Samantha Connolly, and the team from Greensleeves, enjoyed the experience of a lifetime last week when they helped to create flowers for the Royal Wedding.

 

Samantha, who co-owns shops in the Surrey towns of Reigate, Redhill and Cheam, was asked to supply boxes of flowers for Media Structures Ltd, the company responsible for creating the media stand outside Westminster Abbey and the temporary studios built outside Buckingham Palace for the Royal Wedding.

Commenting on the job, Samantha told F&WB: “The order was only confirmed late on the Thursday before Good Friday, so nothing was available until the Tuesday morning, even though the plants had to be in London on Wednesday morning!”

Having sourced planters Stewart Planters in Croydon and the plants from Sussex nursery Rush Lake Green, Samantha and staff from Greensleeves set about creating her designs using trailing ivy, marguerites, geraniums, gardenia and lavender.

Samantha continued: “We worked till after midnight and the next morning got up at 5.30 to ensure everything was ready to be driven up to Westminster on time. Meanwhile, back in the shop, the girls got cracking on hand-tieds for the world’s media using white and green English country garden flowers.

“On the Thursday I was back in London delivering the bouquets and watering all the plants. It might have just been a little addition to the day but two billion people around the world saw it! All the plants were to be used after so there was no waste, in keeping with the Royal idea.”