The Year of the Fire Horse. In China, the horse is a symbol of strength, swiftness, freedom and perseverance. Further adding to its potency, the Fire Horse combines the element of fire with the powerfulness of the horse, signifying a year of passion, activity and progress.    How can florists celebrate the Chinese New Year?  Although it might seem too much to expect to put on a special promotion for Chinese New Year, coming as it does hot on the heels of Valentine’s Day, th

New beginnings, rebirth and hope are just some of the qualities attributed to the delicate and modest Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, also known as ‘Fair Maids of February’. A winter perennial, it is one of the first welcome signs of spring in gardens and woodlands, easy to spot with its dark green glossy leaves and nodding, white bell-shaped flowers.   Buying Galanthus  For the cut flower market, most commercially grown Galanthus are from The Netherlands, where they can be bo

Su Whale gets creative with suggestions for affordable floral gifts for Mother's Day.

Follow Su Whale's guide to conditioning and caring for your Valentine's roses.

The nation’s love of houseplants shows no sign of abating, with magazines and social media full of new varieties and new ideas on what to buy and how to display. No home is now considered complete without a plant or two or perhaps many more than that… so what are the new trends for 2026 and how can florists embrace and adapt them for sale?  Living Wall Art  ‘Houseplant styling’ are the buzz words for indoor gardening in 2026, focussing on decorative accents rather than huge c

Su Whale explores these surprisingly exotic-looking meadow flowers.

Su celebrated the vibrant colours of cornus stems and its usefulness in design work at this time of year.

How better to encourage your customers to start a new houseplant obsession than with some easy care green indoor plants that are also believed to bring good luck and fortune?  Jade plant Crassula ovata   A bushy evergreen with fleshy, succulent leaves, often tinted with red, Crassula is slow growing and possibly one of the easiest plants to look after and propagate. Cared for correctly, it has the extra bonus of flowers in the summer, producing clusters of pretty, starry whit

A firecracker of a flower!  Pronounced ‘Loo-co-SPUR-mum’ the pincushion protea grows in a range of rich colours from tawny orange to red, a perfect palette for autumnal designs. Also know as Pincushion Protea, Nodding Pincushion, Sunburst Protea, Leucospermum is a member of the ancient Protea family. It is indigenous to South Africa where it provides essential food for birds and insects; it has a tactile, spiky flower head and pale green leathery leaves which grown in a spira

Never out of the top 10 of the world’s favourite flowers, the tulip is an iconic spring flowering bulb.

The third Monday of January is labelled as ‘Blue Monday,’ a date not based on scientific fact, although it was first suggested by a health psychologist before being taken up as a marketing tool by a travel company. Despite that, January is genuinely a very difficult month for many, with the combination of short days, the post-Christmas slump and seemingly weeks to go before pay day.    So how can we cheer up our customers (and ourselves) in these dark, dismal days? Without a

This week Su celebrates the arrival of Cornish-grown Narcissi; another welcome sign that spring is on the way.

Expand your Valentine’s gift range to include Gerbera

National Houseplant Week falls conveniently into the lull that comes after the Christmas decs have been packed away and before the prep begins in earnest for Valentine’s Day.  A time when people need a little pick me up and, after recovering from a busy festive season, perhaps nothing too challenging either, so here are my personal top five houseplants that are guaranteed to chase away January blues and brighten up an otherwise grey month.  My top 5 Customer Friendly Plants 

Su Whale's comprehensive guide to choosing and using UK-grown flowers and foliage.