The Flowers & Plants Association is funded by a range of companies, including breeders and growers, importers and wholesalers, retailers and designers. On this new page we will bring you updates on our members' businesses.

The RHS Chelsea
Florist of the Year Competition

RHS Chelsea Flower Show - May

Have you got what it takes?
The Royal Horticultural Society is proud to announce the launch of ‘The RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year’ competition in association with the British Florist Association. This competition is to be held at the world’s most famous flower show in Chelsea, London and showcases the very best in professional retail floristry. See more >>

www.britishfloristassociation.org

Thrive Floristry Launch New Magazine
'Flowers for Funerals'

In the UK each year there are around 500,000 deaths, which, coincidentally is almost double the number of marriages.

Thrive Floristry feel the time is right for florist’s to explore and increase this important part of their business.

It is uplifting and in no way morbid; design led, rather than advertising led, and although the designs are primarily for funerals, many of them can easily be used or adapted for other functions or occasions.

The magazine will be published quarterly; some of the designs will be seasonal to reflect the time of year, others contemporary, the remainder traditional. There will be around 75 designs in each issue as well as relevant articles and interesting floral facts and trivia.

Thrive Floristry Website

Webbs

Staff at Webbs, the UK's Garden Centre of the Year 2008, celebrated another year of triumph with their own red carpet awards ceremony in

Almost 200 Webbs staff turned out to the fourth annual ceremony at The Pear Tree Inn, Smite, to find out who were the stars scooping this year’s top awards. Certificates and prizes were presented to staff to celebrate a wide range of training initiatives and individual and department successes over the last year, including the crowning achievement of winning UK Garden Centre of the Year from the Garden Centre Association (GCA), the organisation representing the best garden retailers in Britain, for the second year running.

Webbs Website

Thrive Floristry

Member florist Claire Cowling of Thrive Floristry teamed up with member rose breeder and grower David Austin Roses recently, creating wedding designs for the rose growers' new set of wedding images.

Her wedding designs have also been featured in the most recent issues Fusion Weddings magazine and the International Annual of Floral Art.

Claire runs workshops and has a host of corporate clients. For more information or to buy the titles where Claire's work has been featured, visit

Thrive Floristry Website

Lupins

Local florist Lupins is celebrating a successful first year of trading by expanding to larger
premises, and will be offering customers a chance to win a fabulous signature hand tied
bouquet, worth £40 in a free prize draw, held on Thursday 3rd April 2008 at Chesapeake
Mill, Wickham. Zoe Hanson from PowerFM’s Breakfast Show will be officially opening
Lupins additional premises and helping the celebrations get off to a flying start from
12.30pm

Lupins Website