The journey of bees keeps the cycle of life turning, to pollinate, grow and heal. Our ultraviolet palette of Cheshire blooms grown with love, provides the habitat for bees to thrive, inspiring cottage industries to produce their own pot of gold.
Our legacy #BeeFriendly #BeeLove
BEE FRIENDLY
Bee Kind
LOVE & COLOUR
Bees are an integral part of the ecosystem not only for our natural world but the economy too. The moongate represents the journey of bees who keep the cycle of life turning, by;
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pollinating our plants to fruit
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providing food and habitat for a range of other wildlife
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adding colour and beauty to our surroundings helping our wellbeing
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showing us the way, working together as a colony to produce a pot of delicious golden honey. #BeeFriendly #BeeKind
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sharing their love of life, honey is believed to have healing powers with antioxidant properties that protects our hearts, lowers blood pressure and may improve cholesterol #BeeLove
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providing a rich economy. In 2008, the British Beekeepers Association estimates that honey bees make a significant contribution to the £165 million annually generated for the UK economy through pollination by insects, with the figure put at £200 million in 2009 by the UK’s Public Accounts Committee.
The bee is the start of the viewers journey and is represented by a beautiful hive nestled with ‘Bee friendly’ Cheshire blooms, along with a floral palette of ultraviolet, the colour of bees vision. The flowers will climb and ramble along the moongate filled with an abundance of scent, textures and the natural rhythms of the seasons. They are perfect for the eco-conscious, these flowers are grown not flown. These beautiful blooms are grown with passion, love and have already provided food and habitat to a huge variety of butterflies, bugs, and bees in rural Cheshire before being cut for floral creations.
The honeycomb shelving made from recycled painted decking and touches of gold leaf added to reflect the value of honey in our local community. Each shelf will showcase a number of Cheshire businesses who are inspired and make a living from the natural world. Finally arriving at the foot of the moongate with an over flowing flowery golden pot of honey representing the pot of gold bees provide our environment, community and economy. Amongst the golden flowers there will be hand crafted paper flowers made from used books and magazines. We need to get creative in up cycling to reduce our consumption of goods.
Caring for our bees will ensure our community, wildlife and economy thrive together for years to come. Our legacy should #BeeKind #BeeFriendly #BeeLove
INTRODUCING
I was always creative as a child and I was often found sitting in a field sketching flowers and nature on the family farm in the Shropshire countryside. Following my heart led me to achieve a 1st Class Honours in Surface Pattern Design at University, followed by a successful career as a Visual Merchandising Manager at John Lewis. As a manager I missed being creative so I began a leisure course in floristry and I loved it!
In 2013 I founded the luxury floral design business Jacqui O. I replaced my pencils and sketchbook with flowers, I wanted to be surrounded by nature once again. My passion lies in the skilled art of showcasing some of the most beautiful gifts of nature, appreciated by those who see them not only for their beauty, but also their power to evoke emotion for a special occasion.
Jacqui O
Floral memories forever
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
As an entrepreneur I often find I am challenged to consider our planet over profit, I call this Blooming responsibility. In 2017 I launched A ‘Bee friendly' collection for eco-conscious couples after being inspired by Carol from Carol’s garden, at a florist conference. At this time a small number of couples considered both visual impact and the floral carbon footprint when choosing their wedding flowers. Today even the more well travelled image conscious couples take a moment to reflect on their contribution to global warming when planning their special day.
Carol describes her blooms ‘‘quirky, characterful flowers, with lots of variety to give a full, garden-inspired look’ which captures the essence of my Bee Friendly collection.
The flowers for the Moorgate will be handpicked by Carol for RHS Tatton Park and as we work with what Mother Nature provides it’s always a delight to see how the floral art installation will evolve. We hope to include some of the flowers listed;
Sweet peas, lavender, alchemilla mollis, mint, tanacetum, nepta, pholx, astranitia and scabious
Handpicked growers that handpick the flowers especially for you and me
CREATIVE BUSINESSES
As a designer I am passionate about beautiful things and I truly admire a number of talented businesses across Cheshire and neighbouring counties who design, create and produce some of the most beautiful handcrafted products and are inspired and/or make a living from the natural world. So during the pandemic I wanted to recognise these amazing entrepreneurs and include them in my floral installation at RHS Tatton Park.
#StrongerTogether #ShopLocal
Crafted with love & passion
BEEKEEPER
Richard Beal is a member of Cheshire Beekeepers and supporter of Bees for Development. He kind donated his time to create a selection of beeswax candles
SPECIAL THANKS
To my wonderful mum, Jean who has designed and made 60 crochet flowers for the exhibit.
My friend Frank and his friend Colin who made the hexagons from recycled decking boards ready for me to decorate.
