiration for florists and floral
designers. Many past European
competitions have been sponsored
by Smithers-Oasis. At the recent
Horti Fair in Amsterdam both
parties signed a 5-year agreement
regarding sponsorship of all European
competitions, underlining the
continuation of Smithers-Oasis’
support of the industry through longstanding
partnerships.
During this 5-year period, Smithers-
Oasis will be the main sponsor of
Eurofleurs, EuroSkills and the Europa
Cup for floral foam, related products
and flower care products. |
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Neil Whittaker’s journey to the
Interflora World Cup to be held in
Shanghai in March 2010 started in
the Spring of 2009! It’s been a hectic
time for Neil and, in a quest to find
the very best in plant material; he has
recently been on a flower sourcing
expedition to Holland. This was
organised by Reineri, the Dutch
supplier of quality flowers and plants.
Reineri has a new and exciting
concept in exporting flowers which
brings the very best specialist growers
and florists together in a unique
personalised way, and they have just
started exporting to England. Peter
de Mos of Reineri arranged Neil’s
visit to meet many expert growers;
all passionate about their flowers and
plants. Steef van Adrichen’s orchid
greenhouses stretched for mile after
glorious mile – filled with exquisite
Vanda. If you would like to follow
Neil’s journey to the world cup,
log on to his Facebook page; Neil
Whittaker’s Warriors.
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Beautiful floral art designs by celebrity
florist Paula Pryke are brought together
in a stunning new range of greetings
cards by leading publisher Dyson
Design Cards. The Paula Pryke Card
Collection features 36 creations by one
of the world’s best known florists. The
collection will be launched to floristry,
garden and gift retailers at three shows
in January – Top Drawer in London,
Giving and Living in Exeter and the
Scottish Trade Fair in Glasgow; the
Spring Fair at Birmingham’s NEC in
February; Progressive Greetings Live in
May, and Home and Gift in Harrogate
in July. It’s the latest floral range by
award-winning UK publisher Dyson
Design Cards. |
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We have received several enquires from overseas readers asking for some
guidance on the Fusion Flowers International Designer Competition. We’ve
listed below the questions we’ve received so far and our answers so that everyone
knows what is going on.
Q: What does ‘ground-breaking’ mean?
The meaning was left open to personal interpretation to allow designers flexibility in
their work. Here are some possible interpretations:
1. Using soil, clay or sand as a base or could be an outdoor design – it’s entirely up to
them.
2. Using an experimental new technique they’ve devised, or trying something they’ve
never done before.
As you can see, there’s plenty of scope to experiment.
Q: How should images be sent?
We can accept RAW if necessary, but prefer a minimum of 1–5 MB. The images
have to be big enough for publication purposes, clear and in focus.
Could people take their own pictures?
Yes and many will be.
Q: Will one person win ‘International Designer of the Year’ and the £1,000 prize?
Yes, this award goes to only one person.
Q: What about the other category winners (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and the pictures
of the ones that don’t win?
The judges are permitted to award Gold, Silver and Bronze as often as they think it
applies. If 100 designs in one or all of the classes are good enough, they can award
100 Gold, 100 Silver or 100 Bronze awards – or none. If any designer achieves a
Platinum award we will promote them globally. Entries of a high enough quality
will be published over the period of one year plus they will be featured on our
website.
However, we will not publish any work that is not considered good enough or
suitable for Fusion Flowers magazine, which features only world-class design. We
want people to strive for this; the competition is about excellence in floristry and
floral design, to show the world what can be done.
Q: Can they enter only one category?
Not if they want to be considered for the Designer of the Year award. We set four
categories to show a range of the work of the designer concerned. If a competitor
wishes to enter only one image they will still have to pay the £10.00 fee and will not
be considered for the Designer of the Year award.
See page 75 for the competition rules and regulations and application form. |
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Perfect to write a romantic message,
this chunky, heart-shaped, slate
chalkboard available from Funky
Olive might also become a perfect
message board for the home or
business too! Price £13.50 |
DID YOU KNOW that all forms of Dianthus (carnations) are very sensitive to ethylene? |
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Between the Folds
Fascinated by the delicacy and
diversity of the security pattern designs
inside envelopes, Francisca Prieto has
created some stunning origami wall
hangings. These origami artworks are
made up from hundreds of envelopes,
meticulously cut and folded into
intricate and interlocking forms.
Francisca’s creations have transformed
the ordinary life of this overlooked
piece of paper into something exquisite
and completely different. |
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With cobalt blue flower heads and
bamboo leaf type foliage, Dichorisandra
thyrsiflora Blue Bamboo is a striking
new houseplant which has recently
appeared for sale on the Dutch auctions.
Curiously, despite its name, this is not a
type of bamboo. It is however a native
of the Amazon region and has a growth
habit similar to that of the ginger plant,
yet its foliage is more reminiscent of
bamboo. The really striking impact
comes from those large clusters of cobalt
blue flowers, which catch the eye even
from a distance. The plant has three
flower clusters per pot and these open
from the bottom up, creating a stunning
spectacle lasting for some three months.
The most important tip for care is to
keep the soil moist. It is also preferable
to keep the plant out of full sunlight.
When flowering is over, the plant will
flower again spontaneously sometime in
autumn. Dichorisandra thyrsiflora Blue
Bamboo (vbn product code 105449) is
supplied all year round at FloraHolland
in a 15cm pot. |
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It would be safe to say that this cut
flower is just a little weird – certainly
for a Veronica. The normally neat,
slim flower head has been transformed
into a rather bizarre flattened spike.
The inflorescence is reminiscent of
that of a Celosia Cristata. The Smart
Alien flower head is pink at the base,
going wild at the tip with a show of
bright green ‘spikes’. The name has
cleverly been chosen to give overtones
of a visitor from another species. It
is currently only available in pink but
there may well be some white and
blue varieties coming up in the future.
These summer flowers have a good
vase life of 12 to 14 days for flowers
and foliage alike. Veronica Smart
Alien (vbn product code 103682) has
been available since the summer of
2009 and, in the first six months, more
than 400,000 stems were sold. |
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Brown flowers are a rarity and this
alone makes Eustoma ‘Piccolo Terra’ a
very special flower. The sophisticated
colour graduations – pink at the base
and antique brown at the margins –
simply serve to emphasise this fact.
The balloon shaped flower makes this
Lisianthus look even more delicate
than usual. But ‘Piccolo Terra’ has
even more to offer: firm petals that
make it a good traveller and a vase
life of 10 to 12 days in the home
(using cut flower food). In short,
this single flowered Lisianthus is
a welcome addition to the already
pretty colourful assortment. Eustoma
russellianum ‘Piccolo Terra’ (vbn
product code 106115) is available
from FloraHolland in a length of
75cm. Supply is currently running at
10-15,000 stems per week. |
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The Bromeliad is a colourful
tropical plant with a seriously tough
image. It will easily last for three
or four months with hardly any
noticeable change in its appearance.
Billbergia Decora, however, is quite
a different kettle of fish. The elegant
Medinella-like houseplant with its
30cm long pink flower buds not only
looks fabulous but once the initial
flowering is over it quickly produces
new side shoots, which will flower
again indoors. This is the complete
reverse of most Bromeliads, which
simply die off when flowering is
over. Each bud flowers for three to
four weeks. The hanging Bromeliad
is sold at the green stage – with the
buds within the leaves – to avoid any
damage during transport. Billbergia
Decora (vbn product code: 106514)
is available all year round from
FloraHolland in a 17cm pot. The
plant height is 70 to 80cm including
the flower bud. |
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The mysterious
sounding name
given to this
rose raises the
suspicion that
this could
well be a very
special flower and that is absolutely
correct! Deep Water has everything
today’s market could wish for in a
large flowered, retro rose. Firstly,
a classical, tall flower bud, opening
to a maximum diameter of 10cm.
Secondly, a unique colouring, varying
from mid-red outside to pale pink in
the centre. Thirdly, an excellent vase
life of at least two weeks. Another
important feature of Deep Water – it
has virtually no thorns! Rosa Deep
Water (vbn product code 104479) is
available from FloraHolland in lengths
between 60 and 90cm. |
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In February an international floral
event will take place in Poland giving an
opportunity to exchange skills, abilities
and creativity. The Polish Association
of Engineers and Technicians of
Horticulture (SITO) Poznañ Branch is
organising an international competition
in Poznañ, in the grounds of the Poznañ
International Fair. The contest will be
held on the 25th and 26th February,
followed by a post-competition
exhibition on the 27th and 28th of
February.
The schedule is quite interesting.
Group A, florists over 24 years
challenged to:
1. Chopin Variations - theme inspired
by the works of Frederic Chopin
2. Meeting with Master – table
decoration
3. Wedding bunch/flower
ornament for a bride
4. Surprise
For Group B, the juniors, the first
assignment can be ignored.
So if you’re planning a visit to Poland –
this sounds like a must see! |
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The 2010 World
Tulip Summit
is being held
13 – 15 April in Washington State’s
beautiful Skagit Valley. The World
Tulip Summit has historically hosted
international delegates representing
Canada, USA, UK, France, Australia,
Japan and many other countries. This
will be the first time this unique event
will be held in the United States since
its reestablishment in 2002. The
Summit was designed to be a meeting
ground for cooperation amongst
enthusiasts of the tulip industries
and the promotion of international
goodwill.
Tulip aficionados from around the
world will gather for a three-day
symposium against the backdrop of
Skagit Valley tulip fields in bloom.
The Summit will take place during
the festivities of the annual Skagit
Valley Tulip Festival and promises
to be a fun-filled gala event. The
Summit days will be filled with
presentations from renowned
gardeners, growers, festival chairs,
professors of horticulture and other
industry experts with information
on best practices in their field of
study. The international delegates
will speak on the particular festival or
organisation of their home country.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Executive Director, Cindy Verge
said, “We are excited to welcome our
national and international guests to
our corner of the United States. We
are proud to honor our participants
with the wealth of information, food
and friendship that we have to offer in
our area.”
There are a variety of delegate
packages, day passes, and individual
event tickets available for the 2010
World Tulip Summit. You may obtain
access to the registration process
by visiting the Summit website at:
www.2010worldtulipsummit.com |
DID YOU KNOW that Agave americana leaves are very popular for creating contemporary design?
The structural form of the leaf makes it ideal to either hold a design or to enclose an arrangement inside. |
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The wind was high, the rain heavy,
but students from the Floristry
Department in Hadlow College’s
Faculty of Horticulture had a ‘oncein-
a-lifetime’ opportunity – taking
part in the Lord Mayor’s Show in the
City of London and they didn’t care
about the weather!
Invited by The
Worshipful Company of Fruiterers
to decorate their float for the parade,
college staff and students spent
several weeks planning and creating a
celebration of the 200th anniversary
of the Bramley apple! In a scenario
depicting the Bramley’s life journey
from tree to plate, the students created
a huge papier-mâché tree – complete
with branches and leaves … and a very
large apple pie. Made from plaster,
with a ‘slice’ removed, the pie’s fruit
filling was represented by hundreds
of chrysanthemum heads. The base
of the float was covered with 5,000
Bramley apples, supplied by Fourayes.
The float was accompanied by the
Master of the Fruiterers’ Company,
Alan French, students, several
Liverymen and members of staff from
both Fourayes and Hadlow College.
During the procession everyone
helped in handing out Bramley apples
and other fruit to spectators lining
the route. The Lord Mayor’s Show
was covered by national television
in a 90 minute long programme
which featured the float and included
interviews with the Master and
Liveryman Amanda Cottrell as well as
Hadlow student Hillary Daniels. |
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Dutch Champion Floral Designer Max van de Sluis will be showcasing his skills when he visits Myerscough College in March 2010. The event, titled ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, will take place over the weekend of the 20th and 21st March and will mark Max’s first appearance in the UK in 2010.
It will consist of both a ‘Fair Techniques for the Future’ demonstration and a ‘Creative Environment Friendly Techniques’ workshop where he will showcase his new and experimental techniques and provide inspirational ideas for florists and designers alike.
The sustainable theme of the event is also central to Myerscough College’s ethos.
Max commented “My visit to Myerscough follows on from my colleagues at Life 3, Tomas De Bruyne and Per Benjamin, who appeared at the college in 2008 and 2009 respectively. I’m thrilled to be presenting at this prestigious event and am looking forward to demonstrating, and bringing the art of floral design to a higher level world-wide.”
Anne Molloy, a Lecturer in Floral Art and Design said “We’re so pleased to have Max as this year’s designer. Last year’s event was a complete sell out, meaning that this year we have moved the event to a larger venue to accommodate everyone. This weekend promises to be the biggest and best yet with competitions, presentations and creative and business seminars. These events are organised by our students and over the years they have really shown the dedication and hard work needed to make them a success. We started the demonstrations three years ago and three students organised it, drawing in 80 attendees. This year, we’re expecting around 400 people to attend, and there are over 30 students making it happen. It really is a huge event, and more importantly, it’s an amazing, must-attend spectacle!”
Tickets for the demonstration cost £20.00, while tickets for the Workshop are priced at £200.00. Both can be purchased from Laura Stuart at the Myerscough College Short Course Unit by calling +44 (0)1995 642128. |
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The winner of our first competition in 2010 will receive a Fusion Flowers mystery goodie box. These have proved to be very popular. To take part, all you have to do is send in your name and address together with the answer to the following question – Where is the Interflora World Cup 2010 being held that Neil Whittaker is going to take part in to Fusion Flowers, Competition 13, Hillcroft, Fore Road, Kippen, Stirlingshire FK8 3DT, UK or email
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with the answer. Entries close on 10th March 2010. Good luck! |
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We are delighted to announce that the winner of the copy of the Floral Harmonies book kindly sponsored by the European Floral Academy is Bett Wareing, Preston, England. |

22 – 26 January: Maison et Objet, Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Paris, France International interior design trade event For further information go to www.maison-objet.com
26 – 29 January: IPM Essen international trade show, Essen, Germany Trade show, plants, sundries, floristry, demonstrations etc For further information go to www.ipm-messe.de
29 January – 2 February: ChristmasWorld, Messe Frankfurt, Germany International trade event featuring new trends and materials, demonstrations etc for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, special events etc For further information go to www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com
25 – 28 February: Sixth Polish International Championship of Florists, The Polish Association of Engineers and Technicians of Horticulture (SITO) Poznañ International Fair, Poznañ, Poland (25 - 26 February - competition, 27 - 28 February - post-competition exhibition) For further information go to www.sito.poznan.pl or email
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26 – 28 March: Interflora World Cup Competition, Shanghai, China International Interflora competitions and demonstrations For further information go to www.interflora.co.nz/flowers/WorldCup/index
9 – 11 April: FloravisioNZ 2010, The Floral Art Society of New Zealand, Wanganui, New Zealand Exhibition of floral design, competitions, demonstrations and workshops For further information go to www.fasnz.org.nz
13 – 15 April: 2010 World Tulip Summit, Skagit Valley, WA, USA International seminar and meeting For further information go to www.2010worldtulipsummit.com |
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