We were all looking forward to our holidays by the time we had been on an aeroplane, visited Dubai, enjoyed a drink, sent a postcard and then travelled back home during Rayna Shiach’s presentation ‘Happy Holidays’.
The first design representing the flight away ( accompanied by interesting stories of Rayna’s time as an air stewardess) used manipulated aspidistra leaves, pittisporum, akito roses and lisianthus. The Burj Khalifa Tower (height 2717’) in Dubai together with the sunshine was the inspiration for the next arrangement using eucalyptus and yellow cybidium orchids with cellophane being used to represent the glass of the tower.
We all enjoy a drink of pink champagne on holiday and this was represented by using cypress papyrus for height), manipulated phormium leaves and choisya together with pink and white carnations and dedronium orchids.
The purchase of an ‘exotic bunch’ was used to create the ‘wish you were here’ postcard arrangement. The bunch contained unknown ‘pig face’ , heliconia and ginger lilies and used with pandanus (screw pine), phoenix palm, lady’s finger palm and cordylines.
We celebrated coming home with a lovely arrangement using variegated pieris, cupressus, High Society roses, orange carnations and purple lisianthus.

We were certainly looking forward to the summer months ahead after Vicki’s ‘Alfresco Summer’ presentation – we could all associate and reminisce with the activities Vicki described – many from her childhood. A real feature of the evening was the amazing variety of plant material used (from cow parsley to pipthanthus nepalensis ) – it is impossible to mention them all.
Everyone enjoys a barbecue which was the inspiration for the first design, flames represented by broom, cherry brandy roses and flame red freesias together with bronze single spray chrysanthemums.
An exotic beach was our next port of call – a basket decorated with scallop shells contained an arrangement using bergenia and calathea leaves, grasses and rolled aspidistra leaves together with pink carnations (some rolled in bergenia leaves), white and pink oriental lilies. The inclusion of sea urchin shells on lily stems finished off the design beautifully.
Bright yellow gerberas representing buttercups and white lisianthus for ox-eye daisies set the scene for the Summer meadow arrangement which also included raspberry canes, cow parsley, phlomis and honeysuckle foliage. A picnic in Kent was next (with memories of primus stoves in a biscuit tin!) in patriotic red, white and blue using garrya ellipitica and rosemary with red Naomi roses, sweetheart roses, gypsophila and lavender blue freesias.
We visited a carnival for our fifth design – a multi coloured arrangement with mixed coloured gerbera, green and mauve striped carnations setting the vibrant scene against a collar of fatsia leaves with pittisporum, euonymus, and euphorbia. Throughout the design Vicki made creative use of cup holders, parts of a door curtain, glitter and baubles.
Finally we moved into a gazebo on the lawn for fine dining. This exotic arrangement used a large variety of foliage including manipulated iris foetidissima (stinking iris) leaves . Flowers included tellima, dolomiti roses, lilac, pulsatilla seed heads, gypsophila, white lilies, parrot tulips, September flower and cymbidium orchids.
The stage looked stunning at the end of the presentation. The design were varied in shape, texture and colour and there were some very happy and lucky members going home with beautiful arrangement . Thank you Vicki for a very enjoyable, entertaining and informative evening and for  travelling all the way from Suffolk for your first visit to Bedford.

The photographs we’ve chosen this month depict a very busy and sociable atmosphere in the hall as we participated in a ‘hands on session’ at our ‘Fun, Friendship and Flowers’ members evening.
There was initial frustration from some as we attempted unfamiliar skills manipulating aspidistra, phormium and ivy leaves – plaiting, pleating, folding, stranding, shredding. Thanks to Sandra for demonstrating some of the basic ideas and spending time patiently with groups around the room. Gradually everyone relaxed and many interesting and different forms were produced.
After delicious refreshments produced by Linda and a short time to socialise with other members it was time to incorporate our leaf manipulations into a spring design using a plant pot. Everyone was given tulips and daffodils and could include their own foliage and accessories. As Easter was still in our minds there were lots of twigs, chicks, nests and eggs!
We always knew our members were talented but the display of almost fifty very varied and beautiful arrangements on the stage at the end of the evening really showcased their expertise.
Thank you to everyone who showed enthusiasm during the evening and to those who worked hard to make the event so successful.

Although there were only a few members  at the  ‘refresh your skills’ class everyone thoroughly enjoyed the session – all producing a vertical design. When all put together  there was a  lovely parallel arrangement ! With many thanks to Ann G for giving her time and expertise.

We visited the Land of Oz during Jo’s presentation ‘Over the Rainbow’. The first design was Dorothy’s basket using the colours of Summer with blue delphiniums and sweet avalanche roses together with soft ruscus, eucalyptus, ivy leaves and pink hypericum. Underwater lights  sparkles and flexi grass in a glass container set the scene for the cyclone over the rainbow – a   white and cream arrangement on a semi-sphere which included folded aspidistra leaves, bouvardia, spray white roses, white avalanche roses, hydrangea and spray chrysanthemums.

Dorothy’s silver shoes made an appearance  in the third arrangement, as an accessory against the spring coloured garden design using the picket fence. Forsythia, and laurel formed the background for daffodils, orange gerbera, orange tulips and craspedia.

The crown of the tree in the Enchanted Forest was  formed with garden foliage and garrya elliptica then enhanced with lime green Kermit chrysanthemums to give  contrast  against the purples and pinks of veronica, clematis, chrysanthemums,  moonlight carnations and aqua roses.

We all wish we could make a beautiful bouquet as quickly as Jo did for the fifth arrangement   She used folded aspidistra leaves, red lilies, red carnations and green chrysanthemums.

The Emerald City on the Yellow Brick Road was the focus for the  final design. Kentia palms, Bells of Ireland, fatsia and variegated aspidistra leaves created the pedestal shape before stunning individual green cymbidium orchid flowers were wired and grouped together to form the centre piece.

The arrangements which provided a wide selection of flowers and foliage  were varied in shape, texture and colour – all ones that we could take some ideas from to try at home and there were six very happy raffle winners at the end of the evening. All this, together with Jo’s  humourous, entertaining and informative commentary gave us a great start to our 2015 Emerald year . Thank you Jo.

A  very festive sales table, a plant stall with seasonal foliage and refreshments of mince pies and stollen put us in a Christmas mood even before Gill presented her ‘Christmas Sparkle’ demonstration.

Gill’s love of foliage (often enhanced with a little glitter) was evident in all her arrangements. We started with one to put on the front step  to encourage Santa to visit. Blue pine, fatsia, laurel, red and silver birch , berried ivy, skimmia and dried bulrushes were all included before  artificial poinsettia and baubles were added.

We moved into the hall for the setting  for the second design. The container was a cocoa husk on a plinth and included a welcome wreath. Dracaena leaves formed the outline shape and were also used as tubes holding baubles. Kermit chrysanthemums, skimmia and yew were added before beautiful lime green orchids were used as the focal flower. The third arrangement was stunning with wonderful use of foliage and autumnal bronze flowers.  A more traditional design for a table arrangement was next.

We certainly had sparkle in the final two designs. The fifth one  used stars, black glittered birch  together with sprayed fatsia and strelitzia  leaves.   Strelitzia and  roses were just two of the flowers which provided  the wonderful contrasting orange  colour. The final design had even more glitz including  beaded coathangers, baubles, an orange bath puff  and a soft toy reindeer. No flowers but a fitting arrangement to put us all in the festive mood.

Thank you Gill for an entertaining evening, full of useful tips and ideas that we can  use at home and   inspiring designs with beautiful flowers and foliage – we all left feeling more ready for the preparations and the celebrations ahead.

A few members went to Broxbourne on November 5^th. After the AGM and  an appetising  lunch we were entertained by ‘Take Three’ – Ian Buxton, Lee Berrill and Alan Smith. In addition to their wonderful floral art, there was humour and a real theatrical presentation – they started the demonstration as The Three Wise Men and finished as The Three Degrees!

The arrangements were based on Christmas  including  We Three Kings, Advent, Deck the Halls , I Saw Three Ships, Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland and  Star of Bethlehem.

Each individual arrangement  was beautiful but the variety of  shape, foliage, flowers, containers, Christmas sparkle  and accessories  produced  an absolutely stunning stage display. (I’m afraid we were too engrossed in the demonstration and performance to take detailed notes about each arrangement!)

The audience gave them a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the demonstration.

Just a couple of photographs below give a flavour of the afternoon.

Times of Mellow Fruitfulness

Between the vibrant colours of summer and the rich colours of autumn leaves there is a time when the more subtle and calm colours of blackberry, burgundy, deep red and hints of peach and pink can be enjoyed and it was those colours which Lisa used to very good effect in this demonstration.

Her containers had a rustic theme and the arrangements in them were full of different textures and contrasts.  Red Fountain grass gave soft movement through the first design inside a basket woven from stems of pussy willow. The second arrangement in a beautiful piece of wood had a country look with tricoloured carnations and Avalanche cabbage roses.The third container linked Summer to Autumn with,a split basket filled with layered sun flowers, solidago (golden rod) and hypericum.

An interesting technique was used in the fourth arrangement when Lisa used a wedding bouquet holder covered in hessian in the centre of a wicker sphere. The foliage was off set on top of the sphere and then   burgundy lilies ‘Mambo ,white roses and purple dedrobium orchids were added. The fifth design was an Autumn basket with  the appearance of flowers laid across it.The final arrangement was in a foam sphere with the bottom sliced off it, placed in a large baluster shaped vase. Hydrangeas, roses, calla lilies and dendrobium orchids combined to make this a  beautiful  design.

The evening was educational and informative  and  throughout the demonstration we were given lots of valuable advice and “hints”  which included tips for conditioning and wiring flowers, how to “curve” calla-lilies, and the best way to make leaves shiny.

Thank you Lisa for a very enjoyable evening which  finished with happy raffle winners going home with beautiful arrangements of a manageable size.

On Saturday October 18^th several members and friends attended a workshop run by Ann Swain. The emphasis of the day was on stems – we only used 1-3 flowers all day! This was a challenge for some of us who feel we are less creative and artistic than others.

During the morning we concentrated on decorating a flower stem suitable for a modern bride to carry or to place in a narrow vase.  For the afternoon we decorated stems we had collected from our gardens – the results, as Ann had predicted were experimental and very individual.

We had all arrived ‘with the kitchen sink’ of accessories including wires, sisal ,wire mesh,  ribbons, wool, buttons, preserved plant materials  and lots of glue and all thought we hadn’t the right materials but it was amazing what was produced.

Thank you Ann for a very enjoyable and ‘different’ workshop , for your encouragement , ideas and positive,  constructive criticism. Thanks also to Ann G for organising it.

A few photos  below but they do not  do justice to the skill of the participants and the individuality of the designs.

Delicious  refreshments, the chance to buy tickets to win an arrangement, a stunning sales table, and  the opportunity  to support our charity (both by purchasing from the  well stocked  plant stall and the charity raffle) all added to the expectant and sociable atmosphere prior to the demonstration.

It was delightful to see so many visitors in the packed hall including area officers, members of local flower clubs and friends from as far away as Hereford.  Barry was given a very warm welcome. He is an international demonstrator and one of Britain’s most celebrated floral designers. He began  the evening by reading his own poem ‘ To tread a quiet pathway’.

Each of his arrangements represented a line or phrase from his reading:

• Garden pathway-flowers within its borders
• New hopes can be found
• Snow shall fall and frost shall freeze
• Blistered heat does scorch the air
• Journey on a quest
• For labours past
• Stretch a dream to its limits far

Many varieties of garden and florist foliage were used ( the licuala palm was amazing) and flowers included his trademark orchids, nerines, carnations, Ecuadorean roses, strelitzia, lilies, proteas, and anthuriums  (to name a few!) to produce stunning arrangements ……….. but let the pictures below speak for themselves!

The demonstration was drawing to a close  and music resounded around the hall. The  audience sat spellbound as  Barry arranged a cascade of flowers in the centre of the stage – keeping his promise  at last year’s area meeting to  give us a stage full of stunning  flowers.

The standing ovation at the end of the evening signified the audience’s appreciation for his skill, vision and presentation.

Thank you Barry for a wonderful evening and to everyone else who contributed to make the evening such a success.