Latest News and Stock from Viva Verde

The latest news and happenings from viva verde, flowers plants and gifts!

Wednesday May 1st 2013

Happy May Day everyone!  It is sunny and the feeling of warmth is definitely coming on fast now!  Last week began our lovely season of weddings with a glorious sunny day at Pangdean Barn with a gorgeous selection of pastel shades of flowers including a bit of spring muscari and mixed with the beginnings of summer blooms like astilbe.  We are at Pangdean again the next couple of weeks with more wedding blooms...

With this sunshine comes the promise of time in the garden and so the summer plants are arriving!  Our locally grown geraniums in all different colours are flying out the door; we also have a great selection of bedding plants if you are ready to plant up your hanging baskets.  The earth is still a bit cold for planting directly into the ground but it is the right time for container gardening!

We will be closed on the Tuesday following the Bank Holiday in order that we can enjoy the benefit otherwise it is just like a normal weekend.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Lynnette and Team

 

Thursday February 28th 2013

Well, tomorrow is St David's Day which means the onset of spring and daffodils (and my husband Mr C's birthday!!)  At long last, I think we can all agree.  After a busy day in the shop yesterday we looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was nearly 5:00 and were pleasantly surprised as it was still so light out!  The days are getting longer...

I hope you all remember that it is Mothering Sunday in the UK next weekend, the 10th of March.  Preparations are already underway here at the shop; looking forward to seeing all of those lovely spring flowers that we have coming in next week.  I often get asked what are my favourite flowers and it is never an easy answer as with every season there is always something that stands out for me.  In the spring, it is definitely tulips for me; I love it when they move around, bend and then finally blow open their petals in all of their glory.  Love it.  But, I also love hyacinths, anenomes, red freesias, ranunculus, pussy willow and guelda rose vibernum.  The list could go on and on and on.

We will be full of spring bulbs, pretty pots and lots of plants so please ring or email if you have something specific in mind.

And happy spring!

Lynnette and Team

Wednesday February 13th 2013

Good evening!  It is nearly Valentine's and we haven't much left to choose from!  Please ring the shop and we can tell you what the options are; there are plenty of gorgeous long stemmed scented lilies, spring flowers and lots of pretty flowers to put with them...

Lynnette

Saturday February 9th 2013

Hello again!  Apologies for not writing sooner but I have been wearing my accounting hat lately with the end of year tax due and then squeezing three months of accounts into four weeks to meet the VAT tax deadline!  Now, I am wearing my wedding quote hat trying to keep up with all the lovely brides and grooms who have been in contact these last few weeks...

Well, you should know what Thursday is, correct?  St Valentine's Day is this coming Thursday the 14th of February.  We have put our thinking caps on and decided to focus on spring flowers here.  We will stock a quantity of red roses; Columbian Freedom roses and Dutch premium quality, long stemmed Red Naomi roses along with a mixture of white, pink, yellow and orange roses.  We will have white and pink oriental (Scented) lilies and a variety of our usual flowers to mix in to bouquets.  Our biggest selection will be spring flowers: anenomes, hyacinths, tulips, ranunculus, freesia, paper whites, narcissus and daffodils with simple greenery.  If you have any special requests then just give us a ring and we will do our best to help you.

Here's to warmer days!

Lynnette

Thursday December 20 2012

Well, my annual leave to America feels like ages ago.  I leave having finished the wedding season and I return to full on Christmas! 

It definitely feels like Christmas in the shop!  We have two lovely window displays; one with white, silver and blue and the other with large red and black velvet balls hanging down and loads of lights everywhere.  I love the lights!

We have a wonderful selection of fresh flowers which arrived this morning from Holland.  Lots of red and white but also a nice bit of gold, pink and purple for the non-traditionalists out there.  We have red, white and burgundy amaryllis, extra large and medium cymbidium flowers, roses in lots of different colours and then as much as we can squeeze onto the rest of the stand.  Please let us know if you have any favourites and we will do our best to include them.

For plants, we have a few pointsettias, jasmine medium and extra large, two extra large white phalenopsis plants, azaleas, cyclamen, helebores (Christmas roses), Christmas cactus, amaryllis bulbs and hyacinths and other spring bulbs.  We can plant them in a basket or a decorative container, just let us know your preference.

We will be open until Christmas Eve, then closed until Friday December 28th when we open on Friday, Saturday and then New Year's Eve.  We will close then for annual holiday until Tuesday January 8th 2013.

May we wish all of our customers, both old and new, a happy holiday season!

Lynnette, Donna, Claire, Vanessa and Clare

 

Tuesday October 9th 2012

Yikes!!  Did I just write "October"?  where or where has the month of September gone??  This is my favourite time of year, Autumn.  (or Fall if you are a North American!)  My favourite colour is orange so it is bound to be my very favourite season with the changing of the leaves and the seed heads and berries starting to come in along with the big, buxom and beautiful incurved English Chrysanthamum blooms in their shades of cream yellow and gold...

October also brings to close the summer wedding season for us; I don't quite know what to do with my spare time now!  We have two more weddings next weekend and then that is it until December.  Our lovely Lisa is having pumpkins filled with big cream blooms and foliage for her table decorations next week and Felicity is having a vintage/art deco themed wedding at Pangdean barn with china and autumnal coloured flowers.  A nice way to finish off the season!

We are taking bookings for next year's weddings.  Please contact me if you would like to arrange a consultation in the next few weeks.  I will be away for most of November but am happy to arrange a meeting before I leave or when I am back at the end of the month.

I am going to mention that dreaded C word now:  Christmas!  I know, I know it is only October!  But, when should we start putting out some Christmas bits!  I am of the mind to leave it until December so that we can enjoy the wonderful Halloween and Bomb fire nights but what about you?  When would you want to come in and start browsing our fantastic new Christmas ranges!!  They are all starting to arrive and I am trying to find places to put them until needed...

Happy October!

Lynnette and team!

Tuesday August 14th 2012

Well, it has been an exciting few weeks!  The Olympics were amazing to watch and to be proud to be British!  Now, back to normality!

We are listed on a wedding blog today from Rachel and Dan's wedding from earlier this summer; inspiration from the rainbow cake.  http://www.lovesussexweddings.co.uk/2012/08/pangdean-barn-wedding-sussex-rainbow-colour-pop/

We also had a lovely thank you email from Chloe, a bride at Upwaltham Barns at the end of July:

Lynnette,

I just wanted to send you a quick message to thank you so much for the beautiful flowers for the big day. I was sad to have missed you on the day but was so happy with all my bouquet, the posies, button holes, corsages and especially the wand! The bouquets for the mums were wonderful and we really could not have asked for anything more.

I also wanted to thank you for your help in deciding what flowers to have. I was so unsure what I wanted but your knowledge and passion for floristry put me at ease straight away and meant we had perfect flowers for us.

Chloe

 

Enjoy the rest of August!

 

Lynnette

Saturday July 21st 2012

Greetings and Happy Summer to you all!  I am only saying that as the sun is shining finally!!  Yeeeaaahhh!!!

We are right in the middle of our busy wedding season which is fantastic as I really enjoy wedding flowers, wedding work and all things bridal (and groomsy!!)  Apologies for not blogging for awhile but isn't it funny how time flies by!

The flowers filling the shop these summery months are all wild and natural in feel; achillea, astilbe, astrantia, delphiniums, hydrangeas, stocks, clematis, gladiola etc etc.  I could go on and on as our choices are so plentiful at this time of year.  We have John the Green who comes by with his locally grown foliages, we have a new organic flower grower from the Weald in Sussex and as many British blooms as we can find.  Please give us a ring if you have anything particular in mind that you would like us to supply.

The garden season has been a bit of a wash out for us but we are perservering with our plants and have a nice selection including small cactus, sedums and as of this morning, a monkey puzzle tree!

Happy Summer and long may the sun shine on you!

KLynnette, Donna and the team

Friday February 10th 2012

Welcome to our new website!!  By the looks of things I have been a bit slack in keeping you all informed as to what we have been up to around here!  Our new website with shopping cart went live yesterday and we had our first order today.  I hope you will all find it easy to navigate and inspiring for your ideas whether it be a wedding, funeral or a gift "just because" (and what a nice idea that is!!)

It is Valentine's Day on Tuesday so don't forget that special someone with a lovely gift; we will have our usual selection of mixed flowers and foliages as well as roses in pink, white, red, lilac and orange.  Our top sellers are mixed bouquets and spring bunch bouquets and you can always add a single rose in the middle for that little Valentine's touch.  Our Superior red roses are top quality, long stemmed Grand Prix which are arranged in a gift wrapped bouquet so you can keep the stems lovely and long.  These are arranged with eucalyptus and pussy willow stems to add that extra touch.  Our Standard rose is a Columbian import called Freedom which is a smaller rose but very long lasting and perfect in our hand tied boquets as they are not long stemmed.  These are available in 6 or 12 stems with mixed foliage.

We are already preparing for our wedding season and it looks like it will be a very busy spring already.  We have lots of interest in our mixed vintage bottles/china/glass as table decorations which are so effective and an economic choice for such a wonderful display.  We have mirror tiles or slate tiles to use as a centre piece with our table arrangements which help set the decorations off nicely.  Pangdean Barn will be seeing us quite a lot this year so please contact me and I can meet you at the barn to discuss your requirements!

I have just returned from a large trade fair in Birmingham and have found several new suppliers which I am quite excited about.  Italian ceramic birds, new pots and iron hanging displays, hurricane lanterns and bouncing birds on a spring!!  Fantastic things which will make everyone smile, guaranteed!  My husband thinks that I have a slight obsession with things on springs; he is probably right!!  My next shop would be called "BOING!!" and I would only sell things on springs!

It is ever so cold here in the shop, my fingers don't work so well on the typewriter as sub zero tempertures but I will sign out and wish you a Happy New Year!! and see you soon.

Lynnette, Donna, Vaness, Claire and Clare

 

Tuesday August 30th 2011

Well, since my last post we have had weddings every weekend!  It was crazy, fun, stressful, exciting, exhausting and invigorating all at the same time!!  I have been posting the recent wedding photos on the face book page so please take a look there.

We will be closed on Tuesday the 6th and Wednesday the 7th of September as I will be off to Holland to get a few more bits for our Christmas displays.  It seems too early to be thinking of Christmas but I did most of the ordering back in April so at least it is a bit cooler out to be thinking of Winter!

Our Donna has given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Betty Esther Kip.  She was born on August 12th and both mother and baby are healthy and well (and maybe tired?!?).

Until next time!

Lynnette

Thursday May 19th 2011

Greetings!  I must say I am slightly embarassed it has taken me so long to fill you all in on our news here in Richardson Road!  But, in my defense, I had my parents with me for three weeks which kept me busy and distracted at the same time.  We went off together around the west country for ten days and explored and ate loads of seafood.  It was when the weather just changed from winter to summer and was just what the doctor ordered!

I have set up a face book account under the name of viva verde so have been busy posting all of the recent photos from the weddings that have already happened.  As I write, we are under full swing for the wedding season which is great for the spring brides who have been so lucky with the weather!  Peonies are the flower of the moment along with English scented stocks which are my favourite (at least for the moment!)

We still have some openings if you are still looking for wedding flowers this summer.  Please just give me a ring and we will try and fit you in for a consultation as soon as we can.

Summer bedding plants are here.  It is weird though, it is only May and it feels like summer has been going on for ages.  Yet, it is only Spring!

We are taking part in the Grow Your Own project for business in conjunction with the Brighton and Hove county council.  We will come up with some great ways of growing edible plants in unusual containers and have them on display throughout the summer.

Happy sunshine!

Lynnette

Wednesday March 30th 2011

Well, here we are again!  The week running up to Mothering Sunday is finally here.  It is quite late this year so it feels like it should have been and gone by now.  It is good though if you are keen on the spring flowers because we are right in the middle of the tulip and daffodil season.  Oh, the choices available are just wonderful.  We will be having a large selection of all the spring flowers mixed with the usual favourites such as lilies and roses, phlox, stock, snaps etc mixed in with some tropical pineapples, birds of paradise and cymbidium orchids.

We have a fabulous array of plants including phalenopsis orchids in unusual colours, herbs, cyclamen, bulbs, primroses in fantastic colours and some planted containers containing a lovely mix of plants for those who can't choose just one type.  We have a great new collection of containers to go with them, please give us a ring and discuss your requirements.

Have a great week!

Lynnette and Team

PS For those forward thinkers, we will be open on Good Friday and the Easter Saturday and then will be closed until the following Wednesday when fresh flowers will arrive from Holland.

Tuesday February 22nd, 2011

Just a quick hello to let you know that we have made it through Valentine's and are now heading towards Mother's Day on Sunday April 3rd this year.  A bit later than usual but it places it right smack dab in spring!!  So expect a lovely array of gorgeous spring flowers, bulbs and blossom...

It looks to me that May is the month to get married this year!  We have nearly filled all of the dates for May so please let me know if that is when you will be wed and are still looking for some flowers to help celebrate the big day.

I am personally starting to think about my garden and how many culinary plants I will be able to squeeze into it.  I had a success with last years items so will hopefully increase the variety of plants to include rainbow chard, beetroot and other attractive foliage edibles...  We will be getting in the early peas in the next few weeks for those of you, like me, who will be growing their own this year.

Enjoy the last of this winter!!

Lynnette

Wednesday February 2nd, 2011

I hope you all had a lovely festive time and have settled back into your routines!!  I love December and all the emotions that go with it but I am ever so glad for the new year to roll around and normality to settle in.  I am the kind of person who wants to get rid of all decorations on the 27th of December!  Let's go 2011!  Ignore the doom and gloom of the media and have a really good time this year...

Well, my least favourite holiday is approaching very quickly.  The 14th of February falls on a Monday this year so let us keep our fingers crossed that all of those inclined to order flowers for their loved one will remember to place their order early!!  That will make my job easier and prevent a few sleepless nights worrying about how many flowers to order!  I will be having just a few red roses in the shop this year and they will be for orders only.  We will have a beautiful array of fabulous spring flowers including tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, paperwhites, anenomes and ranunculus.  Other flowers will include pink and white roses as well as our usual array of mixed flowers.  Please bear in mind that all red, white and pink flowers increase in price at the auction so for better value may I suggest mixed bouquets to include a few roses or other red flowers.

Our first wedding of the year is the 12th of this month.  It looks like April and May are the busy times for weddings this year.  I love that, what a great way to usher in Spring and Summer!  Plus you have that wonderful selection of spring greens and yellows to work with...

Enjoy February!

Lynnette and Team

Wednesday December 15th, 2010

Whoo Hooo!  It is Christmas time!!  I love this time of year with all of the run up to the day where you overindulge in food, drink and what ever you can get your hands on!!  Actually, my favourite part of this time of year is making Homemade Christmas Door Wreaths/Garlands.  My hands remain dirty and sticky from the pine sap and eucalyptus oils with a bit of grease from the wire to top it off.  I love putting all of the textured foliages together and making every wreath that little bit different from the others...  Heaven!!  Please let me know if you still need a wreath as we will continue making them for the next week.

I spent three weeks in November visiting my family so have returned to the shop with a spring in my step.  It was very cold at home with snow so at least I was mentally ready for all the cold weather we have been experiencing down here on the sunny south coast!  My motto is to throw on another layer of thermals.  Can never have too many thermals on at once!

Wedding season is only just around the corner!  I know, I can't believe it either!  The diary is starting to fill up so please don't put off find your wedding flower florist.  I love a challenge, so if you fancy something a little bit different, aren't sure what colours would work or even if you don't like flowers, give me a ring and I will be more than happy to help you out.

I would like to wish you all a very happy festive season!  Thank you to all of our customers both old and new, we appreciate your business!
See you in the New Year!

Lynnette, Donna, Vanessa and Claire x

Wednesday November 3rd, 2010

I have been planning on writing for the last few months but, like everyone, I don't know where the time goes...

It is that time of year when the thermals come back out and the darkness creeps in that little bit earlier.  The good thing is that it is "soup weather" and out comes the soup book once again.  Last night I made "beetroot hater's" soup.  Now, I don't hate beetroot but it isn't my favourite vegetable either.  In honesty, I eat it because I like the colour it leaves behind on your plate, bowl, counter, hands etc etc!  It isn't often you see that lovely cerise shade of pink in nature.

The autumnal weddings come to an end this weekend and then it is Christmas time and a few more Christmas themed weddings.  But we are also in the process of designing/planning lovely spring weddings.  It is such a varied and fulfilling job, this!  Always one or two seasons ahead...

The Christmas bits have mostly arrived and will be coming out on display over the next few weeks.  I have added a new page to the website to showcase some of our gift ideas.  The theme for us this year will be blue and white with a touch of lime and purple.  The purple is just because you can never have enough purple, right!
The big blowsy chrysanthemum blooms are just amazing at the moment and we are lucky enough to have English ones in yellow and bronze.  I also read in a magazine that carnations are making a come back.  Too right!  There are some fabulous colours available and they have a wonderful texture and a long life to boot!  Just don't buy them at a petrol station as they really aren't the same!

I am off to America to visit my family for the next few weeks.  Thanksgiving and all that.  Have a great November and I hope to see you in December...  (The shop will be open as normal:  Tuesday to Saturday.)

All the best,

Lynnette

Wednesday September 9th,  (or 8/9/10!!)

I had the pleasure of spending Sunday past in the NEC in Birmingham.  What a funny thing to do...  A three hour drive then wandering around vast halls spending loads of money and then climbing back in the car and returning south again.  Luckily my trustee driver/husband came with me and waited patiently as I sourced loads of new bits for the shop.  I can't remember now what I bought, but trust me, they are going to be good!!  Put your gift hats on now and start thinking about holidays!! Yikes, sorry about that.  I realise it is too soon, but I bought my Christmas bits in April, which is necessary but way to soon!

It feels like summer really has ended.  In my opinion it ended right after Gay Pride on the 7th of August.  Can anyone remember many sunny days after that?  We sponsered the Lewes County Council's civil partnership tent with a fabulous display of gloriosa lilies wound around a living willow arch.  I went down later in the day to see how it was looking and had loads of fabulous repsonses about it which was really satisfactory!

I have just found out that we have been shortlisted for the "Grow it Competition" for Brighton and Hove Food 's Harvest Partnership and the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival.  Over 30 businesses joined in with displays of different types of edible plants grown in a variety of spaces/containers.  The winner will be announced at the local Food Week Picnic at Preston Park on the 25th of September at 2pm.  Our entry consisted of an old chair covered in moss with a chili pepper growing out of the seat along with a selection of herbs in recycled olive and tomato tins as well as other recycled bits and pieces.  The photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/harvestbh/sets/72157623813810429/

We are in my favourite (or at least one of them) times of year just now:  Autumn!  Being that my favourite colour these past 10 years has been orange, this is the perfect time for me to indulge in all that the flower world has to offer in these wonderful orange/red/brown shades!  In my ideal world I would live in a fab 70's pad with orange swirled wall paper, tall ceramic lamps with amazingly weird lampshades in these wonderfull orange patterns and fuzzy textiles.  But, I don't and so will please myself with assembling wonderful textural displays with my seed heads, oak leaves, chinese lanterns and gourds, gourds, gourds. 

Happy Orangeness everyone!

Lynnette

Friday July 23rd,

Greetings from the sunny south coast!!  Sorry to anyone farther north being washed away by all of that rain!  I went camping with David in the Lake District and was washed away for seven days before returning home to get a bit of sunshine.  Did you know that it is wise to take socks when you go north?  I didn't and had cold feet for a week!!

It has been a busy few months so I had a mini holiday in between weddings.  We have had some beautiful weddings these past few months and they were all very different in their own ways.  Jo had organic flowers grown by Sue in Wales; a mixture of blue nigella, cornflowers and the most amazing wild gypsophilia that I have seen.  All of these arranged "naturally" and used in recycled blue vases/bottles that Jo has been collecting this last year.

We also decorated a marquee for Sammy in Bury which consisted of a mixture of modern (to match the dresses) with country (to fit the environment).  We used soft pink and white roses with blue hydrangeas, cornflowers, mint, gloriosa lilies, peonies and eucalyptus in metal buckets with a large church candle in the middle.  To fill the space we suspended two large balls of mixed roses and greenery from the ceiling which was very effective.

Another busy weekend involved a civil celebration at the Pavillion's King William room for Olivia and Louisa.  This entailed a jumbled mix of different sizes, colours and shaped containers found in car boots, charity shops and markets.  We filled these with a variety of colour, texture and scented flowers which were all later given as gifts to the guests.  We also decorated a stack of different cheeses with fruits, flowers and foliages.  What a pleasure to behold!

That is just the tip of the iceberg as to what we have achieved these last few weeks.  I have taken loads of photographs so please feel free to come in and take a look.  I will be putting these on the website but not for a few more weeks...

We will be decorating the marquee for Lewes County Council at Gay Pride this year on August 7th.  Please come along and take a look!
Enjoy the rest of your summer.  I know I will, you can probably find me floating in the sea!

All the best,

Lynnette

Thursday June 17th,

Yippee!  Summer is here and the sun is shining.  It is still a bit cold but how wonderful to have sunshine again!

We are in the fabulous time of year when British flowers are available and at their best.  We had glorious stocks from Chichester which are my absolute favourite but have now finished.  In their place we have cornflowers, snapdragons and sweet william.  From Lincolnshire we are getting the best peonies in 5 different colours with glorious inner petals and scents...

Today our friend Sue from Sweet Loving Flowers will be arriving from Wales with her glorious organic and outdoor grown flowers for Jo's wedding.  We will be surrounded by cornflowers, foxgloves, sweet peas, wild gypsophilia and a selection of other wild flowers.  We will be decorating the church in Ditchling and the Brighton and Hove golf club.  Jo has amassed a selection of blue vases, bottles and jars which we will fill with Sue's beautiful flowers.  It will be a wonderful sight to see...

Barbecue season is here so if you are looking for lovely decorative hanging tealights in a range of colours, look no further!  We have simple ones in orange, green and blue but as on next week the more ornate ones will return!  Or, there are always our lovely distressed hanging birds and bird houses...

Enjoy June!

Lynnette

Tuesday June 1st,

Greetings to you, right smack dab in the middle of wedding season!  Straight off of my holiday and we were up and running for the first wedding of the "season"!  It was Alex's wedding in the most wonderful venue that I have been to in a while!  Anyone looking for a relaxed country venue, (including a swimming pool!) I would look no further than Birling Manor in East Dean, Beachy Head.  A beautiful setting nestled in the downs and when we left, the hog roast was cooking right on schedule!!
Blue has definitely been a colour of choice this May, unfortunately the cornflowers are three weeks behind so last minute substitutions have been taking place, but everything is working out beautifully!  We also did a wonderful selection of colours for Jenna and Chris two weeks ago using pale pink, peach and orange.  I know that it sounds odd, but what a fabulous combination!  Peonies are in full bloom now and showing up all over the place also, they are a reason to get married in May!  We had loads of the big blowsy blooms mixed up with our favourite avalanche and sweet avalanche roses out at Newick Park on Saturday for Francesca.  Just a shame about the rain but the venue was amazing and every room had the most glorious purple wisteria draping down the outside of the windows, giving the most spectacular views...  Also, the beginnings of the truly amazing tall delphiniums were in abundance!  What a lovely job I have...

Planting your gardens yet?  We have locally sourced courgette, cucumber, aubergine and a variety of chilli plants at the moment along with the bedding, geranium and other gorgeous garden plants we have in stock.  Also, some unusual coloured phalenopsis orchids.  Let me know what you are looking for and as ever, will do my best to get it in for you...

Fingers crossed that summer is still yet to come!

Lynnette 

Friday April 23rd,

Well, it looks like Spring has sprung and it is truely glorious!  All of this sunshine does wonders for the soul, the garden and everything in between!

I managed to find a new supplier this last winter so now the shop is full of all new wonderful things, including candles that look like hyacinth bulbs, sedum plant tea lights, a large sedum plant in a terracotta pot and a set of seashells, but all candles!  Also three different hanging tealight holders in either purple, aqua blue or clear with ornate  dangling bits.  Very Ibiza inspired I have been told.  This is just the tip of the gift iceberg!  Please ring me/email me and I can give you more details if you are looking for the perfect gift, be it for a friend or to cheer yourself up with!

It is that time of year when I will be disappearing for two weeks to take my parents around another exciting part of Europe (Switzerland and Austria if you are interested!) so the shop will be closed for the next two Tuesdays and open as usual from Wednesday to Saturday.  Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Wedding season is just a short time away.  We still have a few Saturdays available in August so please get in contact with us if you are interested. 
Happy summer everyone.  Let us hope the sun keeps shining!

Lynnette

Thursday 11th of March

I don't mean to complain, but is Spring ever going to arrive?  Bring on the daffodils!

Well, the last big holiday for this time of year is nearly upon us, Mothering Sunday in just a few days.  We are ready to go here with loads of different potted plants in fabulous containers.  We have a lovely selection of red hydrangeas, small purple and white hydrangeas, double stemmed orchids and little mini phalenopsis orchids as well as a variety of primroses, hyacinths, ranunculus and daffodils.  Spring has sprung in our plant selection!

Daffodils are like gold dust at the moment.  I thought I had it cracked when I ordered my cut daffodils and narcissus flowers from Tregothnan in Cornwall.  But due to the cold weather there is a severe shortage of the much requested daffodils this year and it is getting hard to find any.  Tregothnan's supplier hasn't enough which means we will be looking again for the narcissus to make up our lovely spring bunches.  But, we have a variety of beautiful tulips, hyacinths, anenomes and daffodils to liven up your mum's house!  We also have our beautiful selection of mixed flowers with big beautiful roses, pink amaryllis, fabulous peach anthuriums and pink pineapples, to name just a few!  Please give me a ring and we can put something fabulous together for you!

We will be open on Mothering Sunday from 9 to 1.

I have found a fantastic new supplier who will be bringing us the most wonderful things in just a few weeks.  Once I figure out the new photography package for the computer I will post some new photos. 

We have a few dates left in August for weddings/events so please get in contact soon if you are looking for a wedding florist for this year.  We will be at Pelham House on the 28th of March if you want to stop by and see a wonderful wedding venue and have a free glass of bubbly.  Admission is free.

Have a great weekend.

Lynnette

Thursday 25th of February

Oh, how dreary this rain is!  That brief glimpse of sunshine yesterday was sorely needed!  Rain, rain go away...

Well, we are two weeks past Valentine's Day and two weeks away from Mother's Day!  We are planning on having lots of spring planted arrangements and spring bouquets ready for the big day.  A wonderful time of the year as we know that spring has nearly sprung!

The shop was painted over the weekend causing lots of chaos but it was well worth it in the end.  The smell of fresh paint, the glossiness of the newly painted work areas and the spring green on the back wall does wonders for my soul!  The soft green really sets off the sparkly glass vases and makes the room look that much brighter.

The first of the herbs from Italy have come in and are ready to be planted outside (when it stops raining!).  We also have a nice selection of different varieties and sizes of daffodils to cheer up your rooms!

Hope you are all staying dry and warm...

Lynnette

Thursday 4th of February

A very belated but still heart felt New Year to all who read this!  It has been a very busy couple of months since I last wrote to you.  I have travelled around America visiting family and celebrating Thanksgiving (which was spent on the Oregon coast eating fresh clam chowder!  Not a turkey in sight!) as well as a busy Christmas month and six weddings and a civil ceremony in a five week period.  Fabulous!

I will be posting new photographs from the weddings this last Autumn and Winter over the next few weeks.  We have done some really interesting and innovative designs including big blowsy arrangements all the way to simple jam jars with tulips and roses mixed around the amazing Hanbury Club in Kemp Town.  Another wonderful winter wedding took place in Pangdean Barns with a mixed selection of crystal vases with mixed white and lilac roses.  Sometimes simple is the most effective!

Staying on the wedding theme, it is getting pretty busy here with bookings for this coming year.  Please give me a ring and organize a time to come in and discuss your requirements.  We limit our spaces to ensure that you have our undivided attention on your special day, give us a ring and find out if we will be available to work with you and your wedding flower requirements.

We will be at the Pelham House wedding fair on the 28th of March from 12 to 4.  I really love this venue and the staff are pleasing and professional and a joy to work with.  Please let me know if there are any specific samples you might like made up for the day.

Kevin and Archie are living up north and enjoying the relaxing life style so far.  They are both missed in Richardson Road!

Valentine's Day is next Sunday!  I have decided to keep the amount of red roses to a minimum and instead would like to offer better value mixed bouquets and roses in pinks, whites, yellows and oranges.  We will also be doing a large amount of spring bunches with tulips, hyacinths, anenomes and other lovely spring flowers.  Red roses will be available but please place your order early to ensure the best quality roses.

Happy February!!

Lynnette, Vanessa and Donna

Wednesday 11th of November, 2009

Well it has been a long time since I wrote the blog!!  I never meant it to be that long, where has the time gone??

It has been a busy few months for me as I purchased the flower shop from Kevin towards the end of September and he and Archie returned to the north.  It has taken me a little while getting used to being on my own but I am managing to keep myself busy.  I am missing my after lunch cuddle with Archie the dog though!

We will be at Pelham House Wedding Fair in Lewes on Sunday November 22nd.  This is one of my favourite wedding venues and I think our flowers always work really well with this venue.  My husband's jazz trio will also be performing there throughout the day so listen out for him as well.  He may well turn up at your wedding as the flower delivery guy!

Christmas is just around the corner now, it feels like it with the change in the weather.  Had to put on my thermal socks and vest this week for the first time this autumn/fall.  I won't complain though because we have had the most fabulous weather these last few months.  We have had a new shipment of handmade vases in a variety of shapes and sizes as well as a huge shipment of containers, pots, picture frames and candlesticks.  I have also sourced a new supplier of pretty feminine purses, tealights, jars and picture frames.  Please contact me if you would like me to send you some photos.

I am off to America on Friday to celebrate Thanksgiving with various members of my family in various states ranging from North Dakota to Oregon.  The shop will be closed on Tuesday November 17 and Tuesday November 24th but we will remain open the rest of the time.  Please note that we are not open on Mondays anymore.

All the best to you!

Lynnette

Saturday July 25th, 2009

It is a lovely sunny day here in Hove and isn't it wonderful!!  We can definitely get used to this...

I had a few days off earlier this month and spent some time in sunny Barcelona and then returned to do a couple of weddings.  The first was a tropical theme with a stunning white phanenopsis orchid bouquet and the second wedding was a mixture of lovely summery white flowers.  That is the nice thing about my job, designing and making such an array of beautiful arrangements to suit everybody and every occasion!  I do love it!

We are into the school holiday season which means weddings will be going full swing in August.  I have some wonderful displays to look forward to and will post the photographs as quick as I can to give all of you new brides something to think about!

I hope you all enjoy your summer, where ever you are!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Friday July 3rd, 2009

My Goodness!  Can you believe July is already here?  That means wedding season 2009 is already in full swing and heating up for those of you tying the knot this summer...

These hot summer days means most of you are down on the beach, in the garden or enjoying the sunshine somewhere outdoors, right?  Flowers in the house are not a priority at the moment, but we have a lovely selection of summery plants and herbs for you to enjoy while being outdoors.  Give me a ring and ask what our selection of the week is.  At the moment we have a large variety of interesting perennials which will liven up your garden, borders or pots, year after year...

We are still available for wedding consultations this summer.  I will be away until July 17th, but can squeeze you in before I set off on Tuesday for Barcelona!  I am looking forward to seeing what the Spanish flower shops are like and maybe find us a few new suppliers to bring back to Hove.  Will keep you posted.

Happy Summer!

Lynnette

Friday June 12th, 2009

Goodness, how in the world has it become June already!!  Lots have happened since my last note so this is late due to being busy rather than being lazy!  We have had some really interesting weddings to prepare for these last weeks.  I will post some new photos for you to see what we have been up to.

Peonies are in season at the moment, there are English grown varieties at the moment that put the Dutch ones to shame.  We are also stocking Sussex grown flowers including sweet williams and stocks.  There are delphiniums arriving from Lincolnshire and our local foliage supplier is back after a short break.  Please don't hesitate in contacting us if you are interested in going British for your flower needs!

The vegetable season is slowing down as you should all have your crops in the earth by now.  The same with annual bedding plants, these should be thriving in their containers and garden beds waiting for that much longed for sunshine...  Will we have a nice summer?!?!

I had the good fortune to travel through northern Germany and Denmark a short time ago.  It was nice to visit other towns/cities/countries and learn how flowers and plants are used over there.  Hopefully I will be able to use some of these contacts I made to bring you a new selection of goods for the shop here.

Have a great June!!

Lynnette

Thursday April 23rd, 2009

Hi there.  Just a quick note to let you know that we will be taking part in the "Book and the Rose" festival this coming Sunday the 26th of April in Jubilee Square Brighton from 11 to 5, and it is free! 

This is a Brighton and Hove City Council sponsored event and including independent flower shops and book sellers.  We will have a large variety of roses displayed and for sale.  Look out for the ranunculus rose, and the fabulous multi-coloured Rainbow rose!!  We will also be able to tell you the meaning behind a rose's colour.  Or just come by and say hi!

Shakespeare died on St George's Day and we will be celebrating England's huge contribution to world literature with readings, events and stalls on a theme of the book and the rose. 

In some of the other cities where St George is celebrated it is considered good luck to exchange a book and a rose with loved ones on this day and so we invite you to Jubilee Square to do just that.

Come along and enjoy free readings, live music, children's activities and entertainment in and around the square including previews of Brighton Festival and Festival Fringe events, live English folk music, readings and storytelling.  Bring along your old books and donate them to Oxfam.

Brighton and Hove Children's Festival will fill Jubilee Street with child-friendly windmills, workshops and performances to celebrate this significant day.

Hopefully I will see some of you on Sunday!

Lynnette

Saturday April 4th, 2009

Well, April showers bring May flowers, right?  Let's hope so anyway as we don't want rain any more than necessary!!

We have Mothers Day under our belt and are now full steam ahead with helping you plan your special wedding and event for the coming year.  Please ring us and book your consultation and we will help you make your dreams come true.  Please note that Lynnette will be away between May 2nd and the 20th. 

We have started selling a new selection of vegetables and herbs that are locally grown here in Sussex and are pesticide free.  There are over 200 varieties for us to choose from so please let me know if there are any specific items that you are looking for.  Some selections are already in and ready to be planted outside straight away as they are grown outdoors here in Sussex. 

Summer bedding plants have also begun to arrive, ready for planting out, when the weather will allow that is!!

We will have a bouquet featured in the next edition of Wedding Flower Magazine, please keep an eye out for it and we will give you more details when we can.

Happy Easter!!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Wednesday March 4th, 2009

Happy March to you.  It looks like the old saying, "March is in like a lion and out like a lamb" might actually hold true, especially after that wind last night!! 

Well, Valentine's Day is over and not long now until Mothering Sunday on the 22nd of March.  We are looking forward to all of the lovely spring flowers and plants that will be coming in for this special day.  If you have any special requests just let me know so that I can order them in.

We are going to be showing at Pelham House's wedding fair on the 15th of March.  If you are near Lewes please stop in and say hi.  We are happy to make up anything special for you to see on the day.

Weddings are coming in thick and fast, please don't hesitate in contacting us if you would like to book a consultation.  It would be lovely working with you and helping to make your special day even more special!

Happy spring to you,

Lynnette

Monday January 26th, 2009

Our flowers are on the cover of Your Sussex Wedding magazine this month, along with Laura and Ollie who were married in Brighton last summer.  Also, inside the magazine in the flower feature, we have several other photographs of our work.

I also would like to let you know that we will be showing at a wedding fair in Pelham House, Lewes on Sunday the 15th of March.  It is a wonderful venue that we always enjoy working in as it shows off our designs beautifully!  Both vintage and modern, how wonderful...

If you would like us to make up some samples for you to see on the day, please don't hesitate in contacting us.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Lynnette

Monday January 19th, 2009

Hello again, I hope you all had a happy festive season.  It was a bit of a whirl wind for me as I was only just recovering from my jet lag to be thrown back into wedding consultations and the run up to Christmas!  We were all festive in purple here which was fantastic as it is my favourite colour!  But now normality returns...

Please don't hesitate in getting a hold of us if you are interested in a consultation for wedding flowers, our diary is filling up quite quickly.  We have advertisements in Your Sussex Wedding Magazine with a feature on some of our recent wedding work.  We also have two small features in both Absolute Brighton and Latest Homes wedding edition magazines which are due out very soon.  We may also be doing a wedding fair at one of our favourite venues, Pelham House in Lewes.  Will keep you posted about that.

We have some very beautiful white phalenopsis orchid plants in stock at the moment, very large heads, and truly stunning to look at.  These are £15 per plant and we have a variety of decorative pots that they can be put into for a nice gift, for yourself or a friend!  We also have a large variety of spring bulbs that are from our local Sussex plant supplier, including muscari, snow drops, daffodiils, tulips and loads of single or triple pots of hyacinths in a mixture of colours.  Nothing like a touch of spring inside on these wet winter days. 

I went to a trade fair over the weekend and have found a new supplier of hand blown clear glass vases, extra heavy and in a variety of shapes and sizes.  I will post some photos on the website once I have them in stock, nicely polished and on display.  I have a real thing for beautiful clear glass, and I can't wait to get my hands on it!  There are quite a few one offs which would make fantastic presents either with or with out the flowers!

Wishing you a warm January!! 

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

P.S.
I will post some information about Valentine's flowers as soon as we have it.  Yikes, it's not so far away!

Thursday October 16th, 2008

Well, here we are, mid October and in the middle of my favourite season, Fall to some of you, Autumn to the rest of you!  I love to see the leaves changing and falling, the smell in the air, and the glorious sunshine that always seems to come at this time of year!  Our autumnal brides have had a better time with the weather this year than those in the middle of summer.

We have a lovely selection of autumnal goodies in the shop at the moment; crab apples on their natural stem, corn on the cob on it's natural stalk, windfall organic apples from my own tree, Sussex grown pumpkins, squash and gourds.  And the flowers!  Lovely oranges, reds and browns with twigs, rosehips and berries!  I could go on and on!

Our wedding season is finally slowing down, we have two weddings left on November 1st and then I am taking a holiday!  We have had 57 weddings this season and I need a chance to wind down before the Christmas rush!  I will be visiting my family and friends in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado and then out to Oregon to stay in a yurt on the coast with my other sister!  It will be busy but lovely, and hopefully I will get lots more inspiration for all of our up and coming weddings!

If you would like to arrange a wedding consultation with myself, then I will be available until the 3rd of November and then back again on the 5th of December.  If you would like a consultation before that, please ring or email the shop and Kevin will be happy to meet with you.

We will be at the Brighton Metropole Wedding Fair on Sunday October 26th from 10:30 am.  We are working on a nice selection of bouquets, table decorations and other ideas for you to come and look at.  We are also putting together our new portfolio of photos from our weddings this summer.  I look forward to seeing you all there!

Happy Autumn!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Wednesday September 3rd, 2008

Hello again, Happy September to you all.  I hope some of you have managed to have a sunny summer, here in Brighton we are struggling to remain positive amongst the clouds and rain.  It has been over a month since I have had a dip in the sea!

We are still keeping busy, still taking on more weddings for this summer.  And we have just bought all of our Christmas decorations!  We have decided to go for purples, reds and golds this year.  Bear this in mind if you fancy a few new sparkly decorations!

We have a mention on the ethical weddings website, posted there by Ria, one of our June brides.  She had an ethical wedding and we used only local and British flowers, some of them were grown in Wales and brought to us in time for the wedding.  Have a read through the article, it may help you with some ideas to reduce the carbon footprint.  http://www.ethicalweddings.com/real-ethical-weddings/article/ria-dave/

Please note that we will be at the Wedding Fayre at the Brighton Metropole Hotel on Sunday October 26th.  We will have updated portfolios, photos on the computer and a selection of different bouquets and table decorations.  If you have any special requests to see something you are interested in, please contact me and we will try our best to have it there for you.

Have a great day!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Friday August 15th, 2008

Greetings again.  Well, the sun is shining at the moment so I thought I would write some sunny thoughts for you!  (Cheesy, I know!)

We have added a new page onto our website in order to let you express yourselves!  We have had some wonderful comments from our clients and thought that you might like to share them with us.  If you have something to say, then please send us your thoughts in writing or via email and we will post them on the website for you.

Did any of you happen to see the feature that we had in Absolute Brighton's wedding issue?  We used our wired phalenopsis orchid bouquet in the "Celebrity" wedding feature and then had a few lines about how we helped our brides design their bespoke wedding bouquet.

I look forward to receiving your comments.

Lynnette
viva verde

Tuesday August 5th, 2008

Hello again!  Summer is flying past us here with a few touches of sunshine now and again.  Hopefully everyone out there is enjoying summer and whatever it entails.  Kevin and I are both having staycations this year, I was lucky enough to go camping on the hottest weekend this summer and Kevin has just spent two lovely days in Glasgow! 

Well, we are well and truly in the middle of wedding season and planning ahead for our Wedding Fayre in October of this year.  We will have new ideas and new photos in our portfolios to show you at the Metropole on October 26th, 2008.  But before that, I need to celebrate my 40th birthday!!  Yikes!

We have a small feature in Absolute Brighton's Wedding issue this month, so check that out if you can and also keep looking for our new photos on the website.  I am doing that as often as I can.  I can always send you out some photos on your email if you are looking for something in particular.

We have been scaling down our plant selection this summer due to bad weather but we are happy to fulfil what ever your requirements might be.  Just ask!

Happy August!
Lynnette

Tuesday July 15th, 2008

Hello there, I hope you are all enjoying your summer and able to appreciate those brief moments of warmth and sunshine.  As long as the weekends stay dry for the brides, I don't mind.

We are busy and in full swing with the wedding season at the moment.  Still making room for the last minute brides and squeezing them in where ever possible.  Mind you, I have even made up bouquets for the bride on the way to her wedding, so last minute is not a problem here!

With the weather being so unpredictable, we are keeping our outdoor selection of plants a bit low this year but nicely varied.  We still have a lovely selection of indoor plants at the moment, including orchids, anthuriums, gardenias, curcumas and hibiscus plants.  We also have a great variety of pots in different sizes, shapes and colours.

I am posting some photos of recent weddings here and it includes our second wedding this year using only British flowers and foliages.  We were lucky enough to work with Ria and help make her wedding a wonderful day.  We worked with Sue from Sweet Loving Flowers in Wales where she grows a selection of beautiful seasonal flowers in her fields there and then she drove them to Hove for us!  We had cornflowers, nigella, foxgloves and ammi majis from her; stocks, sunflowers and snapdragons from Sussex and then ivy from Windsor, and a bit from my own garden to boot!  The reception was held in three connected teepees with ivy wound up the poles and flowers everywhere.  A truly magical experience!  If you are looking for an unusual venue, then we highly recommend Joe and his tents which can be found on beautiful world tents, listed in our contact areas.

Happy July to you all!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Friday June 6th, 2008

Happy summer to everybody, fingers crossed that the sunshine decides to stay and give the June brides warmth for their happy days!  (Was that a bit cheesy?  Sorry...)

We have a gorgeous selection of plants at the moment, a little bit of everything for indoors and outdoors.  A range of bedding plants, bouganvillea, hydrangeas in blue, white, lace cap and climbing, white pot roses, olive trees and a selection of vegetables and herbs.  We have a new organic supplier named Joe who grows (locally!) a selection of courgettes, cucumber, beans and a huge selection of chilli plants and basil.  We have cinnamon basil, who ever heard of cinnamon basil before?   We also have beautiful, summery hanging baskets, these can be made to order in your specific colours.

We have a fantastic new selection of ceramic containers in all sizes and colours, ranging from cream to turquoise, plain or embellished with ceramic flowers, tea lights, hanging tea lights, large bowls for floating flower heads, and sea shell vases and decorations.  Please keep your eye out for the photos I will be posting.
We will be making up a large variety of wedding flowers over the summer, no two brides will be the same which is more interesting for us!  It will keep us inspired and hopefully inspire some of you when it comes to selecting what you need for your big day.  We will be at the wedding fair at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on October 26th of this year, put it in your diary and make sure you come and see us.

We are doing our second "all english, all local flowers and foliages" wedding next week.  This is an exciting opportunity for us to put together all of the decorations and bouquets using local English suppliers, and hopefully will encourage others to think about supporting English growers and independent suppliers.  I will post the photos after the event, please let us know what you think.

Happy summer!  Happy gardening!

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Monday the 28th of April, 2008

First of all, serious apologies for taking so long in writing to you all!  Yikes!  The wedding season is creeping up on us and we are kept on our toes at the moment trying to squeeze everyone in for a consultation before Summer comes along!

Well, my favourite time of year, ~Spring~, and all of its lovely flowers shall be coming to an end soon, so it will be goodbye tulips and hello Summer with all of its glorious flowers!  We have just started with our bedding plants and trays of herbs and other delicious nutritional plants.  Our organic plant man will be arriving this Friday with all different sorts of things for your kitchen garden or kitchen containers!  Nothing beats homegrown organic beans, leeks, tomatoes etc!  If you have any preferences for certain items than please ring and we can order them in for you.

We had a lovely big delivery of new pots and containers just last Friday.  A large selection of bowls and tall vases in a gorgeous shade of turquoise are just some of the items.  I will post a photo of them this week to tempt you all into the shop!

Kind regards,

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Monday the 25th of February, 2008

Greetings to everyone, hopefully you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we are experiencing here on the south coast.  Although I do realise that the weather is not so good in other parts of the world.  According to my parents it is minus 35 Farenheit in North Dakota and no signs of spring just yet!

Valentine's Day has passed us by and so now we are gearing up for the next big holiday which is Mothering Sunday on the second of March.  In other words, six days from today!!  We have some beautiful plants, containers and flowers ready for the big day, just give us a ring and we can talk you through the selection.  I find that gorgeous bunches of spring flowers are always popular for Mums, and we are more than able to fulfill whatever your requirements may be.

Our flower window display is based around Kevin's mum's wedding china tea set; we have created a mossy little flower bed for the cups to stand on and floated a few pink flowers in the milk jug.  This is our inspiration for our mother's day special of a pretty bone china cup and saucer with a small flower arrangement inside or a funky coffee mug with a matching flower arrangement.  The cup and saucers will be sold for £12 and the coffee mugs for £10, the perfect gift for your special someone.

We provided flowers for Helen and Jonathan Day's wedding at the Lansdowne Place hotel on Friday the 15th of February.  I have put a few photos of their big day on the blog site for you to be inspired by.  We are still taking bookings for weddings this summer, just give us a ring and we can let you know if your big date is still available.

Have a great week,

Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Thursday 31st of January, 2008

Well, here we go, the last day of January and exactly two weeks until Valentine's Day!   The roses that we will be providing are truly beautiful!  We have decided to supply a Supreme rose and a Premium rose to suit every person's budget.   The supreme rose is an extra long stem grand prix rose which is the best rose available here in the UK, and also the tallest!  With roses, the longer the stem, the bigger the flower head, which means that this metre high rose has a flower head the size of a saucer when fully open.  We will be selling these beauties for £65 a dozen and this will include luxury gift wrapping; they are also available in a half dozen for £35.  Our premium rose will also be a grand prix, just a shorter variety coming in at 60 cm.  This will also come with luxury gift wrapping and will cost £46.50 for a dozen or £25 for a half dozen.  You will have the option to have foliage included for an extra £5.  All of the above will be supplied as bouquets, hand tieds will be available at different prices.  Please contact us to find out more or better yet, to place your order!

We have had a new delivery of pots, picture frames and containers.  I have put a few photographs here for you to get a feel for the new range.  There are quite a few different black and white varieties in different shapes and sizes as well as some beautiful turquoise containers.  Filled with spring bulbs, there is something for everyone's budget.

I will post some photos of the roses when we get them in.

Kind regards,
Lynnette, Kevin and Archie

Thursday 10 January 2008

Happy New Year! Well Christmas has come and gone and we managed to survive it! We had a good Christmas here at the shop, where we had gifts for all tastes and budgets and of course... some great flowers and plants.

This yucky weather turns thoughts to Spring and yes I know it's a bit of a way off, but you've got to have something to keep you going... right? But before that, we have two very important events in the florist's calendar... Valentine's Day and just a couple of weeks later Mother's Day. So close together! Blimey we won't have much time to think. So come on gentlemen, don't forget your lady, or gentleman for that matter this Valentine's and order some beautiful flowers from us.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks, and we should have some piccies and prices for you to peruse.

Keep warm
Kevin and the team

Monday 10/12/07

Happy December every one!!  It is that time of year again and it seems to creep up on us faster every year I think!  Remember those days when Christmas and Birthdays seemed to never come fast enough....

We have arrived at the Holidays slowly and elegantly this year by keeping the window decorations to just beautiful silver and black on one side and a creative flower arrangemnent on the other side.  We have also started making our door garlands, no two are ever the same so they are truly Bespoke!  Just let us know what your style is and we will be happy to make something suitable.  There are a few photos on here for you to look at.

Please pre-order your Christmas flower needs as soon as possible to guarantee that we will have exactly what you require for your festivities.  There is a huge selection of plants arriving from Holland on Wednesday and also we will be using our local nurseries for a variety of seasonal plants through out the next few weeks.  Our Christmas twigs and berries are also arriving and we will be having new deliveries of flowers almost every day for the run up to the Holidays.

If you have a specific container that you would like an arrangement in, then please just bring it in with you and we can make something up in it for you!

We will be open every day now in the run up to the 25th of December, including Sundays and Christmas Eve.  We will also be open on the Friday and Saturday before (and including!) Christmas Eve.

Saturday 24/11/07

Hi there.  It is a frosty morning here in Hove but at least the sun is shining!  The cold weather is good for us as it keeps the beautiful hyacinths fresh for all of you to take home and enjoy!  We have a selection of single stem hyacinths in either blue or white or a pot of threes in pink or blue for you to choose from.

Other additions to our plant selection are amaryllis plants, a double bulb in white, colourful cinerarias, small azaleas andgorgeous purpe campanulas.  We also have two pineapple plants for those who have a warm conservatory.  The first of the cymbidium orchids have also arrived; they each have three flower spikes and are in cream or green.

Our Christmas decorations are finally here and are going fast!  We have a beautiful range of black and silver ornaments that are very elegant and would be suitable for decorations all year round.  There are some photos on this page or please ring and we can discuss in detail what you require.

We are gearing up with orders for handmade door garlands in colours of your choosing.  We will be using locally grown foliages where ever possible.  Also let us know if there are any specific Christmas requirements to help you make your season even more festive!

Have a great week!

Lynnette

Thursday 08/11/07

We had a very busy and successful Sunday at the Brighton Metropole Wedding fair, thank you to everyone who came by to say hello and have a look at some of our designs!  I have put some photos on this page but will also have copies in our portfolio in case there is something specific you would like to discuss about one of the arrangements.  We met a variety of both brides and grooms and hopefully we were able to give inspiration for your big day, or even just for a vase of something pretty and unusual for the house.

The first of the winter flowering bulbs are arriving tomorrow, with pots of white and pink hyacinths.  We have daffodil bulbs for sale and are hoping to get some tete a tete plants from our supplier when possible.  Both Kevin and I are big fans of the winter flowering bulbs so will have a nice selection as soon as we can!

We have been selected as Brighton and Hove's Masterflorist for the area.  You should be seeing more information about this in the local and national press.  I will be able to tell you a bit more about it next week, just thought I would give you a quick heads up.

Have a great week! 

Lynnette

Friday 26/10/07

The cold weather has finally found has!  We had to bring out the thermal socks for the first time this week!

We have a fabulous new display unit that we are very excited about filling with loads of interesting things in the run up to Christmas.  It is a lovely old wooden hand cart that is now full of pumpkins, gourds and orange chilli pepper plants.  Kevin found it in an antiques market and knew straight away that it would be perfect parked outside the shop, and he was right!  Take a look and let us know if you agree.

We have just had our first supply of three stemmed cymbidium orchids, in red, green or white.  They have lovely green foliage and will go into our window display later on today.  I can email you photos if you would like to see them up close, just let me know.

We also have a selection of red or pink anthurium plants, you know the ones... they look like plastic and have a funny bit sticking out?!?  I will post some photos shortly when I have found a space to display them.

Wednesday 17/10/07

Autumn has definitely arrived in viva verde this week!  The flower stand is packed full of beautiful autumnal colour flowers and foliages, including corn on the cob!  It is fresh corn left on a long stalk and would look beautiful in a vase on its own or in a harvest festival type bunch of flowers.  We also have pumpkins and gourds which would look great clustered around or even in your vase.  Instant display!   I have to admit that this is a favourite time of year because of all the oranges, reds and browns now coming into their natural season.  Add to that all of the lovely leaves falling around us,  and boy, we are inspired!

We have a large selection of cyclamens this week in all different colours and sizes.  The mini cyclamens are hardy enough for outside but can be placed in the house for a while to enjoy their beautiful flowers.  We have mini, medium and large cyclamens in all shades of white, pink and red with plain or varigated leaves.  The small are £1.95, medium are £3 and the large are priced at £5.50.  We have a variety of suitable containers to make it a special gift.  Please ring the shop and we can discuss this in more detail.

Are you a keen recycler?  We have in stock recycled newspaper bags from India.  The newspapers are collected from the streets and then made into little carrier bags that support street children in India.   Each bag is completely different to the others and some even have finished crossword puzzles!   It makes a gift even more special and unusual.  Bags cost 50 pence each.

Wednesday 10/10/07

We had a busy time last week, preparing for our very first wedding fair held at Plumpton Race Course.  It was a last minute decision to be involved but we think it was successful!  I guess you could say it was a good practice run for our next wedding fair which will be at the Brighton Metropole Hotel on the fourth of November, 2007.  Thank you to all who came along and had a chance to see our arrangements and have a chat.  We were also able to meet other wedding suppliers which we feel offer the same ethos as ourselves and so have placed them on our links page.  Archie, the welsh terrier, joined us at the wedding fair, but chose to nap in the van for the afternoon with the chance of a few country walks thrown in!

Attatched are some of the photos of our arrangements on Sunday.  Please let us know if you have any comments or questions about these arrangements, they are all available in different sizes and colours.

We have just had a new supply of phalenopsis orchids arrive on Friday, they are all two stemmed plants in a variety of colours, mostly in shades of pink with small varieties as well as the usual larger orchid flowers.  Autumnal plants are also arriving weekly, we have just had our first selection of azaleas to go along with our indoor and outdoor cyclamens, solanum, sedum and ornamental brassicas.  (That is cabbages to some of you!)

Our other new exciting arrival last week was the addition of Emily Burningham's beautiful cards and matching gift wrapping paper.  We think she is a talented London artist and are very happy to have her items in the shop.