BLOOM AND BUST
Meet the Family The recent ‘Bloom and Bust’ event at the Garden Museum hosted a mixture of talks on trends from fi ve of the industry’s fi nest which celebrated the way that fi ve very diff erent people can make a living in totally diff erent ways whilst working with the same raw material. Hearing inspirational stories from all ends of the fl oristry spectrum generated a fresh spark of excitement in us and with such a fab line-up we couldn’t help sharing the experience with you; this fl oral family may have their diff erences but what’s beautiful is that they’re all bonded by fl owers.
The Event
Extraordinaire Simon Lycett entered the industry aged 14 when, armed with the knowledge that fl owers were his thing he headed to the big smoke from his home town of Warwick to work for Robert Day on Pimlico Road. His career snowballed after his fl owers were spotted at the memorial service for Jim Henson
Simon Lycett, with The Florist’s Caroline
– creator of the Muppets, which led to his big break designing all the fl owers for the hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. Simon now specialises as an events fl orist with a long list of prestigious venues under his belt, including St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Opera House, St James’ Palace and the Tower of London. Simon noted the speed the
industry runs at today; fl owers arrive overnight to supply last minute orders - crazy in comparison with the two deliveries a week of the 80’s! For Simon, working in the 21st Century fl ower industry means coming to terms with the pressure of speedy deliveries and tight client deadlines. He uses thousands of roses for a typical wedding, mostly originating from Holland, Colombia and Ecuador, although he does like to use seasonal British fl owers when he can; he warns to be wary when buying foliage from overseas as other countries seem to off er a sparse selection in comparison with all of our lovely British
It’s a huge commitment and shouldn’t be underestimated, however it’s well and truly worth it
46 F&wb Summer 2013
greens. He sees the growth of celebrity
culture infi ltrating the fl oral world with trends becoming more and more fashion and celeb led; rose colours can be seen going straight from catwalk to market as growers pick up on what’s in vogue. This industry is similar to the fashion world in that it’s constantly changing; trends are forced to move with the seasons as the raw material itself is in control of what’s on off er. Simon adds: “just as you get a bit bored with one thing, it changes”, so you’ll never fi nd yourself doing the same thing day in and day out.
The Shop Girl Vic Brotherson’s passion for her shop Scarlet and Violet is heart-
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