3 days ago
King's royal seal of approval for Weymouth florist
A FLORIST won a royal seal of approval for her spectacular display at Chelsea Flower Show.
Denise Jones, from Wyke Regis, won gold in the floristry category, with a nautical showstopper representing the mental health benefits of cold-water swimming.
And to make her day, King Charles, who regularly attends the show in Chelsea, was drawn to her substantial flower piece and stopped to discuss the design with her.
She said: 'He walked past my exhibit and came over to me and I wasn't on the protocol - it was completely off the cuff.
'He was really interested in the organic shape of the willow structures. It was a really warm conversation and totally unexpected.'
Denise, who has been a florist for 25 years, committed to making it her full time job after the pandemic in 2020, but found working in a studio by herself isolating.
As a result, she joined The Black Pigs swimming group and found the support, combined with the new hobby, greatly helped the mental health challenges she had been facing.
(Image: Denise Jones) She said: 'They are amazing. In the first instance, I joined to sea swim as it's a good mood booster.
'As a group, it's not just about swimming – they check in with me and cheer me on. Even when I couldn't swim, they'd ask how I was doing. They were just amazing.'
To represent the groups sense of unity, Denise created Ebb and Bloom: Textures of Emotion, a 3X3m structure in the shape of three waves.
It was one of the most ambitious in the competition and represented the tumultuous nature of mental health, with currents that can take people under.
The flowers weaved into the structure signified light at the end of the tunnel and were specially selected as plants that represent hope and healing.
(Image: Denise Jones) Denise, 58, who had never previously worked with willow, chose the material as it grows close to the sea.
She undertook workshops to learn how to work with the new material and the waves took two and a half months to produce. It was then compiled with the floral arrangements and presented on May 24.
'It needed to be impactful and not just a few flower arrangements,' Denise said, 'I created three huge willow waves, designed the frame and weaved green and white willow for the crest.
'The theme [was] that mental health can be overwhelming, so that was the thought process behind it.'
(Image: Denise Jones) The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is hosted annually by the Royal Horticultural Society and shows off the work of world-renowned plant specialists, florists and garden designers.
Denise qualified for the competition when she competed at the Maulvern Autumn RHS show in September, where she placed 1st against 16 areas in the UK.
Speaking of her incredible achievement, she said: 'It is the Wimbledon of the flower world. I'm speechless. It's surreal because it was such a big space and I had a vision, and I can honestly say I was so happy I finished.'
'I didn't even think I'd get a medal [so] to get a gold first time competing, it was surreal.'
(Image: Denise Jones)
Denise also runs her own workshops in her shop, The Floral Peacock Studio, to boost creativity and wellbeing in the community, as the swimming group did for her.
The Black Pigs Swimming Group, named after a boat on Smallmouth Beach, are an open water swimming group based in Weymouth. Many of its members have accredited the group to helping them through turbulent times and mental health issues.
Denise said: 'I started sea swimming because I thought it would give me purpose and boost my own mood which it did and that has become a big integral part of my life.
'Two came to see me at Chelsea and they were a big part of that journey. It's an amazing group of people. We're like minded and local and everybody is looking out for everybody else.'
