I really loved watching all the coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show last week. The best part for me though was seeing the 'Farewell Flowers Directory' win gold for their debut display at the event.
There is a big shift towards trying to promote to the public that funeral flowers can not only be beautiful, natural and seasonal, but they can be made without the use of floral foam and plastics which cause harm to our environment too.
Image via @farewellflowers on Instagram
The display featured a willow casket with garden flowers cascading down onto the grass meadow below. All the flowers featured were sustainable and locally grown by flower farmers and growers and included Roses, Foxgloves, Poppies, Peonies, Grasses, Buttercups to name a few all intertwined with seasonal foliage.
Image via @farewellflowers on Instagram
For the last year I have also gone foam free with Studio Poppy - all arrangements that a few years ago would have used floral foam as a first option are now being used with alternative mechanics. This means I have to get creative sometimes to ensure the flowers stay fresh and last but has had such a positive impact on my creations and I feel they're even better knowing they're sustainable and good for our environment.
One of my favourite displays that families ask for when it comes to funerals is a collection of jam jars arranged in a wicker basket and secured with moss. This collectively looks like a traditional casket arrangement and sits on top of it for the service. Afterwards, each jar can be placed on the tables at the wake - this not only brightens up the tables it continues the theme throughout the day - especially if there is a particular favourite flower or colour palette that the person loved. Afterwards, each jar can then be taken home by family members or friends to enjoy over the next week and the jar can then be refilled again and again. Using British grown flowers and arranging them in this way creates a lovely sustainable cycle.
Below are some images of funeral flowers Studio Poppy has created over the last few months - colour palettes can be adapted to suit the families wishes.
Congratulations to all the Farewell Flowers Directory on their Chelsea win. Hopefully this has helped kickstart and continue the conversation around sustainable and more natural farewell flowers for the future.