Celebrating The Start Of Summer: Paul’s May Diary
Celebrating the Start of Summer
Paul Thomas Founder & Creative Director, Paul Thomas-Jeffreys heralds the new summer season and looks forward to the promise of better times to come following the long winter lockdown in his May Diary.
Words by Paul Thomas-Jeffreys
Photography by Julian Ward & Shaun James Cox
Suddenly it’s May! After what felt like an eternal winter with exceptionally prolonged cold weather, there is at last the promise of warmer days ahead. With that and the gradual opening up of the country after such a long lockdown, there is a real feeling of optimism in the air. May 17th is the next big date we look forward to as restaurants and hotels reopen. I can’t wait to be back at The Ritz, decorating their elegant rooms with flowers, ready to welcome their guests back.
“This is such a beautiful time of year for flowers with the crossover of late spring blooms and early summer varieties.”
PAUL THOMAS-JEFFREYS
This is such a beautiful time of year for flowers with the crossover of late spring blooms such as fritillaria, blossom, tulips and lilac with the early summer varieties. English sweet peas are at their best just now along with gorgeous peonies, Brompton stocks and delphiniums. We are so proud of our newly-launched Early Summer Collection of bouquets, which capture the essence of this most beautiful season.
We were fortunate enough to spend a lovely, sunny day photographing the new range in the stunning orangerie on the Sezincote Estate in Oxfordshire recently. The majestic, Neo-Mughal style house sits in the most spectacular grounds, which provided the perfect backdrop for our English garden-inspired designs. Look out for our posts on Instagram and Facebook as we share images of the latest bouquets in the beautiful surroundings of Sezincote. The photoshoot for the High Summer Collection is planned to take place in my own garden in The Cotswolds. I hope by then it will be looking good!
Last Sunday was National Garden Day. I think I can speak for many in saying that gardening has been a real tonic during the long, dark days of the lockdown. For those of us fortunate enough to have a garden, a terrace, an allotment or even a window box, being outdoors and watching Mother Nature at work is such an encouraging and hopeful activity.
“I think I can speak for many in saying that gardening has been a real tonic during the long, dark days of the lockdown.”
PAUL THOMAS-JEFFREYS
Speaking of Mother Nature, as part of our ongoing efforts to become a more sustainable business, we will soon be launching the first ever British Flowers selection on our website, to ensure locally grown flowers are available all year round. Beginning with English peonies, the range will change with the seasons and we look forward to offering the best of British as the seasons come and go.
In January this year I decided to use the second lockdown to restore an old rose garden in the grounds of the house where I live. After months of planning, digging and planting, I can’t wait to see my first roses soon and share some photos with you in my next diary entry.
Paul's picks
