IT ALL BEGAN a month ago, when someone we knew sadly lost her husband suddenly. We wanted to send flowers, of course, so I found myself searching online for florists that would deliver in her area and would not disappoint. I’d been here before, searching the internet for flowers to say thank you, only to find out later that the bouquet that arrived didn’t look anything like the photo of what I had thought I purchased. In my recent searches, happened upon a new trend in floristry of sites providing sustainable and seasonal offerings. One site I discovered, started by a husband and wife team in 2014, offer a selection of only two bouquets each week, a mix of flowers that they grow on their farm in Cornwall. I ordered from this one to see if the bouquet would, indeed, be as pictured. (Photos of this delivery were posted on our Instagram Stories.) I also ordered a holiday wreath for our front door from another florist near London. As a side note, slightly disappointed at first with both of these orders, until I realised that I have exceedingly high (perhaps even unrealistic) expectations (for everything).
In my searches, also came upon Milli Proust flowers, which offers organically grown, seasonal flowers, which means that at the moment, there are only dried bouquets available. Proust made the move from London to rural West Sussex in January 2017, and explains, “The total space I grow on amounts to less than an acre―this is seriously small-scale growing. I don’t own the land I grow on, but for however long I’m [its] custodian, I will do everything I can to nurture and replenish this corner of the Earth.” Proust grows unusual stems of flowers, many that can’t be found in the market. Once fresh bouquets are available again in the spring, we’ll order from here to see if they are everything they promise to be. For now, here are a few beautiful photos of Proust’s world…
