FLORAL ACHIEVEMENT 1: A SUMMER BOUQUET FOR RACHEL DE THAME

Last year I asked participants to create a bouquet in the style of Sarah Raven. This year we go one better and create a floral tribute to that loveliest and most fragrant of TV presenters, Rachella Duckface De Thame. 

29th August update
Two wonderful entries at once, firstly, from Karen, An Artist's Garden (UK). She writes, "As you can see – I have scoured my garden for fragrant lovelies and included in the arrangement are Pinks, Rose, Lavender. From the English country garden amongst other things, I include, verbascum, hardy geranium, lavatera, dried poppy seed heads, nigella. I also include fuchsia, in a blatant attempt to curry favour with a certain judge. I have set my arrangement against that quintessential sign of an english summer, a rain spattered window on a damp grade 11 listed windowsill." Such a beautiful bouquet. 

And Helen the Patient Gardener, last year's victorious title-holder, sent this: "I was in two minds to enter as I didnt think I had much pink and fluffy in the garden but having spoken to Karen last night and seen her post I thought I had better try and defend my crown! So here is my bouquet which has a Lily and a rose in it and before VP and Karen claim I have cheated using shop bought roses I can confirm that the white rose in this picture is from my garden which is why it looks abit moth eaten. I havent used any of the roses I was given by my blind date - honest."  Gorrgggeous. Just like Rachel herself. 

6th Sept FINAL UPDATE

from Claire Potter, who writes: "some lovely sweet peas" for lovely Rachel.  

And blimey, what about this for a gorgeous bunch. Rothschild Orchid from Wisteria and Cow Parsley sent this, though she claims she didn't have much to do with the making of it.

"Stilton has been busying himself with making a bouquet for the FLORAL ACHIEVEMENT 1: A SUMMER BOUQUET FOR RACHEL DE THAME. He says he was influenced by that lovely border she made in the GW special. He got lots of beautiful dark flowers such as dahlia's and chocolate cosmos', then added a few blowsy roses and pale cosmos flowers for that girly touch and then when he thought it was looking like a rather lovely bunch of flowers he quickly went down the hay meadow and picked lots of grasses and smothered it with them!".

Well, for a cat he is really good at flower arranging.