Join us for the Great British Bloom Off

What does it take to create show-stopping flowers? Get ready to find out, because we’ve got some very exciting news…

We’ve found four of the country’s best local florists and we’re putting them to the test in a brand new show: Interflora’s Great British Bloom Off. A brand new competition to find the best of the best in UK floristry.

Each episode our talented artisans will face a tough, new design challenge in the battle to be crowned champion. Can they really create blooms worthy of a celeb wedding? Or blooms that will boost your mood? Judging that are the best in the business, the people who know flowers and style inside out: florist to the stars Simon Lycett, internationally-renowned florist and floristry judge Karen Barnes, and interior designer and colour expert Eva Sonaike. They’ll be looking for a stand out florist – someone who combines originality and creativity with perfect floristry technique.

And they won’t be the only ones judging – we’re giving you the chance to have your say. Vote for your favourites on Instagram and you’ll get the chance to win your very own hand-crafted bouquet after each episode.

Tune in on Wednesday 19th May 2021 at 7pm on IGTV, and Facebook, for all the floral action (be sure to follow us so you don’t miss it!)

Meet the florists

Each exceptionally talented, these are the florists ready to unleash some serious flower power.

Erica owns Bleujen in beautiful Bude down in Cornwall. She loves serving her local community and is no stranger to a floristry competition, in fact she’s won medals at one of the most prestigious there is – the RHS Chelsea Flower Show! Erica finds that her personality is sometimes reflected in her bouquets with some loud and bright and others warm and calming.

She’s really excited about the competition, she told us "I just want to be me, really! Everything that I'm going to create is all based around what colours I love, and what flowers I love".

Hailing from wonderful Wales Charlotte works at Hilary’s Floral Design Abergavenny alongside her mum and dad. In 2017 she won RHS Young florist of the Year but that isn’t the only award she’s snagged – she’s been named best wedding florist in Wales at The Welsh National Wedding Awards for 8 years running!

She told us she absolutely loves doing wedding flowers, so wedding week should be a piece of (wedding) cake for her. She said “I really love being a florist, every single day is different!”.

Mike runs Herbarium Florist in Aldridge with his wife Sue. What can we expect to see of him in the competition? Well, something a little different to his usual parred back style. Mike’s pledged to push himself out of this comfort zone in the competition by forgoing his signature muted tones in favour of bold colour.

He explained "Every day, I take the same old flowers that God created, and make something different with them".

Jo runs Daisy Chain Floral Design near the world famous Shepperton studios – in fact Jo has designed flowers for Peaky Blinders and the 2017 Beauty and the Beast film! She’s worked at Daisy Chain alongside her mum, who founded the business in 1982, for 30 years. Another florist familiar with awards, Jo was part of the gold medal winning Interflora team at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Jo describes her style as quite traditional and she likes the quintessentially English country garden look. She said "I really want to wow the judges, and hopefully my personality is going to shine through in what I create".

Simon Lycett

Florist to mega stars and royalty, Simon Lycett loves to make people’s floral dreams a reality. His arrangements have graced royal palaces, grand palazzos and stunning venues the world over. And if that wasn’t enough he’s now a presenter and author too! You’ll find him popping up on gardening podcasts, on BBC radio and he’s recently published two beautiful volumes about the New Covent Garden flower market. He knew he loved flowers from the age of seven – will he find the same passion in our florists?

Creator of the eponymous London-based interiors business, Eva Sonaike designs gorgeous textiles and furnishings that blend African and European traditions. Her products are stocked in prestigious stores around the world from Selfridges in London, to Alara in Lagos. With a fast-growing social media following, Eva will keep our florists on their toes when it comes to trends, but with her ethos of ‘bringing colour to life’ she’ll have a keen eye on their palettes too.

Karen is one of the UK’s leading consultants to the floral industry. With too many awards to name and 35 years experience crafting and judging gorgeous flowers across the globe, Karen is as knowledgeable and skilled as they come! She’s also a longtime friend of Interflora having previously led our product development (you have her to thank for many of our previous gorgeous designs!). Voted one of the top ten florists in the UK by The Independent on Sunday, Karen knows floristry and the floristry industry like the back of her hand, so the florists better brush up on their technique.

Don’t want to miss the Bloom Off? Make sure you follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook. Episode one airs Wednesday 19th May on IGTV and Facebook... let the blooms begin!