Ivy Leaf Florist

Meet the new guard doing beautiful things with blooms... We’ll be looking at bunches of blooms in a different way thanks to the new generation of florists rising up the botanical ranks. Why? Well, they’re looking beyond the buckets of cut flowers at markets and heading out into the great outdoors, growing their own flora and foliage to use in free-form designs inspired by nature. Here, three leading lights in floral design – Aesme, Juliet Glaves and Kitten Grayson Flowers – reveal how they are helping reinvent the craft.A striking blend of spring flowers creates a romantic display by AesmeAESME: BEST FOR WILD AND GARDEN FLOWERSSisters Ally Nutting and Jess Lister joined forces to launch Aesme in 2015. As owners of an artisanal flower studio in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, they’ve worked on weddings, parties and with clients such as Jo Malone London. Here, the duo tell us about drawing on the English garden as inspiration.WHEN DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN FLOWERS?A: Jess and I were living in Oxford, doing all sorts of jobs. I was making arrangements as a hobby in my spare time. Jess is an amazing illustrator, as is our mum [also an interior designer], so we both always had an awareness of colour and design.Jess and Ally in their studioHOW DID FLOWERS BECOME A FULL-TIME JOB?A: We’d always wanted to run our own business, so one day Jess and I met for a coffee and just decided to do it. From the start, we knew we didn’t want to follow the normal floristry route, but instead work with unusual flowers we’d grown ourselves.WHY GROW YOUR OWN BLOOMS?A: Floristry has become like the slow food movement – where people want to use seasonal produce. There’s now a growing appetite for arrangements using proper garden flowers.A wreath of moss, dog rose and clematis exemplifies the sisters’ delight in the dainty and delicateTELL US ABOUT YOUR ARRANGEMENTS.A: Roses tend to be our focal point and we arrange them with what&...

Know immediately if your child has a handful of Virginia creeper or poison ivy. Tricia Goss 2018-05-15 WikimediaDid your child just find some Virginia creeper, or did she dig up a handful of poison ivy? Identifying flowers, leaves and trees can be useful, educational and even entertaining. But while you can attempt an online search if you’re not sure what something is, googling “white star shaped flower” can turn up hundreds of pages of possible results.Using an app made to identify growing things can be so much simpler. Just snap a picture or enter some info and you’ll quickly discover what type of flora you’re viewing. This collection of top plant and flower identification apps for both Android and iOS will help you choose the one that suits your needs.1. PictureThisThis app, which uses AI to identify flowers and greenery, is extremely easy to use. You can upload a photo from your phone or snap a picture and wait while the app determines the type of plant.Note that the app may provide several similar choices. Also, it may provide a name with which you are not familiar, but which is absolutely correct for the plant in question. For instance, when I uploaded a photo of bluebonnets, it returned an ID of lupine (the state flower of Texas is in the lupine family). Likewise, a flower known as a devil’s paintbrush in one region might be called fox-and-cubs in another. Luckily, the app provides the Latin name for the plant, too.Download from iTunesDownload from Google PlayPicture This2. Garden Answers Plant IdentificationYou must create an account and log in to use this app (or you can opt to log in via Facebook). You can also link to your Pinterest profile, if you choose. Then, just take a photo of a plant or upload one from your phone. The app will then provide multiple options, from which you can choose the best match. Once you make your selection, the app provides detailed information about the plant. Tip: If you get a server error, rebooting your phone should do the trick.Download from iTunesDownloa...