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Presenting our New Easter-Inspired Spring Collection 2023
As the days get longer and lighter with temperatures a little less harsh, we all feel excited knowing that Spring is on its way. I am delighted to introduce another new Collection for Spring 2023, a celebration of the season's flowers, inspired by a traditional Easter with baskets and eggs. The garden during springtime is an inspirational landscape where new growth is bursting profusely from the ground and I have tried to recreate this feeling of abundance and exuberance in the designs.
In a lemon yellow, soft green, cream and white colour palette characteristic of the spring garden, the Collection comprises hand-tied bouquets, a hand-made basket filled with spring bulb flowers, Petite Couture designs, a gift set including our sweet, floral fragranced candle, No. 11, and an Spring/Easter styled Phalaenopsis Orchid planter.
Once again, I have been able to include some rare and unusual flowers thanks to our incredible growers who regularly offer us their new varieties and rare blooms as exclusive to Neill Strain Floral Couture. The new Spring Collection's hand-tied bouquet showcases a very rare Vanda Orchid. Our grower, Ansu, sends us every week a special selection of incredible Vanda Orchids and recently we received a new Vanda called 'Two Tone Sea Shell' which I fell in love with! Available in only extremely limited quantities, this Orchid is both new and rare. I think you will agree that the colours and spot patterns are breathtaking.
Another rare flower in the Spring Collection is 'Moonlight,' a Gerbera of pale lemon yellow, an unusual colour that is only available from the Dutch grower, Holstein. Founded in 1946, Holstein is a third generation family business run by four brothers, who are both growers and breeders developing new Gerberas of innovative shapes and alluring colours. They have become one of the largest Gerbera growers in the world and provide us with spectacular flowers for our bouquets throughout the year.
In the new Collection, the hand-tied bouquets and Petite Couture arrangements also include fragrant Lilacs, ‘Stepman’ Syringa, white in colour which are the most rare. Visiting the Lilac growers in Holland is always inspirational. The growers and their glass houses are some of the smallest yet their work is one of the hardest. Due to a particular micro-climate, the Syringa plants are kept on small islands in a lake off the West coast of Holland near Aalsmeer. Once every two years they are dug up and transported in rowing boats to the glasshouses for flowering, after which they are returned to the islands to recover. As if by magic these growers transform flowers that naturally grow on trees, into strong, long stemmed blooms with huge heads and incredible fragrances. Lilacs are truly magnificent flowers and only available in early spring which makes them all the more appealing.
Along with garden Roses, a yellow spray Rose is also included in the designs. 'Luna' from the 'Trendsetter' range was recently created by the extraordinary breeder, Interplants, and is now being grown in extremely limited quantities by Voorn, one of my favourite Dutch Rose growers.
The special Spring or Easter gift set includes a Petite Couture design which displays the blooms in a white glass vase framed with a Clematis vine "nest," together with our “No. 11” fragranced candle, a sweet, floral scent that was inspired by and named after the Belgravia boutique due to its location at 11 West Halkin Street. Made with 100% natural ingredients, this luxury candle is a delightful addition to offering flowers at this time of year.
Due to the success of basket designs last year, I have been able to source again some lovely hand-made baskets for this year's Spring and Easter Collection. Baskets remind me of Easter celebrations in my childhood and I have created a design that has that natural feel and look of the spring garden. Filling a basket with flowering spring bulbs not only makes a charming design but it captures all the hope and joy of new spring growth. I hope you will like it as much as I do!
The Spring Phalaenopsis Orchid planter, with two tall stems and stunning large heads, also sits in a hand-made basket and is decorated with Willow, a Clematis vine frame and ornamental eggs in celebration of the season. This planter will also make a lovely gift for Easter.
Due to the seasonality of the flowers, this Spring Collection is available now until Monday, April 10th, for delivery throughout London. You can order online, at the Belgravia boutique or our concession at Harrods. I hope these uplifting designs will bring you the joy and hope of spring.
Florally yours,
Neill x