Su Whale enjoys the colour and scent of chocolate cosmos and shares her tips on using it in floristry work.

An attractive, delicate flower, Achillea has feathery foliage and slim stems topped with flattened clusters of small, daisy-like flowers. Sometimes overlooked as a cut flower, it is incredibly versatile, it’s long-lasting, it can be dried and dyed and is really easy to grow too. There are two varieties of Achillea grown as a cut flower: Achillea filipendulina Colour: Mustard yellow

Go tropical this season with our selection of the best five flowers and foliage for that statement summer look.

The 'Campanulove' campaign helps florists to shift the whole mood of an arrangement. Some flowers are loved because they shout. Campanula is loved because it knows exactly where to sit in a design. With its bell-shaped flowers, long stems, and soft but clear presence, Campanula can do a lot more than many florists expect at first glance. It can bring height to a bouquet, soften bridal work, stand beautifully on its own, and help colour combinations feel more natural. It is a

Nothing says summer more than the industrious buzzing of bees as they harvest the rich pollen of Lavender. This highly scented evergreen is not just for pollinators though, as a fresh cut or dried flower it has a myriad of uses in floristry too. Fresh Lavender Fresh Lavender is generally sold by weight and can be bought in bunches wholesale from March onwards (depending on the weather). In the garden, Lavender flowers naturally from June to September when it can be cut and

These floral arrangements are not merely spring bouquets with different flowers dropped in. The season has its own palette, and the flowers that belong to it tend to echo that. Summer has a way of making flowers and their colours generous. The season runs long, the light stays warm and the range of what is available at any given time is wider than at any other point in the year. Regardless of whether you are cutting from a garden, shopping at a farmers' market, or working wit

High summer means flower growers across the UK are in full production. Su Whale guides you through the best UK-grown flowers available now.

Love your houseplants? Need to know what’s trending? Chelsea Flower Show’s popular Houseplant Studios were the place to head for everything new and innovative in the world of indoor gardening. Now a permanent feature at the event, the plants are displayed in attractive wooden summer houses in a leafy corner of the showground. The six studios are practically gardens in their own right, as they take over not just the interior but the exterior too, allowing visitors to get the f

Su Whale offers you cultivated solutions to the wildflower challenge.

These tropical houseplants will provide welcome shade and give a jungle vibe to conservatories or courtyards.

If this year’s Chelsea in Bloom was anything to go by, then the flower of the moment is without a doubt Gypsophila. There were hundreds, possibly even thousands of stems of this versatile, tiny white flower spotted in installations from Sloane Square right down the King’s Road and beyond. Why is Gypsophila so popular? It’s a great value for money flower as a little goes a long way, it also takes spray paint, dye and glitter easily. And despite its fragile appearance, it is m

Su Whale looks at popular umbels enjoying a fashionable moment in floristry.

Any florist who currently takes wedding bookings would be hard pushed to ignore the change in styles that is evident this year, and only set to take a stronger hold over the next two years. The days of loose, wispy wildflower bouquets is waning and in its place are structured cascading bouquets with a modern twist, bridesmaid’s bouquets are smaller, ultra-modern and a few varieties of flowers are featuring over and over again in images coming over from the USA and Australia.

Su Whale offers advice on how to create wedding cake flowers and what to avoid.

Tough, dependable, versatile; there are lots of good things to say about heather, or ling, as it is sometimes known. A low growing, evergreen shrub, with tiny, bell-shaped flowers, heather is typically associated with moors and heathland. A popular rockery and garden plant, it is also sold as a cut flower and foliage. Calluna and Erica are the two most well-known genera of heather. They flower at different times of the year, extending the overall flowering period. Erica flo