The British Florist Association has announced that it will be creating a floral stand feature at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this May as a highlight of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
The stand ‘The British Florist Association at 100’ will be staged in the heart of the floristry zone of Chelsea’s Great Pavilion, and has been designed by floristry students at BFA Member College, Moreton Morell in Warwickshire, led by its award-winning tutors Jane Benefield and Laura Leong.
“What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the British Florist Association than at Chelsea, the world’s greatest flower show?” said Brian Wills-Pope, Chair of the BFA. “The British Florist Association has always been the voice of the independent florist, and Chelsea is an extraordinary showcase of the best of professional floral design. This year, we are not only organising the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year final and heats in partnership with the RHS for the 8th year in succession, but we will also have our own floral feature as a platform to share our passion for floristry with a wider audience.”
To the front of the stand will be a colossal freestanding number ‘100’ some 2.5 metres high, decorated with over 6000 fresh cut flowers in eye-catching, vibrant shades of pink, orange and green. Visitors will be able to look through the giant circles of flowers onto the future of floristry: the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year competition. Taking pride of place amidst the of fascinating archive photographs on the back wall of the stand – showcasing florists, florist shops and floral styles of the past century – will be the original wooden