Village Gardens


Autumn arrangement, Flowers From The Farm


Confetti fields at Wick


AGREAT BRITISH


s an enthusiastic plant and garden photographer, I attend many local and national flower


shows during the spring, summer and autumn months. The Malvern Spring and Autumn Festivals and the BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC are always a thrill for me as I can travel there and back, click away with my camera to my heart’s con- tent and come away with the most amazing variety of images – all in one day! Despite the popularity and “wow”


of the show gardens at the larger events, the floral marquees, in my opinion, offer the most variety and interest. As you walk through the doorway of these canvas structures, you are met with a kaleidoscope of colour and a heady fragrance ema- nating from the huge bowls of per- fumed flowers, usually lilies, placed near the entrance (perhaps to lure people in). When you look around the mar- quee, every flower head is perfect,


58 The Village September 2018


Keen garden photographer Judy Lawrance shares some of her favourite locally grown flowers.


every leaf in its place and every colour coordinated. Proud British growers man their stands and are only too willing to share their stories of how it all started for them. Once inside, my first port of call is


the Flowers From The Farm exhibit. These incredible stands are planned, constructed and manned by vol- unteer local flower growers. Their imaginative, complex displays and the variety of British-grown flowers they use is impressive, to say the least. Not only that, they are such a


friendly bunch (excuse the pun) and are very happy to share information


with anyone who takes an interest. Flowers From The Farm, founded


in 2011 by arable farmer Gill Hodson, is a network of indepen- dent like-minded artisan British flower growers spread over the UK. The 500-strong membership is a mixture of farmers, gardeners, smallholders and florists. Some have small cutting gardens to feed their floristry businesses, some have acres of land growing a va- riety of flowers to supply shops, but no matter how big or small their plot, these dedicated and passionate creatives all have a common goal – to produce British, sell British and promote British-grown flowers, the ones that are per- fumed, quirky, imperfect and beautiful! You don’t have to look far


for a FFTF florist; there are several dotted around the West Midlands


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