One of the first (and best) summer events in London is the Chelsea Flower Show. As well as the garden competition, growers introduce completely new varieties of plants which are judged by the Flower Show judges. Our favourite from the shortlist for Plant of the Year was the new peony, All that Jazz , which has creamy-apricot petals flecked with dark red and a dark red centre. The winner was a sedum shrub, Atlantis Nonsitnal, which has yellow variegated leaves and small flowers in the summer.
It’s spring! Here at Kensington Flowers we are looking forward to the new blooms of 2019. Coming into the shop in the next few months will be the best of the English spring flowers – home-grown tulips, jewel-coloured anemones, sweet Cornish narcissus daffodils and scented hyacinths. As we re-learn to appreciate English growers (and to care for the environment by reducing air-miles), we are especially glad to showcase these flowers.
For growing plants, this is the season for the pretty primula, primrose, growing hyacinths and the various daffodils. We will have pre-planted pots and baskets in the shop and and we can plant to order with your own choices. If you already have pots or bowls which you would like us to plant, please do bring them in.
This season we also look forward to Mother’s Day on 31st March, for which flowers are always appropriate. March is also the month of Norooz, or Persian New Year, which is traditionally celebrated with hyacinths (and goldfish in bowls on the table for the true traditionalists).
Of course, we will have roses and beautiful Spring flowers but, if you would like to give your loved one something different this year we suggest the vibrant pinks and purples of anemones and orange tulips or an elegant potted Lily of the Valley. Please see the Mother’s Day section below for more details on our favourite gift ideas (including cakes by delivery!).
We can make these in the traditional Spring flowers & colours, including soft pinks, yellows and whites, with the options of adding pops of purple or blue. We particularly enjoy tulips ranging from bright pink to soft peach and white, hyacinths in pinks, blues or whites and the lovely yellows and scent of narcissi.
Instead of a single bunch, we offer flower subscriptions. We will deliver flowers to your mother, friend or relative over a period of days, weeks or months. A lovely gift that will keep on giving! We also offer gift vouchers, so that flower-lovers may come in and have the fun of choosing for themselves.
A special sweet treat to spoil someone you love. We have a range of myBaker cakes, mini cakes and macarons, delivered with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. myBaker cakes are available in a range of different sizes and flavours. Our favourites include vanilla & raspberry cake, vegan chocolate cake, honey & lavender macarons and the lemon & poppyseed mini cakes.
Flowers & A Meal at Launceston Place
We have collaborated with our friends at Launceston Place to offer delivery of flowers to your table when you make a booking at the restaurant over the Mother’s Day weekend.
We are offering 10% discount on flowers & plants, and the offer will be valid for the weekend of the 30th and 31st of March. Please use discount code MDLP19 when placing your order online on our website or over the phone. Please note the offer is not valid for our flowers & cake products, flowers & gift boxes or our gift cards and vouchers.
Floral Spotlight: The Daffodil
The Daffodil (or Cennin Pedr in Welsh) is the national flower of Wales and they are out for St David’s day on 1st March. Their fresh white and yellow faces are the signature of spring and many come with a delicate scent as well as the fresh smell of the leaves and stalks. It is unsurprising that they symbolise rebirth and new beginnings. In the traditional language of flowers, daffodils are a faithful flower – they represent loyalty, friendship, chivalry and modesty.
Daffodils are easy to grow and replant inside or outside. Growing in the shop we will have the minuscule, bright yellow Tete-a-Tete, the tiny all-white Paperwhite and the taller, creamy Bridal Crown as well as bunches of cut narcissus in yellow and white.
We hope to see you soon in the shop in Victoria Grove and we wish you all the best for 2019.
We are pleased to announce that Kensington flowers gift vouchers are now available to buy online or in store.
Gift vouchers are an ideal gift to treat someone who loves flowers. Vouchers offer the recipient the opportunity to choose what they want, when they want.
Our vouchers are valid for 12 months from date of purchase and can be redeemed in store or over the phone and used to purchase one of our beautiful bouquets, cut flowers, plants or vase arrangements. Available in denominations of £25 and £50.00.
The Signature Gift Vouchers are packaged in an all white card and envelope, delivered with a hand written message on your behalf.
Option to collect in-store or next day nationwide postage by Royal Mail recorded special delivery.
For same day London delivery, please contact us us directly on 020 7225 3176, so we that we can arrange courier services.
We are lucky enough to be located across the street from Thomas’s School in Kensington. As neighbours we enjoy a lovely relationship with the staff, students and parents of the school, many of whom are customers in the shop and have been wonderfully supportive of our business over the years.
Occasionally when the school are fundraising for charity projects, we are able to return the favour and lend our support to the cause. Juliet has lent her time teaching the staff and parents how to make Christmas wreaths and decorations for sale at the Christmas Fair and we have donated vouchers and plants over the years.
One of our more recent donations was in aid of the CAIRN trust (Children’s Aid In Rural Nepal). This trust is one of the schools permanent charities and funds raised go towards providing children with education, books, and access to libraries and school places.
The recent fundraiser hosted by the PTA at Thomas’s School in Battersea raised £203,000 for the CAIRN trust. A donation of this size provides sweaters, books, education and facilitate construction of library buildings.
We are very pleased to have been able to contribute and to be in some small way involved with this wonderful charity and the work that they do.
To celebrate British Flowers Week this week, we thought we would share a little bit about how we shop for our flowers, our favourite British Flowers and why we choose to buy British.
Why do we love British Flowers?
Nowadays there are many different ways to buy flowers as a florist. Dutch flower lorries mean you can have a mobile shop full of fresh flowers delivered to your door. There are flower farmers and now small local growers in Britain who supply freshly cut flowers from their cutting gardens, wholesalers selling on line as well as from retail units and and then there is the New Covent Garden flower market in London.
For us at Kensingtonflowers, Juliet makes the journey to New Covent Garden Flower Market each morning to stock up on fresh flowers, foliages and plants for the shop.
We usually stock the shop with a mix on British and imported flowers depending on the season.
We choose to buy British whenever possible, because the fewer air miles a flower has flown to get here means that the flowers stay fresher for longer. British flowers are generally of a higher quality and at a better price when they are in season. We also like to support local growers where we can, given that we are a small independent business ourselves, we like to shop local!
To celebrate we thought we would share our favourite British Flowers.
For Douglas, who is the right-hand man in the shop and responsible for our brightest bouquets, there is no better British flower than the Anemone, in particular the rich dark purple anemone. UK grown anemones are available for a limited time but are truly special.
In the shop you will find it in Douglas’s bouquets mixed with parrot tulips, ranunculus,, rosemary and herbs.
For Juliet, who owns the shop and is the driving force behind Kensingtonflowers, she likes to keep it simple and elegant with lily of the valley.
In the shop, when in season, you will find these beauties in little pots of their own, or as tiny cut bunches, allowing their simplistic beauty and signature fragrance to shine.
Our limited edition, British Flower Week bouquet.
In support of British Flower Week we have created our own limited edition British Flower Week bouquet. This bouquet is filled with peonies, sweet william, scabiosa, astrantia, and myrtle. It is a celebration of all the things we love about British Flowers.
You can purchase the bouquet on our online website shop.
If you would like any more information on British Flowers Week or any of the events being held, you can visit their website here: British Flowers Week
For more information on the New Covent Garden Market, opening times and flowers, you can visit their website here: New Covent Garden Market
Whilst we obviously believe that flowers are the perfect gift for every occasion, we are happy to concede that there are other ways to impress your Mum this Mother’s Day. We have put together a little list of ideas, along with our picks for the best flowers to show Mum some love.
We are also so very excited to introduce our new partnership with MyBaker. This new service will allow you to purchase a freshly baked cake along with our flowers. In addition to cakes we are offering mini cakes and macaroons in a host of delicious flavours. The perfect touch for a birthday gift or a gesture of appreciation, we will even deliver to anywhere you need in London.
So here’s our best bets to impress your Mother, Grandmother, Aunt or just someone special this Mother’s Day.
Roses & A Beautiful Cake
Talk about matches made in heaven! What could be better than a delicious piece of cake and fresh flowers?
There are some absolutely gorgeous roses in season at the moment, from beautiful blush pinks to sunny yellows and the perfect peachy apricots. At the moment our picks are the roses from the Avalanche family, you may have heard the names Avalanche, Sweet Avalanche, Candy Avalanche, and the list goes on! These roses have a beautiful, tight bud that blooms into a gorgeous, long lasting rose.
Pair these with a Vanilla and Raspberry cake from MyBaker and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. Shop here.
Spring flowers make the perfect posy for your Mum’s bedside table and are guaranteed to bring some much needed sunshine to her bedroom!
Our picks for Spring would be a bouquet of hyacinths and tulips, with some lovely freesias and foliage to go with them. A lovely, joyous thank you for someone you treasure.
We love to celebrate the seasons at Kensingtonflowers, in particular the Spring flowers bring much joy for us! Tulips are in season from now until May so make the most of their season and the beautiful colours and varieties on offer. Tulips come in three different varieties, the single, double and parrot varieties.
The tulips currently in stock at Kensingtonflowers are supplied by British grower Smith and Munson from South Lincolnshire. They have been in the business since 1949, so you can be assured you are buying good quality blooms from a British grower.
Image from Smith & Munson
A Few More Gift Ideas…
A Vase Arrangement
We have a range of beautiful arrangements that would make the perfect present. We can do arrangements with a mix of colours, like the one below with pinks, yellows and whites.
Potted Spring Bulbs
Finally for the gift that will truly bring the outside in we have some lovely potted baskets with beautiful scented jasmine, hyacinths and narcissi.
As florists we see all kinds of love, from the everyday to the those truly special occasions. We celebrate it and we love being able to turn it into something tangible to give to those you love.
Valentines Day originated back in Roman times and has been celebrated as a day of romance from around the 14th century. Traditionally the day was a day to proclaim your love for a secret sweetheart. Nowadays it is a day to celebrate and express our appreciation for all forms of love in our lives. Be it friends, family, loved ones – whoever you feel like celebrating. It is just a great excuse to say thank you and I love you to your nearest and dearest really!
Our guide to choosing the perfect flowers for Valentines Day.
With this in mind we wanted to give you a quick guide on how to choose the best flowers to express love all kinds of love!
Red Roses
Starting at the top, red roses are the ultimate Valentines Day gift. They traditionally represent love and beauty – it doesn’t get much more romantic than that! The number of roses gifted can also have different meanings – 12 red roses are thought to be the number that conveys ‘I love you’.
A gift of red roses is an unmistakable expression of love. For our red rose bouquet we offer the option of ‘dressing’ the roses. As in the image above, we will include foliage such as eucalyptus or go-go (gaultheria). We can also include hypericum berries or pussy willow branches to add interest to the bouquet.
Garden Roses
Less obvious but just as lovely yellow roses can convey warmth and joy. A gift of yellow roses can symbolise friendship and caring. Similarly pink roses are also used to convey admiration, joy and gratitude.
Tulips
Tulips are in season and in fine form at the moment and come in a beautiful range of colours. The red tulip is thought to represent ‘perfect’ love. A bouquet of mixed tulips represents elegance and grace and is a gift of joy! We offer bouquets of tulips either on their own or ‘dressed’ with beautiful foliage and for something very special mixed with red ranunculus, also in season at the moment.
Orchids
For the gift that keeps on giving an orchid is the perfect choice. Delicate, exotic and graceful, the orchid represents love, luxury, delicate beauty and strength. With over 20,000 species of orchid in the world you are spoilt for choice and with each being as beautiful as the next, you really can’t go wrong with this one!
Anemone
Finally the beautiful and unusual anemone. Originating from the buttercup, anemones are thought to symbolise protection, sympathy and love. These flowers are also known for their ability to predict rain. It is said that when their petals close up a storm is on it’s way!
Regardless of which you choose, we think that the gift of flowers is the most special one of all. Beautiful and unique, we can create something very special to express what matters most to your loved ones.
We offer same day delivery across London and overnight delivery in England. If you would like to make an order for Valentines Day (or any other day for that matter), please visit our online shop here.
Or give us a call on 020 7225 3176 to discuss what you have in mind.
A big thank you to all our customers for your support the past year. Now the Christmas festive period has passed and we’ve said farewell to 2017, its time to look ahead and be positive to the fresh New Year and look forward to what will come.
We have reopened this week after our holidays and we’ve been busy here at Kensingtonflowers. Our customers are re stocking their houses with fresh Orchid plants, spring flowers and sending many ‘thank you’ and early January birthday bouquets.
The studio has had a good spring clean, we have been clearing away the remnants of Christmas and enjoyed having a little layout change around. Douglas has been busy planting up spring bulbs of hyacinths, Hellebores, tete-a-tete and primulas whilst Juliet has enjoyed buying and stocking the shop with wonderful spring flowers. Anemones, scented narcissi, tulips, lilac to name a few. The studio is looking and smelling beautiful! Why not come and visit us?
We are making some exciting plans for 2018 and can’t wait to get started. We will keep you posted…
Wishing you a very happy, healthy, peaceful and exciting 2018 from all the team at Kensingtonflowers.
The Christ Church Kensington Edible Garden Project
Kensington Flowers is located in the heart of Kensington, a stone’s throw away from Kensington Palace and Gardens. The local community here is of great value to us both personally and as a small business.
Recently Kensington Flowers has become involved in a community project concerning the area behind Christ Church Kensington. The aim of this project is to create an edible garden aimed at raising awareness as to where our food comes from and how it is grown. The edible garden is not just for the pleasure & benefit of those who live locally. It will benefit the many Independent and State schools in the wider Kensington area.
Thomas’s Day School approached Juliet to assist with an evening floral workshop which would raise funds for the project. The workshop was attended by parents and teachers at the school. Attendees produced beautiful candle arrangements which were sold at the schools Christmas Fayre. Proceeds from the sales of the arrangements will be donated to the edible garden project.
Overall the workshop was a tremendous success. The art room at Thomas’s was transformed into a suitable workshop, with added nibbles and fizz to fuel the workers. Approximately 40 Thomas’s ‘Elves’ then set to work creating their own arrangements.
Juliet gave a wonderful demonstration on how to prepare the pot with oasis and candles, making sure that these are secure. She then taught everyone the art of adding the decorations such as pine and fruits to dress the arrangement.
Juliet and her equally glamorous assistant Anna, passed on encouraging words of wisdom and practical advise throughout the evening. The room was filled with laughter, concentration and a healthy degree of competitiveness!
The arrangements were finished off with a ‘made by’ label, adding a personal touch for both for the maker and the buyer.
Juliet kindly lent her time and knowledge to the project. All of the equipment required such as cones, cinnamon, pine, terracotta pots, dried fruits, tape and wires were donated by Kensington Flowers and a generous local Kensington family.
All proceeds from these arrangements, along with proceeds from art and vases made by the children of Thomas’s, will go to the edible garden fund.
We will keep you posted on the progress of the garden, so stay tuned!
British Grown
Fresh Flowers Grown in the UK Wherever Possible
Fairtrade
Flowers from Fairtrade Certified Farms Wherever Possible
Independent
Kensington Flowers is an Independent Family Business
