A very Northern collab; 27 Arches installation for the Manchester Flower Festival

When I was asked to be a part of the Stockport Florist Collective (Stockport being just down the road from me and blessed with a number of great florists), I was thrilled to have some flowery friends I could meet up with for some professional solidarity, camaraderie and, perhaps, collaboration. Let's be real for a second, it can be very isolating running your own business and working for yourself!

The theme was Manchester icons, so the idea behind the flower installation was to emulate the Stockport viaduct, an imposing landmark on the skyline that has been around since the Victorians. We wanted to create a structure that was built from man-made objects such as metal, brick and wire, and then weave organic material through it, so the overall effect was that of nature reclaiming an old industrial icon.

As you can see, it was very much a joint effort, and we all pitched in to brainstorm ideas, design, plan and prepare, before working in shifts to create the final installation. Going down to see it later that week with my family was such a proud moment, and I was so happy to see how busy the whole flower festival was, and how much attention our arches received. If you're close to Manchester and you've never been to see the festival before, keep an eye out for it next year as it's a brilliant day out and features installations from many talented florists as well as gift stalls and food shops aplenty.

Thanks so much to my fellow florists MillieBuds, Indie Bloom, The Garden of Iris and Love Florals, and I'll leave you with these wonderful photos of our design, captured by photographer Fiona Finchett

Mel x