Rowan Blossom’s guide to winter flowers
The florist, author and stylist Rowan Blossom is – as her floral moniker would suggest – a woman captivated by blooms. She worked with the aptly floral Matthew Williamson for five years before making the link from fashion to flowers, becoming a cult florist known for her jolly Instagram presence and accessible tips on buds and stems, enshrined in her debut book Living With Flowers. Here, she gives Town & Country a lesson in winter blooms, the power of flowers and how the right bouquet can cheer up the gloomiest of lockdowns…
How can flowers lift our mood during lockdown?
“Flowers are the ultimate mood-boosters to perk one up during lockdown. They immediately evoke a special sensory experience: the process of choosing and arranging your blooms involves touch; their freshness and perfume will create a heavenly scent; and their colour, form and texture excite the eye. Having a bunch of seasonal British blooms in the home brings the outdoors in – a hopeful reminder of the wider world we will be able to explore and enjoy again one day. There really is nothing more joyful, it elevates your ‘everyday’ into something much more special.”
How have you been using flowers to cheer your spirits during this bleak January?
“I’ve always found January a time for a pared-back simplicity – after the maximalism of Christmas and all the jolly ruffles, ribbons and flower and foliage galore that ‘deck the halls’ – there’s something rather charming about embracing minimalism a little. I planted pretty paperwhite bulbs in old terracotta pots and dotted them around the home, and it has been lovely to watch them grow and unfurl over the month.”
What are the best winter flowers available?
“The very best thing about this time of year is that the British flower season begins again. I am passionate about using seasonal British flowers wherever possible – by their very nature they are so much more special than imported varieties and there is so much more to be enjoyed with blooms that are seasonal and sustainable. Not only that, it is so vital to support local growers and flower farmers, especially during this difficult time. Right now all the delicate dainty very early spring flowers are starting to pop up: tulips, daffodils and narcissi.”
Which winter bouquets would you recommend and how should you pull them together?
“The beauty of using seasonal flowers is that they always look gorgeous together, no matter how informally you arrange them. A tumble of any of the flowers mentioned above – as many varieties, colours, heights and types as possible – will create a really pretty posy.”
Which flowers do we have to look forward to as spring approaches?
“Well of course, my favourite time of year has to be the blossom season – I wait for that with baited breath every year! And after that, we have so much to look forward to as the days lengthen and the sun warms the Earth: peonies, foxgloves, sweetpeas, and garden roses galore. Just think, in a few mere months, parks and gardens will be an eruption of kaleidoscopic colour and heavenly perfume.”
