Boglarka Zilla Gulyas, University of Sheffield and Jill Edmondson, University of Sheffield
12.09.2023 - 13:43 / jparkers.co.uk
With contestants from 15 nations all battling it out to win the Interflora World Cup, it’s easy to say that this year was a nail-biter. But before the winner was announced, our team headed over to Manchester’s Central Convention Complex to see what it was all about.
The Designs
Hundreds of people visited the Interflora Cup over the weekend, and thanks to the warm weather, it was a lovely few days to marvel at the impressive displays the contestants had designed.
This year, Interflora’s theme concentrated on ‘sustainability and natural materials.’ Intertwined with their 100th anniversary, the event marked a huge milestone for the company and the floristry industry.
The contestants were tasked with creating competitive floral displays inspired by the theme, as well as a nail-biting decision-making task for the final five – to create an arrangement with no preparation and just 45 minutes on the clock!
The Winner
Image: Nicolaus Peters' florist display from the Interflora 2023 competition The event ran from Thursday the 7th of September to the 9th of September 2023, and the grand final ran throughout the Saturday.
This year’s winner was Nicolaus Peters from Germany. According to Interflora, ‘Nicolaus wowed the judges with his incredible talent’. Nicolaus’s display was impressive, featuring a hanging art piece that had woven flowers, resembling butterfly wings.
All the contestants brought their A-game with them to this competition, and every display had a unique aspect that caught your attention and imagination.
Image: Just a few of the amazing displays seen at Interflora world cup 2023 This is the first time this exciting event has come to the UK, and It was well worth the visit! Keep an eye on their website for their 2024
Boglarka Zilla Gulyas, University of Sheffield and Jill Edmondson, University of Sheffield
Cindy Strickland has shared on the GPOD before (Gardening for a Friend), and today she’s taking us along to visit a beautiful English garden.
It was in The Pickwick Papers that Dickens wrote the often quoted line: “Kent, sir. Everybody knows Kent – apples, cherries, hops, and women.” The county is still referred to as the Garden of England, even though the amount of fruit traditionally farmed there has declined over the decades. Perhaps it’s still used so widely because some of the country’s most celebrated properties and gardens are to be found in Kent.
Indoor plants will instantly add some green to your living space, bringing the outside in and touching base with nature. And when it comes to plant pots to keep them in, there are plenty to choose from.
Sowing seeds doesn’t need to be a tricky business. Whether you are planting vegetable seeds such as chillies and tomatoes, or colourful sweet pea flowers or cornflowers, a dibber will help you out.
It was in The Pickwick Papers that Dickens wrote the often quoted line: “Kent, sir. Everybody knows Kent – apples, cherries, hops, and women.” The county is still referred to as the Garden of England, even though the amount of fruit traditionally farmed there has declined over the decades. Perhaps it’s still used so widely because some of the country’s most celebrated properties and gardens are to be found in Kent.
From the curious Magpie to the majestic Sparrowhawk, the RSPB helps us identify what garden birds will be paying a visit to our gardens now the autumn leaves are falling.
With sloping hills that form a dramatic escarpment as they slip into the plain of the River Severn, the Cotswolds, spanning Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire, epitomise rural charm. Rivers like the Windrush flow swiftly through pretty villages, gigantic yews fill the yards of churches built in the Middle Ages, and scattered across it are lovely gardens, both grand and modest, all of them embellished with beautiful flowers.
Whilst we huddle with cups of hot chocolate, wrapped in layers of wool, gearing ourselves up to make those first boot tracks in crisp frost, our wintry gardens are already being enjoyed by the birds. From the cunning Treecreeper to the bolshy Robin, the RSPB help us identify who will be paying your garden a visit in the cold season.
Spring is when wildlife reawakens in our countryside, parks and gardens. Despite the cold chill still in the air, signs of spring will be starting to appear and our garden birds will become more recognisable during the breeding season. From the noisy Willow Warbler to the colourful Siskin, the RSPB help us identify what birds will be paying a visit to your garden this spring.
Nerine ‘Sparkle’ is a hybrid derived from the more tender N. sarniensis, the original Guernsey Lily. Ideal for growing in a conservatory or glasshouse, the sarniensis hybrids have a wider colour range than the hardier species, and typically their flowers appear before their leaves, on a tall, elegant steam.
The impressive topiary-framed Italianate formal gardens at Mapperton