Report: FFTF at the Sandringham Flower Show
Jenna Walker reports on the outstanding efforts of our East Anglia region at this year’s Sandringham Flower Show.
Volunteers from the East Anglia region gathered in front of their bountiful floral display at Sandringham.
After 2 years of cancellation the 139th Sandringham Flower Show took place on Wednesday 27th July 2022. Flowers from the Farm has exhibited at the show in previous years and it was with great excitement that a large group of growers and florists assembled to create this year’s display.
The theme was an English Garden of Earthly Delights, and props, flowers and volunteers came from across the East Anglia region – from Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. The final design, which was several months in the planning, brought together elements found in English gardens and on many flower farms, with a huge arch, beehive, bird table, scarecrow, willow dragonflies and many trugs, troughs, buckets and milk churns.
Tuesday 26th dawned hot but everyone involved was thankful that it was not as hot as the previous week when temperatures had reached 40 degrees! Fourteen FFTF members worked brilliantly as a team to create a stunning spectacle that was bursting with colour and texture, and was all grown within the East Anglia region.
Lily the Scarecrow, standing proudly centre stage.
The Sandringham show attracts around 20,000 visitors and the team were on hand all day to introduce people to Flowers from the Farm and explain the ethos behind British flower growing and sustainable floristry. There was a lot of discussion about how to arrange flowers without floral foam and single use plastic, and several heated debates about the need for change within the floristry industry!
There was a lot of interest in the use of Flowers from the Farm as a directory to enable people to find their local flower growers, and many new growers were introduced to the benefits of membership. There was also huge admiration of the display itself and the riot of colour made it a favourite for photos, especially with the Floral Arch and Lily the Scarecrow.
One of the biggest draws of Sandringham is the presence of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and so the press was out in force for the royal walk-about in the Royal Marquees. Our display was an ideal backdrop for press photos, and was featured in The Eastern Daily Press, The Mail online, the local BBC news programme, People magazine and Hello magazine. The team were rewarded for their efforts with a Large Gold Medal from the judges.
Recognition for all the hard work.
Huge thanks must go to Philippa Patterson of Honey Patch Flower Farm and Eileen Tordoff of Tin Shed Flower Farm for their organisation and design inspiration, and to all of the East Anglian members listed below who worked so hard to create an incredible display and donated their time, expertise and flowers.
Brunstead Flower Farm
Tin Shed Flower Farm
Honey Patch Flowers
English Peonies
The Flowers at Lane End
Rose and Rhubarb Flowers
Cambridge Flower Farm
Flowers At Fifty Eight
Chickney Hall Flowers
Laurels Plants and Flowers
Stone Cottage Plants
Norfolk Flower Farm
Amber Cottage Flowers
Cut Flowers of Shelford
The Wild Society
Wilde Blooms
Salix Barn Flowers and Craft
Fenland Flowers and Foliage
Report by Jenna Walker, The Flowers at Lane End
