 A good day... tired & happy after supporting fellow Members of the Farewell Flowers Directory at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025.
The stunning display of British-grown seasonal flowers & foliage, arranged plastic-free by @fieldhouseflowers, @gentleblooms, @tuckshopflowers & @commonfarmflowers deserved the GOLD MEDAL for every beautiful stem. Thank you for the skill demonstrated & your countless hours of behind-the-scenes work to get the display to Chelsea. It was the first time funeral flowers have been featured at the Show. The response from Show visitors was enthusiastic. I appreciated the (often moving) stories shared about flowers arranged for loved ones, personal funeral choices & the delight to see environmentally sensitive options at the Show. I spoke to Church Ministers, Hospice workers, Nurses, Florists & Floristry Students, Church Flower Arrangers, Flower Lovers & so many more over the day. All were keen to get rid of the tons of plastic currently going to landfill after funerals every year. There were so many good questions about the 'how', the practicalities of making arrangements another way, when plastic foam has been the norm for years. Before the show, there were 190 Members of the Farewell Flowers Directory in the UK. It's aim is to make it easier to find a florist to arrange flowers for funerals without foam or other single-use plastics. After the Show, more people know what's possible & know to ask their florist for environmentally sensitive options. So yes, it was a good day.
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 A 100% compostable Wreath made in early May.
Made from natural materials & zero plastic. All the flowers & foliage were grown here in Galloway, except the cheerful little Viola plugs. The Gentleman remembered was a passionate Scottish Country Dancer so as a nod to that, I included a touch of our Heather in the wreath too. No wire, no floral foam & no plastic is required to make a wreath like this. Yet it's estimated UK Crematoriums fill the equivalent of 6 Olympic swimming pools each year with floral foam & single use plastic. And that's just crematoriums, even more foam & plastic is left in churchyards & at other memorials. All that plastic currently goes to landfill. Isn't it time to consider alternative, sustainable methods? Next week, I'm excited to be supporting other Members of the Farewell Flowers Directory at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. There'll be an inspiring display of natural, compostable flowers for funerals. All will be made using sustainable methods without any floral foam & single use plastic. The flowers & foliage will be British-grown too. I'm looking forward to helping spread the word about natural flowers for funerals to a wider audience. The Farewell Flowers Directory Team are working hard at the showground over this weekend building the display in the Pavilion. I'm looking forward to seeing the result! The Farewell Flowers Directory is a valuable resource for anyone tasked with organising flowers for a funeral. It has details of 200 British Florists able to create arrangements without using plastic, making them much easier to find.  A handmade Heart Wreath made for the Funeral of a Lady who loved flowers. A keen gardener, she grew many herself & was very knowledgeable.
In her later years, I took a bunch of flowers to her every month. Always different, including whatever was coming in to bloom at that time here. So when the time came for her final flowers, a selection to reflect the Springtime & her interest was the natural choice. I make these Wreaths by hand from the Birch grown here & trim with seasonal flowers. No wire, no plastic or floral foam, & so fully compostable. Wreaths aren't always round - Farewell flowers can be just as unique as the loved one remembered!  Aquilegia are a Spring favourite of mine - I love the way those frilly flowers flounce about in the breeze, or dance above everything else in a bouquet.
And they hybridise shamelessly, creating new favourites & surprises each year. This dear little blue & white one came from seed in a precious envelope from a gardening friend. Sown last year, it's opening for the first time this weekend. I'm going to exercise great restraint with the snips (probably...) & collect seed to sow again. It might not come true but a whole row of these would be a lovely thing, wouldn't it?  Photo credit Willow and Wilde 'And Something for the Ceremony Area...'
A request in several recent wedding consultations - & there are so many options! Bunches of flowers & foliage tied to the ends of pews & on to chairs continue to be a pretty way to decorate the aisle area.. This one at Balmagkie Kirk last Summer included Eryngium Thistle, dried Lavender & Ivy trails as well as white flowers. Arranged by Rosie of Galloway Flowers. Photo credit: WillowandWilde.co  Tulip 'Merlot' Tulips doing their thing...
Too full blown to include in a Customer bouquet, yet still rather fabulous in my kitchen. I don't think I can ever so much 'arrange' Tulips as set them free. Just let them twist & dance as they please. They'll always be facing a different way when I come down in the morning anyway! These are lily-flowered Tulip 'Merlot' - a deep, rich burgundy colour - placed simply in a classic green Sylvac vase.  Timing is everything... & this year it came just right.
Lily of the Valley is often requested for weddings but it can be very fickle about when it flowers here, in outside conditions. Any time between mid-April & early June is possible! I cut the first bunch on Friday & sent it off in a mixed DIY bucket of flowers for a weekend wedding. Who wouldn't be happy to have these for a bud vase on their wedding day?  It's easy to see why these are called Peony Tulips...
Big & blousy, blooms like this are going to be just perfect for a wedding this week . I'm having a bit of a crush on lemon, clotted cream, primrose shades at the moment. How about you?  A 'Magic' Wand, the essential accessory for every 3 year old Flower Girl at an Easter Sunday wedding.
I made it from pussy willow, trimmed with Spring flowers & (the important bit) plenty of swishy ribbons |
AuthorRosie Gray of Galloway Flowers. Cut Flower Grower & Florist near Castle Douglas, in South West Scotland. Using 100% Flowers & Foliage grown in British Isles, all year round. 
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Growing Gorgeous Seasonal Cut Flowers & Foliage in Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
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Flower Farmer Florist Castle Douglas, Flower Farm Scotland, Wedding Flowers Castle Douglas, Florist Castle Douglas, Funeral Flowers Castle Douglas, Sympathy flowers Castle Douglas, wedding florist Dumfries & Galloway, Wedding florist Kirkcudbright, wedding florist Gatehouse of Fleet, natural funeral flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wild wedding flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wedding flowers Ayr, wedding flowers Ayrshire