RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year 2011 winners
Chelsea invites visitors to a day at the races, bringing all of the excitement to the show in the third annual RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year and RHS Young Chelsea Florist of the Year competitions.
For the final round of the RHS Young Chelsea Florist of the Year RHS Young Chelsea Florist of the Year competition, the florists have designed jockey silks that are at least two-thirds floral material.
Joseph Massie of springbank flowers is the 2011 Young Florist of the Year, open to florists younger than 25. Even though he has won the title the past two years, he is still honoured. ‘It's amazing! I feel incredible!’, says Joseph.
Creating a jockey silk from flowers was hard he admits, considering he has never designed from fabric. He looked to A McQueen's alien-themed 2010 collection for inspiration.
‘It was a nightmare to begin with, but after finding my technique in a few practice runs it turned out well’, says Joseph.
Sarah Horne of Sarah Horne Flowers has beat out 400 florists to win RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year. ‘I always wondered if I would ever get Best in Show at Chelsea. I'm thrilled to bits!’ Her interest in vintage lace and china inspired her design. And unlike Joseph, Sarah's winning design is the first draft. ‘You need to be hungry to get the design right the first time,’ she says.
Dennis van Wonderen of the British Florist Association hopes the competition will broaden the public's understanding of floristry. ‘A florist does a lot more than just sell flowers,' he says. 'We are a dying breed on the high street because people go to the supermarket to buy flowers.
This competition is about showing that florists can create something that's special, wacky, weird or wonderful.’
Last year competitors designed floral parasols and the previous year, formal hats. Who knows? Maybe, to complete the floral ensemble, trousers will be next year's challenge? But one thing is certain, it will be something you can't find anywhere but Chelsea.