Skip to main content

How to run an amazing Flower Festival

It's all in the preparation...

Some worms on an ice cream!

If you only knew the hours of work 
that goes into organising a flower festival for the village,
then you'd understand perfectly how this lady, Jesse Cox
came to be collapsed in the front of my car last Friday.

Driving Jesse to church.
Jesse Cox started life as a papermache balloon head,
some wool hair, and a body stuffed with plastic bags!

She was created, last year by my Parents 
along with her soldier husband, and a bridesmaid or two
 for her 1918 Church wedding at St Mary's Longcot.
2014's Flower Festival was a World War 1 inspired.


2014 Long Church Flower Festival
This year's theme Painters in Flowers is an interpretation 
of the style, colours and work of famous artists. 

Each theme is meticulously planned by my Mother and her 
wonderful band of local Oxfordshire flower arrangers.

Mum has the vision, 
but turning that vision into a reality takes work,
 and an able assistant, my Father!


2015 Painters in Flowers at Longcot Church
Jesse Cox is back, by popular demand! 
2015 finds Jesse painting serenely in her garden...

In fact Jesse has not been anywhere.
Except sitting in my Parents dining room for most of her year,
whilst her war hero Hubby has been in the garage!

The finished scene

She needed a new frock,
and so has been redressed retaining her blouse
but a new skirt has been made.
She need to be redesigned to sit down,
cue Dad who made the cardboard box she is sitting on.

She needs a painting, paints, paintbrushes etc 
all that before anyone even attempts 
the beautiful floral arrangement to be painted.

Preparing the scene... painting Jesse's painting

Jesse needed the painting which we did one Sunday lunchtime
and proudly showed to the kids back home in Australia on Skype.

'Hmmm' said Daughter No 2 thoughtfully
'Have you done that Mum?' 
'I might have had a little dabble', I said proudly!

'Well, it looks like some worms on an ice-cream from here!'

'Thanks, darling!'

Some worms on an ice cream...

I'm not a Flower Arranger 
but I hear the same things time and time again...

Despite me showing you all the above at the end of the day

1. It's not about the props, it's about the flowers...


Vase of Flowers - Breughel
2. Conditioning the flowers is everything!
The flowers are prepped for display by soaking them in water 
for at least 24-48 hours which will help elongate their lives. 
These flowers need to last for two weeks.
Burning the ends of those with heavy sap will help.




3. Each flower must look individually perfect

even when the overall look is to be casual ...



4. Beg, borrow and steal your greenery!
Never go anywhere without your secateurs.

No garden in Oxfordshire has been safe...
This flower festival is a truly community event,
We've been gathering greenery from far and wide.

It has been rather disconcerting that 
as the British economy has picked up,
friends are employing gardeners more and more.
Tidy gardens are not as good for greenery!

The best story I heard was the friend who hates her variegated ivy
but keeps it growing 
as she knows how much the flower festival loves having it!



5. Buy your Flowers wisely

Whilst a lot of the flowers were kindly donated by the flower arrangers themselves, and this has been supplemented by some generous financial contributions from the village, 
it is expensive putting on a Flower Festival.

To ensure there is not too much out of pocket expense
flowers are carefully chosen for their long lasting blooms 
from a mixture of suppliers.

 The 'exotics' come from the local florist
 but the filler plants; chrysanthemums, lilies and carnations 
all come from the local Supermarkets!
Either Sainbury's, or indeed the majority coming from Aldi 
at the bargain price of 2GBP a bunch.

I hope you have enjoyed a little peak into the Flower Festival.
If you are in the area, do pop in and visit for yourselves
St Mary's Church, Longcot, Oxon
16 - 24th May 2015


Linking with the following:
Thanks to all the wonderful hosts!

Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday


Good, Random, Fun





Home Matters Linky Party - Grab Button

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hello Summer 2023!

Hello Everyone I hope you are having a wonderful July whereever you are in the world. As it's been a wee while since I stopped by I thought I'd fill you in.  The last three months have been epic. Here is my flight schedule alone: Phuket --> Bangkok --> Singapore --> Melbourne --> Gold Coast (overland to --> Brisbane --> Sydney --> Phuket --> Bangkok --> London --> Paris (overland to Montpellier) --> London. As they say I haven't been everywhere yet but it's on my list! April ended up being an incredible month as I returned to Australia, thanks to a wonderful invite to attend a 7 night Detox at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland. Here is a little excerpt:  Gwinganna Detox Program I’ve been invited to join a  seven-night detox program  at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. They are winners of the  World’s Best Eco Spa Awards  (2022 World Spa Awards) and it is beyond exciting. Well, until I read the small print… So it’s no gluten, dairy,

Autumn Spice and everything nice!

Hey, what ever happened to Summer? I hope yours was lovely, mine was pretty amazing! It feels like my whole year has whizzed past in a flash, how about yours?  I've had a year of saying "yes" to everything offered to me. It has been exciting to put it out to the Universe to see where I should be. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this in my husband's early years of retirement. I'm just back in Asia from the US. I never feel my year is quite right without seeing British daffodils in the Spring and a pumpkin and the leaves turning in Autumn. Yay, the world nailed it this year, thank you.  Read on to find out what happened when my ultimate yes occurred on a trip to Montana to meet Ruth, an IG friend. I know Bloggers will smile and not be at all concerned, we've been meeting up around the globe for years, haven't we...?!  But let's just say some of my family and friends were, you're doing what?! But first some Little Wren updates! France I had so

It's a funny old world!

Welcome to Racha Island Hello everyone and greetings from Phuket, Thailand THAILAND THOUGHTS Thailand where we have now reopened the country and are ready to welcome international fully vaccinated arrivals without quarantine to our beautiful island.  For all the details check out  Phuket Sandbox: Would you, should you, could you?   This month another southern island Koh Samui followed along. There are slightly different arrangements with guests to stay within their arrival hotel for three days before supplying a negative Covid test. This gives freedom to roam the island, after 7 days, visitors can also visit the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. For all the details check out: Welcome back to Thailand via Koh Samui plus All this as Thailand records the highest Covid numbers and death rates ever recorded and stricter measures have been released across the worst affected Provinces.  There is a plan for more of the country to open and the idea was for Thailand to fully reopen to vaccinat