Update: Unfortunately, the bus was delayed so will now launch at RHS Chelsea in May. For a report on RHS Cardiff see here.
A country-wide bus tour promoting British flowers gets on the road this week at the RHS Cardiff Flower Show.
Leading florist Jonathan Moseley is taking the British Flower Bus to shows across the UK to promote the work of the country’s commercial growers and encourage people to buy seasonal British blooms.
“British flowers possess a charm and a character lacking in the majority of imported commercial blooms,” he says. “They are romantic, nostalgic and charismatic.”
The specially decorated bus will be used for hands-on workshops and demonstrations of how to get the best out of flowers.
“It will be decked out a bit like a flower shop so full of British flowers,” explains the former judge on BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge.
The tour starts in Cardiff and will take in several of the main RHS shows, including Chelsea and Hampton Court, as well as Gardeners’ World Live.
If the bus tour proves a success, it may be rolled out to agricultural shows next year.
Jonathan is working with industry specialists FlorismartUk on a major campaign to highlight the year-round appeal of British flowers.
An online buying hub has been set up to give local florists easy access to British-grown flowers.
“It’s been a real struggle for florists to get hold of British flowers unless they live near a grower,” says Jonathan.
Another problem is getting people to pick the flowers while this winter’s weather has also proved challenging.
As part of his championing of British flowers, Jonathan is creating two large floral installations at RHS shows this year.
At the RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show, he is working with Morgan Cars and Royal Worcester Porcelain, while RHS Chatsworth will have one of the biggest ever displays of orchids with more than 4,000 plants, with the Phalaenopsis grown by specialists Double H Nurseries in Hampshire.
“Sparkling waterfalls, textured mosses, exotic bromeliads and a variety of seed heads and branches will result in a dazzling display of orchids, all housed in a replica of Paxton’s Great Pavilion.”
• The British Flower Bus will be at RHS Cardiff April 13-15; RHS Chelsea May 22-26; RHS Chatsworth June 5-10; BBC Gardeners’ World Live June 14-17; RHS Harlow Carr June 22-24; RHS Hampton Court July 2-8; RHS Tatton July 18-22; RHS Hyde Hall August 1-5; RHS Rosemoor August 17-19; RHS Wisley September 4-9.
Our youngest daughter trained as a florist at Pershore College, since then they had stopped training/ growing cut flowers with the students for the trade. I hope this revival takes off, this area was dominated by horticulture at one time, it saddens me when you drive around and see all the empty greenhouses falling down.
They’re certainly trying to push British-grown flowers. I certainly prefer them in season.