A FLORAL FEAST - IN CONVERSATION WITH HAMISH POWELL

They say you are what you eat; indeed, I am what I arrange.

I’m as much of a flower as the stems I put in my vases - delicate and whimsical, hungry for the sun and fearful of winter, a bit of a show off and totally at home in the dappled light of a woodland floor. I call myself a florist, but it feels deeper than that, it feels more overpowering and all encompassing.

Flowers are my muse and my medium. If I’m not arranging them, I’m writing about them. I feel like my poetry and floristry are two different routes to the same destination: some kind of emotional expression, some kind of love letter to nature, some kind of gratitude for this life.

I began, as many do, as a hopeless hobbyist. I was a strapped-for-cash student at the university of Manchester, studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Biotechnology. In search of a part time job with slight relevance to my vocation, I hand-delivered my CV packed with bogus floral experience to every florist in the city. I only heard back from one shop – time flew and flowers were flung and three years later I took over management of the business! That same summer I graduated and found myself at a crossroad of science or art. To control the flowers or let them control me.

Because of floristry, I learnt how to express myself through the flowers. How could I put on a lab-coat and turn my back on that? So, eight years and a city move later, through my studio I’m able to connect this city to nature more and more every day.

The theme for this year’s Chelsea in Bloom is ‘Floral Feasts’. It's a wonderful narrative with a paralyzingly broad scope of creation, so I looked to Penhaligon’s heritage for inspiration. I found it in the birthplace of the brand’s founder, William Penhaligon, who was born in Cornwall in 1837.

That was it! One of the country’s most recognisable foods heralds from Cornwall; the humbly iconic Scone, the star of the Cornish Cream Tea.

Instantly recognisable and cherished by Brits and visitors alike, it was an instant eureka moment. I love to imagine Mr. Penhaligon amidst the chaos of his London perfumery eating a scone and gently reminiscing of his home county.

Well, given my involvement in this project I should remain neutral but let’s just say… in my eau de scone, I need my top notes to be cream and base notes to be jam – just how the Cornish intended!