Olympic Medal Winners Bouquet London 2012

I have been captivated by the Olympic Games since the opening ceremony. I rarely watch sport but I have been glued to either the coverage on TV, Radio 5 Live or Twitter. The Olympic Committee and Team GB have done an amazing job, and its not over yet!

The only questions that keep reoccurring on twitter with (dare I say it?) maybe a slightly negative vibe, are about the bouquets…. Why are they small? What’s with the colour’s? Are they British flowers?

Love them or hate them, everyone has an opinion. So I thought I’d delve further and find out more details so you can make a informed decision about them…..

The Design Brief -

• British flowers
• Size 20cm x 25cm
• Strong visual impact
• Refelect the energy of London 2012
• Hardy varieties (to withstand varying temperatures and handling by non experts) 

The Design Story -

The Victory Bouquet was designed by the creative director of Jane Packer – Susan Lapworth.

• The bouquet is sectioned into quadrants of bold colour to mirror the 2012 logo. These are separated by British food ingredients & herbs to provide an eclectic fragrance.
• The bouquet is pointed not domed so the flowers can be seen when held aloft by the winners.

3 x Pink Rose – Aqua
3 x Yellow Rose – Illios
3 x Orange Rose – Marie Claire
3 x Green Rose – Wimbledon
60 x stems English Lavender, 10 x Rosemary, 10 x Apple Mint and 10 x Wheat

We chose a bright and vibrant colour theme that not only reflects the colours used in the 2012 logo but also throughout the London 2012 games. This vivid combination creates visual impact, which will also enhance the athlete’s moment of victory.

The Suppliers & Growers 

The key aim in the design of the bouquet was that the ingredients were grown in the UK. This was achieved with assistance from Landgard UK, providing the glass houses under which the components of the bouquets are grown. The roses were grown by Chessum Roses in Sussex, Mint and Rosemary by Landgard UK also in Sussex, Lavender by Long Barn in Hampshire, Wheat by Shropshire Petals.

We have chosen British grown herbs, lavender, apple mint and rosemary.  These provide an eclectic fragrance which is important to enhance the ‘moment’ of triumph for the athlete. Along with these herbs,  we have included wheat, a source of energy, to reflect the ‘energy lines’ of the London 2012 theme that has been an influence throughout the design process.

A total number of 4800 bouquets would be required for London 2012 and the Paralympic Games. (Each bouquet has 12 roses – that’s 57,600 roses in total!) So once the flowers have been sourced, how do you create and supply over 1000 bouquets a day?…..

Partner Colleges - 

Jane Packer partnered with colleges whose floristry students are assisting in the creation of  The Victory Bouquets, including Writtle College in Essex, Bexley Adult College in Kent, and King Maurward in Dorset.

It was important to us that as part of our commitment to the UK floristry community, we involved the educational establishments that provide us with high calibre graduates that help develop our business. It also means that the wider floristry community is involved in the exciting opportunities that LONDON 2012 brings.

So what ever your thoughts are on The Victory Bouquets you have to admire the amount of creativity, effort and work put into these bouquets by so many British florists, students, suppliers and growers. Also it is a fitting tribute to Jane Packer who you may know sadly passed away last year, she was ground breaking in her approach to floristry and helped take British floristry to a higher level.

All I can say, is I love them, more so now that I know the provenance of the bouquets……go Team GB! All 60 million of us! #ProudToBeBritish!

kind regards

 

kat x

 

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Image credits: Jane Packer, The Telegraph