guardian.co.uk
UK and World news
Kate Middleton's homegrown bouquet of lily of the valley follows royal code
Bride chooses seasonal flowers that could have been plucked from an English country garden and OK'd by Queen Victoria
Lia Leendertz guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 April 2011 00.06 BST
The use of all British flowers – everything was grown by UK growers or cut from the royal estates – has delighted flower growers. Florist and flower grower Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers in Somerset hopes it boosts an already growing trend.
"The choice of British flowers - and of living trees that can be replanted - is very green, very zeitgeisty. And in that old-fashioned royal way, Kate and William have used this opportunity to encourage people to buy British. I'm very pleased," said Newbery.
All of the flowers were chosen by Middleton with reference to the rather twee "language of flowers", a floral code made popular by Queen Victoria. So the signature lily of the valley means "trustworthy", myrtle "hope and love", hornbeams "resilience", and field maples "humility and reserve". Not only twee but also pitfall-laden: lilac is for "youthful innocence" or "disappointment", depending on which version you believe, or just how distrustful you are.
UK and World news
Kate Middleton's homegrown bouquet of lily of the valley follows royal code
Bride chooses seasonal flowers that could have been plucked from an English country garden and OK'd by Queen Victoria
Lia Leendertz guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 April 2011 00.06 BST
Kate Middleton's bouquet was unusual in that it was small and subtle, apparently made almost entirely from lily of the valley, and so seasonal it could have been plucked from gardens on the way. Florist Shane Connolly has pointed an environmentally friendly way forward here in resisting "green bling" with expensive out-of-season lilies and roses.
Seasonality was the theme. The trees – field maples and hornbeams, wheeled in to the church with great physical difficulty and at a reputed cost of £50,000 – seemed an odd move, but they made Westminster Abbey feel fresh and spring-like, and brought with them (slightly incongruous) hints of a simple, old-fashioned country wedding.The use of all British flowers – everything was grown by UK growers or cut from the royal estates – has delighted flower growers. Florist and flower grower Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers in Somerset hopes it boosts an already growing trend.
"The choice of British flowers - and of living trees that can be replanted - is very green, very zeitgeisty. And in that old-fashioned royal way, Kate and William have used this opportunity to encourage people to buy British. I'm very pleased," said Newbery.
All of the flowers were chosen by Middleton with reference to the rather twee "language of flowers", a floral code made popular by Queen Victoria. So the signature lily of the valley means "trustworthy", myrtle "hope and love", hornbeams "resilience", and field maples "humility and reserve". Not only twee but also pitfall-laden: lilac is for "youthful innocence" or "disappointment", depending on which version you believe, or just how distrustful you are.
