Floristry Ireland :: Horticulture Trends Latest News, Trends, Courses, Services, Products, Suppliers & Jobs for Floristry Sector in Ireland: Garden Centre, Landscape, Architecture, Nurseries, Arboriculture, Sports Turf, Greenkeepers & Fresh Produce Sectors
Thomas Morrow founded T. Morrow & sons in 1938. He was previously employed as the head gardener in Narrow water Castle, Warrenpoint Co. Down, but saw the potential in a commercial growing enterprise. He then purchased land outside Newry, Co. Down and put his idea into practice. T. Morrow & sons began growing field vegetables for the war effort 1939-1945. The immediate post-war period saw the first glasshouse being introduced to the site, to allow for the production of salad crops. The first flowers were grown in the 1960’s, as implemented by Eric and James Morrow (2nd generation). In the early 70’s a programme of glasshouse expansion occurred, when David Morrow (3rd generation) emerged from Greenmount College, with a head full of ideas taken from his time working in a research institute in England. Crops grown in the new glasshouses included both salad and flower crops, specifically for the multiples in Northern Ireland. In the late 90’s the business saw further expansion with the introduction of customers in R.O.I Today the emphasis is on the production of all-year-round flower crops for the multiples in Northern Ireland/ United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This new strategy will be developed by Eric (4th generation). His remit is to drive the business forward with new ideas and products and to ensure that T. Morrow & sons stays at the forefront of the horticultural industry in the 21st century. |
The Irish Florist Guild (IFG) has announced details of an event that will taking place in Dublin in October.
The IFG was established last year in The Republic of Ireland to represent the professional florist nationally and internationally in education, standardisation and promotion of the industry. Irish florists will be familiar with the Red Cow Hotel in Dublin, and this will be the venue of their next event, which takes place on Sunday 2nd October. Naas wholesaler Eirflowers is the title sponsor of the event.
Flowercare company Chrysal has underlined the company’s continuing support of the floristry industry by getting involved, with Chrysal favourite Anthony Williams demonstrating. The demos will follow a theme of ‘Commercial Designs with Profit in Mind’.
Additional demonstrators appearing at the event are Richard Haslam, Jenny Murphy and Kazu Egawa, whilst a tradeshow and competition make the day even more attractive for florists across the whole of Ireland.
For further information on the event contact Karen Massey on info@irishfloristguild.com or log on to www.irishfloristguild.com where information will appear once confirmed.
Competition Details
1. Hand tied design in a frame
The design must be displayed in a clear glass vase and the water must contain chrysal flower food. The water will be tested as part of the competition. Designs will be displayed for judging on table tops in a square of 50cm x 50cm. Fresh material must predominate. Accessories are allowed. There is no height restrictions
2. Funeral design
The design has to be bio degradable. A design suitable for a green funeral. The design will be displayed in spaces on the floor of 100cm x50cm no height restrictions. Fresh material must predominate. The use of floral foam is not permitted.
3. Wedding bouquet
A wedding design has been requested for the wedding of a music celebrity. The wedding is on new years eve. The design has to be displayed with samples of the wedding fabric of the dress the bride will wear. Also please have a sketch of the dress on show with the bridal design. Fresh material must predominate and designs will be displayed in an area of 50cm x 50cm on table tops. No height restrictions.
4. Parallel arrangement
The arrangement in a ceramic container to be displayed on table tops 50cm x 50cm. All materials used must be fresh. No accessories allowed. All foliage used must be cut fresh from gardens and conditioned to be used in arrangement.
5. Wedding design
A contemporary body adornment ‘A design that is constructed to be worn on any part of the body eg ankle, shoulder, wrist, arm etc. The design must have some means of securing or attachment’. has been requested for the mother of the bride. Please use as many accessories as you wish. However, you must use fresh plant material within the design as well as using a fresh floral centre piece in the design. The design has to be displayed on the contestants own display stands. 50cm x 50cm on table tops
All contestants to display their entries on their own display stands. All displays to be placed by 11am by the contestants. Contestants are asked to remember that they are not allowed to remove any competition entries from the display before 4.30 pm on the day of the competition The competition results will be announced at 4pm on the day, prizes will be presented at this time.
Entry Fee for pre registered entries 5.00 euro To receive the reduced fee you must register through the web site www.irishfloristguild.com. The payment for this registration is to be made on the day at time of display for the competition to the competition director. Reka D. Kurtos
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Karen Sherwin of George Preston Florists in Newry, County Down, has clinched the top prize in the prestigious Interflora Florist of the Future 2011 competition, representing Northern Ireland in the grand final held on Sunday 24th July at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. Karen fended off tough opposition from ten other florists from across the UK,impressing the judges with her originality and innovation. She was joint first in the cottage garden party hat creation and second in both the bridal design and free expression Japanese piece.
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Commenting on her win, Karen said: “I’m shocked and delighted to have come first! It’s been a wonderful experience, and we’ve certainly been pushed to the limits. I still can’t quite believe how well my designs came together on the day. I’m particularly chuffed with my bridal piece as it’s one of the areas of floristry I’m most interested in.“This competition has been a superb experience, and credit should go to everyone for the exceptional workmanship on show this year. My friends and family have given me so much support, and that’s really made all the hard work worthwhile.”
Judge Susan Wills-Pope commented: “Karen and the other florists have created some absolutely beautiful pieces, and the standard has been extremely high. We’ve been very impressed by the level of technical ability and imagination that all the competitors have shown, particularly since they’ve only been in the industry for less than four years.” For the first time since 2004, the Interflora Florist of the Future competition grand finals took place in front of a live audience at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in Knutsford, Cheshire.
Visitors were able to watch the finalists go up against the clock to construct their items, with many commenting on the ‘buzz’ surrounding the competitions. Helen Quinn, Interflora’s Commercial Director, who presented the prizes to the competitors, said: “Interflora is the UK and Ireland’s most recognised and trusted flower delivery service. Our network of over 1,800 expert florists in the UK and Ireland are highly skilled, creating inspirational designs day in day out. “This competition was established eleven years ago to represent newcomers to the industry, and to celebrate and nurture amazing new talent. I’ve been extremely impressed by the dedication of all our competitors, and they should be very proud of their achievements.”
To view footage from the event, visit Interflora’s Blog at http://blog.interflora.co.uk
About the competition:
The eleven finalists spent the last two years competing in tough regional heats to reach this stage of the competition.
Overall Florist of the Future 2011 Positions:
• 1st Place: Karen Sherwin - George Preston, Newry, Northern Ireland
• 2nd Place: Milly Davey - Going Dutch, Nelson, near Burnley, Lancashire
• 3rd Place: Charlotte Cooke - Hilary’s Four Seasons, Abergavenny, Wales
Overall Florist of the Future 2011 Schedule Positions:
Rose inspired bridal design:
• 1st Place: Milly Davey - Going Dutch, Nelson, near Burnley, Lancashire
• 2nd Place: Karen Sherwin - George Preston, Newry, Northern Ireland
• 3rd Place: Anneka Brown - Merrygardens, Deal, Kent
Japanese themed free expression piece:
• 1st Place: Samantha Kennedy - S. Kennedy Florist, Largs, Scotland
• 2nd Place: Karen Sherwin - George Preston, Newry, Northern Ireland
• 3rd Place: Charlotte Baker - Hubbard’s Florist, Coventry
Cottage garden party hat
• Joint 1st Place: Anneka Brown – Merrygardens, Deal, Kent
• Joint 1st Place: Karen Sherwin - George Preston, Newry, Northern Ireland
• 3rd Place: Charlotte Cooke - Hilary’s Four Seasons, Abergavenny, Wales
Surprise item for the Woodland Trust
• 1st Place: Charlotte Cooke - Hilary’s Four Seasons, Abergavenny, Wales
• 2nd Place: Milly Davey - Going Dutch, Nelson, near Burnley, Lancashire
• 3rd Place: Anneka Brown – Merrygardens, Deal, Kent
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Flowers are a massive global industry. They are grown all over the world, although the major modern-day producers are the Netherlands, Kenya, Israel and Colombia. Other up-and-coming flower-producing nations include South Africa, Malaysia and Ecuador. Commercial demands require growers to focus mainly on the best-sellers, with around a dozen species dominating the world market. However, it is increasingly common for foreign suppliers to export lesser-known indigenous crops, as testified by the growing exoticism of British gardens.
The globalization of the industry has seen home flower production decline; most of the flowers sold here today originate overseas. Nevertheless, the Channel Islands are still renowned for freesia, iris and roses, while Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Scotland are home to thriving local bulb flower industries. Indeed, Lincolnshire growers famously export daffodils to Holland! Other flowers produced by UK growers include chrysanthemums, lilies and delphiniums.
Flower distribution methods vary according to where the crops originate and how they are to be sold. Some nurseries operate independently, cutting and packing the flowers themselves before sending them direct to consumers via mail order. Others send their crops to packing companies for grading and arranging prior to onward sale (often to supermarkets). Florists usually buy pre-graded flowers from wholesalers before conditioning and arranging them for the consumer.
The transportation of flowers has a significant impact on the cost borne by the buyer. The most popular method is dry-packing or flat-packing, which allows large quantities of crops to be packed in airline holds. However, in the case of plants that cannot survive for long periods without water, it is necessary to employ more expensive methods involving water holders or buckets of water. Although these reduce labour time and can extend the life of the plants, the increased weight and surface area drives up transportation costs.
Great care is taken to ensure that imported flowers reach UK consumers in the best possible condition. Speed is of the essence and, as such, it is common for exporters to cut and pack flowers on the way to the airport in order to save time. They will then be kept in refrigerated conditions and flown in air-conditioned aircraft. Refrigerated lorries are used to transport the crops within the UK.
In contrast with flowers, the pot plant trade tends to be more parochial. Because of the higher transportation costs resulting from their greater weight, they are rarely imported from far-flung locations, with around 50% of all our indoor plants originating in the UK. The rest come mainly from close neighbours such as Holland, Denmark and Belgium. These plants tend to be bought and sold in DIY stores and large garden centres as opposed to traditional florists.
The import of plants to the UK is regulated by DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), which sets quality guidelines and issues the so-called Plant Health passports.