When it comes to floral elegance, few flowers can rival the timeless beauty and versatility of the chrysanthemum.

Commonly known as "mums," these flowers have captured the hearts of florists, gardeners, and flower enthusiasts around the world for centuries.

With their rich history, diverse varieties, and symbolic significance, chrysanthemums are more than just a pretty bloom—they are a floral wonder worth exploring.

A Glimpse into Chrysanthemum History

Chrysanthemums have a storied history that dates back over 2,000 years, originating in China.

They were so revered that they were used as the imperial seal in the Chinese throne room.

These flowers later found their way to Japan, where they became the national symbol and the focus of the annual Festival of Happiness.

Chrysanthemums made their way to the Western world in the 17th century, captivating European and American gardeners with their unique charm.

Varieties of Chrysanthemums

One of the most remarkable features of chrysanthemums is their incredible diversity. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colours, making them suitable for almost any occasion or aesthetic.

Some popular chrysanthemum types include:

1. Decorative Mums: Known for their lush, intricate petals, decorative mums are often seen in autumn floral arrangements. They come in a range of colours, including white, yellow, and deep red.

2. Button Mums: These petite mums feature small, button-like blooms that are perfect for adding delicate accents to bouquets or boutonnieres.

3. Spider Mums: With long, spindly petals that resemble spider legs, these mums add a touch of whimsy to any arrangement. They come in a variety of colours, including shades of pink, lavender, and bronze.

4. Cushion Mums: Compact and round, cushion mums are often used in mass planting or as focal points in floral designs. They come in an array of vibrant colours.

5. Pompon Mums: These mums have tightly packed, spherical blooms that resemble pom-poms. They're adored for their charming, symmetrical appearance.

6. Anemone Mums: Featuring a unique centre disk surrounded by contrasting petals, anemone mums are both striking and elegant. They are commonly seen in bridal bouquets.

Symbolism of Chrysanthemums

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, chrysanthemums hold deep symbolism in various cultures.

In Japan, they are associated with the imperial family and symbolise long life and happiness.

In many other countries, they represent love, friendship, and well-wishing. In some cultures, chrysanthemums are even thought to bring good luck and ward off negative energy.

Chrysanthemums in Floral Design

Chrysanthemums' versatility makes them a favourite choice for floral designers.

They can be incorporated into various arrangements, from simple hand-tied bouquets to elaborate centrepieces.

Whether you're planning a wedding, decorating your home, or looking for the perfect gift, chrysanthemums are a reliable and beautiful choice.

Caring for Chrysanthemums

To enjoy the beauty of chrysanthemums at their fullest, it's essential to know how to care for them. Here are some tips:

• Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water at the base of the plant to prevent wetting the leaves, which can lead to fungal issues.

• Sunlight: Chrysanthemums thrive in full sun, so ensure they receive at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.

• Pruning: Pinch back the tips of young chrysanthemum plants in the spring to encourage bushy growth and more flowers.

• Fertilisation: Apply a balanced, all-purpose fertiliser during the growing season to promote healthy growth and abundant blooms.

In conclusion Chrysanthemums are more than just a flower; they are a testament to nature's artistry and cultural significance.

With their fascinating history, numerous varieties, and symbolic meanings, chrysanthemums continue to be a beloved addition to gardens, floral arrangements, and celebrations worldwide.

Embrace the elegance and charm of chrysanthemums, and let their beauty enhance your life and surroundings.

Finally are here!

After many request from September we will start to host a range of different workshops at The Rutland Garden Village in Oakham and at few other venue within the Rutland, Leicestrshire area.

Create with your hands

There’s something wonderful about working with your hands. 

Floristry has a calming, restorative effect. We call it flower therapy. 

Our workshops are designed to inspire. You’ll leave full of confidence and an urge to create. For friends, for teams, for flower lovers flying solo. 

Beginners or seasoned snippers.  The experience is relaxed, fun and filled with flowers.

The workshops

We are passionate about using British flowers and we will sharing our world of sustainable floristry.

You can learn how to arrange flowers for your home or create the essential bridal flower bouquets and accessories that you will need for your wedding.

Our one day Introduction to Floristry workshop will give you a taster as to what it's like working as a florist, or if you want to take the plunge join us for our Career Course, an intensive three day workshop where we cover all you need to start your flowery journey.

Light refreshments and all the flowers and materials you will need are provided in all of our workshops. 

Workshops list

This is a list of the workshops that we are planning to run:

FRESH FLOWERS

• Hand Tied Bouquet 
• Low vase floral arrangement (without the terrible flower foam)
• Introduction to floristry
• DIY Bride
• Autumn Wreath 
• Flower Crown
• Seasonal Flowers For The Table
• Christmas Wreath Workshop
• Afternoon Tea/Prosecco + Hand Tied Bouquet Workshop
• Christmas Table Arrangement
• Festive Tablescape 

DRIED FLOWERS

• Dried Flowers Wreath
• Dried Flowers Arrangement
• Dried Flowers Terrarium
• Dried Flowers Crown
• Dried Flowers Hand Tied Bouquet
• Dried Flowers Terrarium

PLANT

• Terrarium
• Macrame

British Flowers Week is back!

This campaign run by New Covent Garden Market in London, is returning for it ninth year between Monday 14th and Sunday 20th June 2021.

The week long festivities will celebrate the beauty and variety of British cut flowers, foliage and plants, as well as the florists, growers and wholesalers who make it all possible.

Would you like to get involved?

British Flowers Week Windows

To get involved this year The British Flowers Association encouraging businesses and the public to decorate their windows with British flowers in their home or places of work; preferably where passers-by can enjoy them from 14th to 20th June.

Whether it’s with a single stem, a bouquet made from garden flowers or a spectacular display, a decorated window with show support for the British flower industry this June.

To get involved create a British Flowers Week window with British flowers, foliage or plants, from the garden, a local grower, florist or wholesaler.

Once you’ve created your design take a picture of your British Flowers Week window, share it on social media using #BritishFlowersWeek and tag @MarketFlowers to show support for British businesses and go in the draw to win fantastic prizes.

The Hiden Collective and British Flowers

We love Ethical British Flowers!

Our supply chain is very simple, trackable and energy efficient.

We order flowers either directly from the grower or from a British flowers wholesaler and in that way the grower will only cut the flowers that are preordered.

We also buy only what we can sell and if we have any spare blooms, we donate and brighten the life of the residents of an elderly home close to our studio.

This process allows us to deliver the flowers to your doorstep in the minimum possible time and for you to enjoy the flowers at their freshest.

Our flowers never sit around in a  very high energy consuming warehouse fridge like in many cases when you purchase imported flowers.

The classic supply chain can keep flowers in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks with the relevant energy use.

Talking about waste… the classic supply chain will waste approximately  1 in 3 stems, and if you scale this up  on a yearly basis you are  talking  about millions of blooms, wasted land, labour, resources and fuel.

We only use seasonal flowers and so we can’t source hundreds of varieties of flowers.

Each season has its own bloom star and we can guarantee that they are looking stunning as ever, like the scented garden rose between early May and late autumn.

We are experiencing an Ethical British Flowers revolutions with lots of new flower growers  opening every month across England.

After many years of decline, the British Floral Industry is starting to truly starting to bloom again and we love being a part of it!

The more the independent flower growing movement thrives within the UK, the more accessible home-grown seasonal flowers will become and the less we rely so heavily on importing. 

Shifting to locally grown blooms to decorate our houses, work spaces and weddings has the potential to lower the carbon footprint of the industry and give us better control over the working conditions in the fields where our flowers are grown.

Peony is the flower queen on Instagram, the hashtag #peonies has been used 2.8 million times.

They're also a limited edition flower, growing and blooming in a very short space of time each year, which makes them all the more special.

We love how Peonies can go from tight, spherical shaped buds to lush, fluffy flowers that don't need support from any other blooms to look good in a bouquet.

They're the Cinderella of the flower world going from drab to fab but they don't lose their fanciness at midnight.

Want to know more about these stunning flowers?

We've rounded up few fact about peonies:

The name Peony

The word Peony is derived from the Greek word Paeon.

Paeon was the physician of the Greek gods, under the apprenticeship of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine.

During their lessons, Ascelpius became enraged and highly jealous of Paeon’s talents.

In order to save Paeon from his mentor’s envious wrath, Zeus transformed Paeon into a Peony flower.

Peonies in history

Peonies are native to Europe, Asia and Western North America.

Early in Chinese history, the peony was considered the national flower (it is now officially the plum blossom).

Members of the Tang Dynasty of China began breeding peonies in the imperial courts in the 7th century BCE.

Their popularity spread to Japan in the early 11th century and to France and England in the 18th century.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, peonies began taking off in popularity in the U.S. as well and became Indiana state flowers. 

Peonies Herbal Remedies

Peonies have been used for herbal remedies across Asia and Europe for thousands of years.

In fact, the roots and seeds of peonies have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat headaches, asthma, convulsions, liver disease, and several more ailments.

Peonies Flowers Meaning

Brides love Peony for their beauty and fragrances and also for their symbolism.

Peonies represent romance and love, and are considered a good omen for a happy marriage.

Peonies are also the traditional flower for 12th wedding anniversaries.

Interestingly, the flowers represented shame and shyness during in the Victorian Era.

In China and Japan, peonies stand for strong and positive virtues such as bravery, honor, respect, nobility, good fortune, and prosperity.

Peonies flowers are edible

In China, the petals are parboiled and sweetened for use as a tea-time delicacy, in summer salads, or as garnish for punches and lemonades.

Peonies Tattoo

The peony for many centuries has been one of the most popular floral symbols used in tattoos.

For instance, in Japanese and Chinese body art you’ll often find an interplay between powerful animals and mythical beasts (such as lions and dragons) with delicate floral components.

The peony is one of the most popular floral symbols representing the intersection between power and delicate beauty.

Peony flowers open up to three times their original size

Cut Peonies when arrive to a florist are tight, golf ball sized buds but these quickly unfurl to reveal the gorge puffy blooms you know and love.

Each petal loosens up so the flower can open up in all its glory.

Spring is in full swing, the clocks have bounced forward, the house windows are more often open, you are starting to leaving jumpers in the drawer, you can feel the rays of the sun on our faces and the nights are lighter and it's beginning to feel as though summer is just around the corner.

Spring flowers start slowly and then in late spring there is an explosion of stunning flowers in bloom, and they have a big positive impact on our moods. 

Like most growing living things, British grown flowers are affected by the seasons, the weather, and other regional natural changes. 

As a result some of the flowers listed in this early Spring flowers seasonal guides may not be available at a certain time.

Would you like to know more about  British flowers?

Are you curious to see the difference between emissions of CO2 between British flowers and Dutch flowers?

Have a look at our BEST BLOOMS - BRITISH BLOOMS  blog post and I can promise you that after that you realise how much more CO2 has been produced by the imported flowers you will always want to source British Flowers.