Client Overview
Sector: Public Garden & Horticultural Charity
Product Used: Dried Flowers
Project: Oversized Tulip Installation for Tulip Festival
Website: rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley
Instagram: @rhsgardenwisley
About RHS Garden Wisley
Founded in 1878, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society and one of the UK’s most visited horticultural destinations. Spanning more than 240 acres, Wisley is celebrated for its renowned plant collections, the Glasshouse and world-class horticultural education, offering year-round inspiration for gardeners and visitors alike.
The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow while nurturing a healthier, happier world.
The Project
This year, the Wisley gardening team planted more than 100,000 tulip bulbs, creating a breathtaking burst of spring colour from March to May as part of their tulip celebration. The team wanted to complement the living displays with a striking artistic installation, oversized tulip heads crafted from sustainable dried flowers.
To bring this vision to life, RHS Wisley used approximately 750 bunches from LSF Wholesale, selecting natural materials grown and dried on our Shropshire farm. These flowers were used to create vibrant, textural oversized tulip sculptures that echoed the beauty of the surrounding displays while offering visitors something unexpected and immersive.
Why RHS Wisley Chose LSF Wholesale
Sustainability was central to the brief. The RHS is committed to environmentally friendly practices and wanted to work with a like-minded British grower able to supply natural dried flowers with strong sustainability credentials.
Our flowers are grown, dried and packed on our farm in Shropshire, helping reduce transport miles while providing the natural textures and colours needed for a large-scale installation. Using British grown dried flowers also aligned with the RHS’s wider commitment to sustainable gardening and environmentally conscious sourcing.
Flowers Supplied for the Installation
For the oversized tulip heads, RHS Wisley selected a mix of helichrysum, statice and rice flower chosen for their colour, form and texture, supplied across two large pallets for the project. These natural materials helped create sculptural floral forms while showcasing the beauty and versatility of dried flowers on a grand scale.
The Result
The installation became a standout feature within Wisley’s tulip celebrations, suspended from the Pavilion ceiling opposite the Old Laboratory, where visitors could walk beneath and admire the display. It demonstrated how dried flowers can be used beyond traditional floristry in large-scale artistic and horticultural installations.
The project brought together creativity, sustainability and British grown flowers in a way that resonated with visitors and showcased the possibilities of natural dried materials in public garden spaces.
Client Testimonial
“I have been part of RHS Garden Wisley for nearly 12 years, and for the past eight years I have undertaken the additional role of creating floral installations across the garden. My work has ranged from filling Pavilion ceilings with dried flowers to designing vibrant large-scale displays, including a dried flower piano, Christmas trees decorated with dried flower tinsel, and fresh arrangements for high-end events. Wherever possible, I harvest and use materials from RHS Garden Wisley to ensure my projects are both sustainable and seasonal, while also working with UK flower farms that share these values.
For my recent project creating large tulip installations, I chose to work with LSF Wholesale flowers due to their exceptional range. Their blooms offered beautifully vibrant yet natural tones, without the need for artificial dyes. I carefully placed dried flowers into the structures, using their natural variations in tone to create depth and shadow, bringing each piece to life.I look forward to developing more projects like this in the future and continuing my collaboration with LSF Wholesale to bring new creative ideas to life.” — Natalie Plumbridge Glasshouse Team Leader | Horticultural Specialist in Dried Flowers and Floristry
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