Fusion Flowers Magazine

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.