The White Lily

My favourite flower, and the star of my beautiful Christmas bouquet is the white lily. When first bought they were still closed, tight in their buds, but they bloomed revealing their full beauty. They have graced my dining room table for the whole of the festive period, but now the time has come to consign them to my recycling bin.  

My mum hates cut flowers for the very fact that they don't last forever, but it is this transience that makes me appreciate flowers all the more.  The fleetingness of their beauty makes it all the more precious.

The Lily

by William Blake

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,

The humble sheep a threat’ning horn:

While the Lily white shall in love delight,

Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

Wiggly Wigglers...More Than Just Worms!!

Whether your interest lies in composting, growing your own, gardening, floristry, wildlife or eco-living, Wiggly Wigglers is the perfect website for you to discover.  Founded in 1990, when Heather Gorringe began selling home worm-assisted composting kits from her kitchen table, Wiggly Wigglers has gone on to become an award winning business selling everything to make "The Good Life" that little bit easier!  Based on Lower Blakemere Farm in Herefordshire, they supply everything that any budding sustainable gardener or green living fan needs.

Can O' Worms Composting Kit

With a huge range of innovative products that are tried and tested, good for the environment and value for money, Wiggly Wigglers make a positive impact on your home and garden.  By buying from Wiggly Wigglers you become a part of their community.  With a team of knowledgeable enthusiasts and customers who have been through the ups and downs associated with gardening, composting and growing your own, the Wiggly Community have a very active social media platform for sharing advice and information.  The Youtube channel includes lots of 'how to' tips and the regular podcasts keep you abreast of the goings on down at the farm!  (Like the Archers but real!)  The Facebook page is very active and any questions are answered by the team or by fellow enthusiasts.  You can also follow Heather and Farmer Phil on Twitter!  

The website itself is easy to navigate with sections dedicated to particular areas of interest.  Product descriptions are excellent and include advice so you know exactly what to buy.  Pricing is clear and the pictures showcase the products very well.  There is also a wealth of information included on the website with ideas for projects.

Jam-making 

I was given the opportunity to try the website myself to order a Wiggly bouquet.  Each gorgeous, unique arrangement is made using what is available locally and seasonally.  The generous bouquet is then wrapped in craft paper and tied with a raffia bow.  Ordering was easy and the delivery options meant I could pick a day to suit me for it to arrive.  They are delivered by overnight courier.

The flowers arrived boxed up with their own reservoir of water and absorbent pad in specially designed packaging to keep them fresh and in perfect condition.

The bouquet was absolutely gorgeous with a vibrant array of British hand picked flowers including sunflowers in an individually crafted creation. It had the beauty of a summer meadow bringing a much needed dose of sunshine into my home.  I don't know the names of the flowers but the yellows, blues and greens worked together perfectly in the generous sized display.

This bouquet is environmentally friendly with the 'flower miles' minimized by using blooms from the farm or from British suppliers.  The impact of pollution and waste is much less which increases the pleasure of sending and receiving flowers.  The bouquets reflect the passing seasons as only local, seasonal flowers are used to create the arrangements.  These really are the most thoughtful way of sending your love with flowers!

The Wiggly Wigglers Blog has a fabulous post about looking after bouquets of cut flowers which will help keep any flower display looking gorgeous for longer!

I am very impressed with Wiggly Wigglers.  The website, the company ethos, the community, the products and the service are excellent.  If you want to try to live a greener lifestyle, they have a whole host of ideas.  The composting advice is so informative with revolutionary ideas for kitchen composting with Bokashi to the use of worms in garden composting.  With Wiggly Wigglers we can all have a taste of "The Good Life"! 

Sign up to Wiggl-e news here for special offers!   

*I ordered and received a Wiggly Bouquet worth £50 in order to experience Wiggly Wigglers for myself.*

Interflora Brighten Up Your Day

However down you may be feeling, however grey the skies may be, the delivery of a huge bouquet of flowers brightens up your day!  Today I received a beautiful Pink Radiance Bouquet courtesy of Interflora.

The stunning hand tied bouquet features a generous selection of fragrant, oriental pink lilies, classic pink roses, pink lisianthus and cerise germini.  The vibrant pinks contrasted beautifully with the gypsophilia, aspidistra leaves, eucalyptus and salal.  It is a personification of summer itself! Finished with gift wrap, ribbon and presented in a stylish gift bag, it made a huge impact as it arrived this morning by a lovely Interflora florist wielding an umbrella to protect them from the rain!

Flowers have an uncanny knack of making you smile and this exquisite bunch is no exception.  They looked so pretty and they smelt lovely too.  They add a real splash of colour to the house.  Take a look of these colours!

Interflora are proud to be the world's largest and most experienced flower delivery service.  Every day thousands of people trust Interflora to deliver good wishes or thoughtful sentiments on their behalf.  Everyone involved takes care to add a little personal touch to the Interflora experience.  Every bouquet is prepared with care and hand delivered.  So whether you are looking for flower delivery in Nottingham or florists in London, you can trust Interflora!