- Feed the butterflies & moths

Many butterflies and moths in autumn they need to feed to build up a reserve for the winter.

This is why you may see many of them when the weather is mild and sunny.

They will feed on fallen fruit such as berries and apples, so don’t clear up all your windfalls just yet.

If you don't have any fallen fruit, put out some of your own, mushy bananas and soft mangos are favourites. If the fruit is fermenting you might even witness a tipsy butterfly!

- Leave untidy areas

Let some areas of you outdoor garden grow wild...less work for you and lots of great helps for butterflies and moths.

Brambles, dandelions, long grass and leaf litter may look as weeds for you but this are crucial for our butterfly and moth friends.

Some butterflies spend winter in a kind of hibernation amongst the leaf litter, while lots of moths spend the winter as pupae, all tucked up in their cocoons.

They do this in the top layer of garden soil or in piles of leaves and plant debris on the ground – what better excuse to save your back and do a little less gardening?

The caterpillars generally hatch after around two weeks and then eat almost constantly until they’re ready to pupate, shedding their skin a few times along the way to accommodate their extra bulk.

Importance of Ivy

Ivy flowers late in the year when other nectar sources are unavailable and is a great source of food for autumnal moths.

- Benefits of Buddleia

Buddleia is a great nectar source for garden butterflies during the summer but they can be encouraged to flower well into October in mild years.

Deadhead to prolong flowering period and then cut back to prevent the seeds spreading ( Buddleia can be invasive)

- Build a bug hotel

Build a unique bug hotel and create a perfect shelter for your garden wildlife.

You don't need a lots, you can use all your garden waste, like sticks, branches and leaves to create the perfect hideout for anything from ladybirds, hedgehogs, woodlice, toads, bumblebees and butterflies.

- Plant bulbs for pollinators

Now is the time to plant bulbs to provide spring colour and a valuable nectar and pollen source for pollinators emerging from their winter hibernation.

Plants such as Snowdrops. Crocuses and English bluebells are all excellent choices and favourites among the first spring butterflies.

- Let the nettles be

Nettles don’t need to be trimmed in the autumn as they will die back over the winter and there may still be some caterpillar activity.

Stinging nettles are vital to some of our most well-known butterflies.

Melton Flowers & Plants Delivery

Every single day we visit Melton Mowbray to deliver some of our beautiful gifts.

We are just 10 minutes away and the road from our studio is just a single lane with beautiful rolling hills and fields dotted with cows and sheep.

Not a bad journey at all!

Melton Mowbray is the quintessential English rural town, with its buzzing livestock market and unique buildings  including an almshouse.

Melton Mowbray is usually referred  just as Melton by locals and is in the county of Leicestershire, England.

Two traditional delicacies with European Protected Designation of Origin come from Melton Mowbray and its environs.

One is the Melton Mowbray pork pie and the other one is Stilton, a wonderful blue cheese produced since the 18th century.

Melton is also recognised as the "Rural Capital of Food" and normally hosts many food festivals during the year.

Ethical British Autumn Flowers

The colour and flowers of Autumn are truly magical and we love them!

The leaves are starting to change & the golden light make their colours stunning, the days become shorter and we all getting ready for the change of season. Winter walks followed by cosy fires await!

Autumnal blooms colour are definitely reflecting the changing mood of the season, rich reds, refreshing orange, golden shades and crimson & shades of brown. 

The Autumn flowers stars:

DALHIA 

The national flower of Mexico, dahlias bloom all the way through autumn, keeping us happy once the flood of summer colour starts to wane. The varieties can look very different - expect to find dahlias that look like pom poms, others that look like spiky stars and some that are so big (think 35cm in diameter!) they are known as ‘dinner plate dahlias’.

Dahlias are thought to represent dignity and gratitude. They aren’t scented, but they make up for this by flowering in every colour. The trendy Cafe au Lait dahlia is a pale peachy cream that looks incredible teamed with blush roses and burgundy amaranthus.

ASTER

The aster is a unique daisy-like wildflower that’s known for its star-shaped flower head. Aster are thought to represent love and wisdom. With a rich history in Greek mythology, it’s said that the aster was created by the tears of the Greek goddess, Astraea.

One day, she was so upset by how few stars there were in the dark sky, that she began to cry. As she wept, her tears fell to the ground and turned into star-shaped aster flowers. Thus, the flower was named after her, with aster meaning star.

Aster are also known in the floristry industry as "frost flowers" thanks to their strength in growing during the cold month of the year.

CHRYSANTHEMUM 

The name chrysanthemum comes from a combination of the Greek words chrysos, meaning gold, and anthos, meaning flower. 

There are several types of chrysanthemums available today and, depending on the variety, they flower during different times of the year.

Chrysanthemums are associated with optimism, wealth, friendship and peace.

Chrysanthemums were first brought to Japan by Buddhist monks in 400 AD.  This flower was so loved that they added it to the Imperial Crest. 

The Japanese are known to still celebrate this flower by hosting annual exhibitions.  According to feng shui,( the Chinese art of connecting  and balancing our interiors with the energy of the natural world to improve the energy of our living spaces) chrysanthemums are associated with happiness and joy.

CROCOSMIA

The name crocosmia comes from the Greek words for saffron (krokos) and smell (osme), because dipping dry crocosmia flowers in water apparently releases a saffron-like aroma.

Common names for crocosmia are coppertips and falling stars.

Crocosmia is one of the plants that originated from Africa, but are cultivated all over the world.

The cultivated diversity is enormous with more than 400 varieties available in the world.

Our Autumn Bouquet Selections:

At The Hiden Collective we offer only Ethical Seasonal British Flowers and we  guarantee you that there are so many option in Autumn.

We offer 2 weekly seasonal flowers selections that are reflecting the change of the seasons and what our flower growers are able to produce within the UK.

Celebrate the change of season!

We can deliver the same day, locally from our studio (including Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Market Harborough, Corby, Peterborough and Leicester) and next day delivery in UK( including London, Bristol, Brighton, Nottingham & Manchester).

At this challenging, and  uncertain time many of us may be coming close to burnout if working from home or for those who may have lost their livelihood.

But how, if I work from home, I don't need to commute and life is much more flexible?

While burnout is normally associated with long days at work, it isn't just confined to that scenario.

Yes, lots of people will need to work harder during this Corona Virus like frontline carers and key workers but for others the burnout can arrive even if your workload hasn't changed.

Why are people suffering from burnout due to coronavirus?

Work-life Balance

During this pandemic it's becoming harder and harder to maintain a work-life balance, pop-up offices have appeared in bedrooms across the UK and so boundaries between personal life and work are increasingly blurred.

It's too easy to check your emails at 10pm, skipping lunch because you are working on an important project, and before you realise you may have worked so many more hours that required. 

Our normal go to stress relievers are not available

If you were a regular at yoga class, went to the theatre, attended sporting events, dance venue  you may not be able to attend your favourite class or watch your live rugby match and so are unable to wind down and destress as you may have done pre  CoVid. 

Overload of information

Another aspect of the equation is managing your consumption of social media and news.

It’s understandable that many of us are glued to our screens, scrolling through what can seem like endless newsfeeds, updates and headlines relating to the current situation. Social media is now a window into current events all across the world, and when everyone’s attention is on one topic, it is understandable that consumers might reach ‘information overload’.

How can we avoid the pandemic burnout?

1- Separate your work life from home

Set boundaries as soon as possible and try to separate your work life from your home life as much as you can. How about  making a pledge to yourself that at the end of normal working day you won't check your work phone and emails?

Create a separate corner of the room just for work and leave the rest of the house for all your other daily activities. 

Consider the set up of your new home work space. Is your screen and keyboard in a good position so that you are not hunching over for up to 8 hours a day which is going to cause you  physical discomfort. Keep your work place clear and tidy and why not adding some plants

Do you know that plants have been proven to alleviate body's stress levels?

2- Take holiday!

This might sound mad and a waste of holiday leave but it makes good sense in terms of taking a break and doing something different for a few days away from the pressures of work and normal routine. 2020 has been the year of the staycation and the UK in particularly has so many relatively untouched an unknown spot waiting for you to explore!

3- Schedule your day.

It can be tempting to roll out of bed two minutes before you’re supposed to log in, but pretending you’re getting ready for a day at the office can help to get you into a productive mindset.

Make a plan for what you’ll complete and when during the course of the day. 

4- Breath!

Take five minutes out of each day to practise some breathing excercise.

There are many apps that you can download to guide you.

Sit comfortable somewhere, focus on the breath and you will see the result!

5- Pause the self-judgement.

Don't criticise your self, many of us unconsciously do this.

Make a conscious effort to observe your thoughts, and when you find yourself being your own worst critic, talk to someone you trust, or do something else to press the reset button.

6- Be open about your struggles and yes, failures.

Choose carefully with whom you share and when, but consider that bottling up your challenges will only keep you in a negative loop.

7- Learn to say no

It’s all too easy to be a people pleaser. But if you are prioritising your work within the hours that are available to you, be confident enough to say no before your workload starts to become unrealistic.

By identifying the things we don’t need to do can help to reduce any stress build up and enable us to regain a sense of control over our workload.

8- Focus on important tasks

9- Stay active

Active working is just as important when the workplace is you home.

Try to go for a walk or run before or after work.

Make sure that you break up your day with regular time away from a screen that gives you the chance to stretch your legs and also gives your eyes a rest from the screen!

10- Self-Care

Maintain social contact as much as possible (eg, video calling your friends and family), to make time to exercise and practise daily meditation or mindfulness.

We all know the benefits of going for walks, healthy eating, taking warm baths, healthy eating and gardening.

We love Oakham!

Our studio is based just on the outskirts of this beautiful, scenic market town.

We offer the freshest Ethical & Sustainable British Flowers and plants and we are able to deliver the same day or on your preferred date.

Chose one of our weekly flower bouquets, plants in unique vases, hampers and gifts from independent suppliers including Two Chimps and Cocoa Amore.

We can deliver same day to Langham, Whissendine, Uppingham,Melton Mowbray and many more towns and villages in nearby areas.

If you don't know what to choose, you can call as on 01572 337394 and we would love to help you in choosing the best gifts for your friend or loved one.

Celebrate any occasion with The Hiden Collective, flowers & plants delivered straight to any address in Oakham with no hassle.