A few weeks ago I was sitting in an airport waiting for a flight to take me away from sunny Lanzarote and back to a rather damp gray day in England. Slightly low in spirits I decided to check my emails to pass the time – imagine my delight when I found a lovely note from a lady called Hollie introducing her business MiaFleur and asking if I would be interested in trialing a couple of her products. It is one of the benefits of blogging that lovely treats like this occasionally come my way and today I would like to share with you the lovely garden items I have received.
First though a little bit about MiaFleur. MiaFleur is a real family business, founded in 2012 and run by Hollie with her sister and mother (who is a Peonies & Posies reader!!) They specialise in an eclectic mix of home and garden accessories – often very practical items that have been given a beautiful twist or things that you might not need but desire because they are so perfectly styled. I was delighted to receive a Floral Garden Kneeler and Bird Twine Dispenser in the post just a few days later!
Every gardener needs somewhere to store their garden twine. Mine tends to live in a knotted mess at the bottom of my garden bag, so this lovely dispenser and scissors is a huge improvement!
The little bird on the top even matches the metal birds on some of my obelisks and garden supports!
The garden kneeler is beautifully made with a thick foam cushion that holds its shape and keeps my knees warm, dry and clean. I am a kneeling weeder – I rarely use a hoe – so a good kneeler is a garden essential for me.
When that kneeler comes in my favorite shade for garden accessories I am a very happy bunny indeed! I have included dahlia ‘Eveline’ in the photo as the pinky purple shading matches the kneeler so well.
You may be wondering how I can be so confidently recommending something I have only had for a few weeks? I have actually been using the same Bradleys kneeler for nearly 4 years now and although the color has faded the thick cushion is just as good now as it was when I first got it – this really is the best kneeler I have ever used. It has had almost daily use in all weathers and has been left outside in the rain on more than an occasional day.
The leather has lost its lovely purple hue, but the plastic is rip free and only slightly faded. The handle is unbroken and the cushion is in perfect condition. The leather patch you can see is actually a pocket, which I find very handy to slip my secateurs into when I am not using them – a habit that has marked an end to the many mislaid pairs I have left around the garden and found months later rusty and unusable as I clear a bed for winter.
I put the two side by side so that you can see how well my kneeler has stood up to 4 years of constant use. I am delighted to have another one, as I can now keep one in each greenhouse and will never have far to go to find protection if I need to do a spot of weeding.
As I was taking these photos I thought why not make a little something so that I can show you a practical use for this lovely MiaFleur Twine Holder besides tying up garden stems. A boutonniere sprung to mind – a boutonniere is basically a buttonhole – a floral decoration worn by men, primarilly at weddings. Usually it will be just one flower pinned to the jacket lapel, but in recent years it has become more fashionable to make boutonnieres as mini bouquets – young men today seem to be more comfortable about wearing flowers than previous generations have been.
These little florists scissors that came with my Twine Holder are a great addition to my floral tools. They are a perfect size for snipping small flower heads and generally tidying up delicate stems.
From my collection of small stems I chose a few flowers. Using the rose as a traditional focal flower, I softened the look with buddleja, feverfew, salvia, euphorbia and asparagus fern. I bound the stems together with the twine and trimmed the bottom of the stems so they are all the same length.
These little boutonnieres are very quick to make and can be made with flowers that match the brides bouquet (even with left overs). Made the night before a wedding and kept standing in water in a cool dark place they should easily last the day when pinned to a jacket. Do remember to condition your flowers before arranging though by leaving them standing in a tall jug of cool water overnight. The more water they have absorbed before arranging, the longer they will last.
Thank you so much to MiaFleur for sending me these lovely products, which will have pride of place in my greenhouse as well as getting daily use in the garden. MiaFleur not only have a range of beautiful garden products, they also do lovely things for your home as well. Their stunning Autumn2015 Look Book is available now online and is well worth browsing through. I have noticed some of their new range appearing in magazines recently and I am sure this is a company that is going places!
MiaFleur have kindly offered my readers a discount of 20% off all of their garden range. This discount expires on the 30th of September and can only be used once – just quote discount code PEONY20 when making your purchase.
In addition to the lovely items I have featured here today, there are plenty more garden goodies to be found on their website – perfect to treat yourself with, or why not start a little early Christmas shopping and buy a few gifts for your garden loving friends and family – with 20% off now is as good as time as any to hit that Christmas list!
You can see much more of MiaFleur on their website and catch up with them on their social media pages – FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter. Miafleur also has a lovely blog that is well worth browsing through! They are clearly very busy girls and I wish them great success!
