Say It With Marks and Spencer Flowers

AD // This is a paid partnership in collaboration with Marks and Spencer. All words, thoughts and images are my own.

Well here we are. The month that lots of people love to hate is at an end and after many long, dark days the promise of spring is hopefully right around the corner. I don’t tend to mind January too much though, it’s my birthday month and also the birthday month of many of my closest friends and as it turns out, so many people I follow on social media too! There must be something about all of us Aquarians and Capricornians naturally gravitating towards each other on some ‘other’ level.

I’m very excited to be working with Marks and Spencer on this post, showcasing their Marks and Spencer flowers gifting ranges and my thoughts on what to consider when choosing your perfect arrangement. With so many birthdays and reasons to celebrate in the middle of winter, there’s nothing better for me than splashing out on flowers to bring colour, life, warmth and creativity into our homes and the lives of our loved ones. We all feel these grey, cold days and sometimes it can all just feel a little bit wan in terms of vibrancy. Plus, let’s not forget that it’s a certain special day in just a couple of week’s time, if you happen to be a fan of Valentine’s Day. Make sure you say it with Marks and Spencer flowers…

There really is no better way to surprise a loved one or even treat yourself than with a beautiful bunch of blooms. Remember, it doesn’t even need to be a special occasion, just reaching out to say thank you or letting someone know you’re thinking of them is also the most wonderful reason to turn to horticulture.

We’re lucky to have a really great M&S just down the road in Bromley and when I treat myself they’re always my go-to for the varied range, value for money and longevity – I bought some Alstroemeria last year that lasted well over two weeks! But you don’t even need to worry if you don’t have access to a store – all the Marks and Spencer flowers can be ordered online with free next day UK flower delivery.

If you’re buying for someone else, here are some suggestions to think about when picking your stems:

• What does the recipient like? Just because you love on-trend peonies, they may have a classic taste for roses no matter the occasion or time of year. I can be very guilty of thinking about what I’d love to receive rather than the tastes of the friend or loved one
• Their interior style/décor – if they favour a pared-back, minimal aesthetic style, will your huge bouquet of rainbow colours be gratefully received? Sometimes less is more and a simple arrangement of the scented spring posy including tulips and narcissi can create an equally stylish impact
• What’s practical – now I LOVE lilies. The shape, the scent, the elegance. But with a cat at home and a sometimes allergic husband, I have to accept that lilies aren’t really possible. Boo is amazing and pays zero attention to flowers, but I can’t shake that nagging feeling that I might just accidentally drop a little bit of pollen and it could have very serious repercussions
• The space – some people live in huge country pads, others live in small city-centre apartments. Even though we have a lot of space at home I can sometimes feel overwhelmed when a huge bouquet of flowers arrives whereas as a simple bud vase styled on a shelf with a few stems looks absolutely elegant

But never mind thinking about other people, I also love to gift flowers to myself (who doesn’t?) As I’m sure most of you know reading this, our home is in a constant state of never-ending renovation and DIY flux. It often looks bare and not overly homely, so bouquets are a way I can inject a little bit of warmth into the space without too much effort. For me with many plates spinning at the same time, I love the floral arrangements from Marks and Spencer which I can literally unwrap and decant straight into a vase without needing to spend ages faffing and re-arranging. The perfect solution for a busy creative entrepreneur (yes, I’m still trying to work out my official ‘job title’ in this new venture of mine).

One of my favourite places to pop flowers in our home is in the hallway. I’ve long since thought the hallway is an overlooked and underused room. I feel very fortunate that we have a typical 1930’s space which is light and airy. It’s more or less the only area of your home that most people see (think postmen, delivery men etc) and also the first impression for guests, so why wouldn’t you want to make it feel welcoming? We have a reclaimed handmade oak console table in the hallway that is the perfect surface to add a vase or arrangement and as I’m not one for constantly changing up my interior décor, flowers are a way to do just that.

Now I’m spending more time in our home office, it’s also a treat to have something in there which reminds me of the outdoors. This is our box room bedroom that we turned into a his ‘n’ hers office, again quite typical of 1930’s homes, but it’s perfect for the little bud vase I mentioned earlier. I keep it on the shelves or on my desk with just a couple of stems in it to perk up the space and it doesn’t feel cluttered or like it’s getting in the way.

The bathroom is another overlooked space when it comes to fresh flowers. Our main bathroom has quite a minimal and very monochrome look, it’s a temporary makeover from the bathroom we inherited. Whilst we’re saving up to renovate it, a vibrant bunch of colourful tulips on the windowsill adds a little bit of whimsy in this elegant teardrop vase.

We’re a little bit limited for styling space in the living room at the moment since this is one of our main renovation focuses. We don’t have a coffee table and our newly built alcove cupboards and shelves are still painfully bare. But where there’s a will there’s a way. I’ve been using the ledge of our large bay window for this stunning etched cylinder vase when I can keep Boo off the windowsill, perfect for larger displays like this Fairtrade Rose and Alstroemeria bouquet. And never underestimate the unusual! Despite having a boisterous dog and an inquisitive cat, they’re both fairly well behaved which means that I can get away with vases on the floor so long as they’re sturdy enough.

What I love about Marks and Spencer flowers over and above anything else is that they’ll always brighten someone’s day, whether for ourselves or a loved one. The versatile accompaniment to any home style, affordable and guaranteed to make us smile.

AD // This is a paid partnership in collaboration with Marks and Spencer. All words, thoughts and images are my own. As always I would only work with brands or products that I genuinely love and would use anyway.

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