At Acacia Flower Design, not only are we florists with a love of the local flora and fauna, but we are also passionate about the history of Chester, and Cheshire as a whole. As such we wanted to provide a little history of the town, the region and the abundance of wildlife and flowers to be found here.
Chester was founded as a Roman settlement during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian in 79 AD and was one of the main military settlements in Roman Britain, which then became a major civilian site. In 689 the first Chester cathedral was constructed at the site and walls were built to protect the city and its cathedral. These walls were so successful that Chester was one of the last cities to fall to the Normans. As a result, Chester is one of the best-preserved walled cities in Britain. It has a population of around 80,000 and the city is home to numerous medieval buildings, but many of these were restored in the Victorian era resulting from the Black-and-white Revival movement.
The city itself is not awash with greenery, but the county and surrounding areas more than make up for this relative lack of green spaces. There are a number of urban parks in the city, but there is a veritable feast of flora and fauna on the other side of the city walls. Perhaps the most famous of these is Tatton Park which has, since 1999, played host to North West England’s annual Royal Horticultural Society flower show. The show is comprised of events like the RHS National Flower Bed Competition and the Young Designer of the Year Award, in addition to inspirational show gardens, various marquees displaying prize plants and floral exhibitions and smaller ‘back-to-back’ gardens which showcase the skill and passion of talented local florists, not to mention highlighting the beauty of the flowers found in the area.
This brings us neatly on to the Cuckoo flower, Cardimane pratensis, which is the county flower of Cheshire. It is known locally as ‘milkmaid, no doubt a nod to the rich dairy heritage in the area. It is lilac with darker violet veins and opens around the time the cuckoo starts to call. In fact, the blooming of this flower is such an accurate predictor of the appearance of the cuckoo that it is mentioned in Richard Mabey’s Flora Britannica. The Cuckoo flower grows in abundance across the UK, especially where there is damp ground such as wetlands and along the banks of streams. You can be sure that many of Cheshire’s budding florists have come in to contact with these beautiful specimens.
As Cheshire is home to the internationally important Dee estuary, Cuckoo flowers are not the only specimens of interest to locals and visitors alike. In fact, the Burton Mere Wetlands, created on land reclaimed from the estuary is rich, wet grassland of shallow scrapes and lagoons which are home to a wide variety of wildfowl and wading birds. These in turn draws flocks of eager bird watchers and the RSPB has a site here. Parts of the wetlands are still farmed and crops and flowers grown here provide food and shelter to local wildlife throughout the year. In addition to the abundance of wildlife there are numerous flowers, including March marigold and fleabane, not to mention the southern marsh orchids, and bee orchids which also thrive here. These flowers provide the area with a natural beauty and are certainly an inspiration to anyone who sees them.
We are keen, yet artisanal florists who enjoy sharing our passions with the world. Whatever the occasion, we are certain you will not find more committed and passionate florists anywhere.
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At Acacia Flower Design, not only are we florists with a love of the local flora and fauna, but we are also passionate about the history of Chester, and Cheshire as a whole. As such we wanted to provide a little history of the town, the region and the abundance of wildlife and flowers to be found here.
Chester was founded as a Roman settlement during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian in 79 AD and was one of the main military settlements in Roman Britain, which then became a major civilian site. In 689 the first Chester cathedral was constructed at the site and walls were built to protect the city and its cathedral. These walls were so successful that Chester was one of the last cities to fall to the Normans. As a result, Chester is one of the best-preserved walled cities in Britain. It has a population of around 80,000 and the city is home to numerous medieval buildings, but many of these were restored in the Victorian era resulting from the Black-and-white Revival movement.
The city itself is not awash with greenery, but the county and surrounding areas more than make up for this relative lack of green spaces. There are a number of urban parks in the city, but there is a veritable feast of flora and fauna on the other side of the city walls. Perhaps the most famous of these is Tatton Park which has, since 1999, played host to North West England’s annual Royal Horticultural Society flower show. The show is comprised of events like the RHS National Flower Bed Competition and the Young Designer of the Year Award, in addition to inspirational show gardens, various marquees displaying prize plants and floral exhibitions and smaller ‘back-to-back’ gardens which showcase the skill and passion of talented local florists, not to mention highlighting the beauty of the flowers found in the area.
This brings us neatly on to the Cuckoo flower, Cardimane pratensis, which is the county flower of Cheshire. It is known locally as ‘milkmaid, no doubt a nod to the rich dairy heritage in the area. It is lilac with darker violet veins and opens around the time the cuckoo starts to call. In fact, the blooming of this flower is such an accurate predictor of the appearance of the cuckoo that it is mentioned in Richard Mabey’s Flora Britannica. The Cuckoo flower grows in abundance across the UK, especially where there is damp ground such as wetlands and along the banks of streams. You can be sure that many of Cheshire’s budding florists have come in to contact with these beautiful specimens.
As Cheshire is home to the internationally important Dee estuary, Cuckoo flowers are not the only specimens of interest to locals and visitors alike. In fact, the Burton Mere Wetlands, created on land reclaimed from the estuary is rich, wet grassland of shallow scrapes and lagoons which are home to a wide variety of wildfowl and wading birds. These in turn draws flocks of eager bird watchers and the RSPB has a site here. Parts of the wetlands are still farmed and crops and flowers grown here provide food and shelter to local wildlife throughout the year. In addition to the abundance of wildlife there are numerous flowers, including March marigold and fleabane, not to mention the southern marsh orchids, and bee orchids which also thrive here. These flowers provide the area with a natural beauty and are certainly an inspiration to anyone who sees them.
We are keen, yet artisanal florists who enjoy sharing our passions with the world. Whatever the occasion, we are certain you will not find more committed and passionate florists anywhere.
