The Flower Shop has a dedicated and knowledgeable team of artisanal florists who can provide flowers, bouquets and floral arrangements for any occasion, and with the offer of a same day delivery service we are confident of providing our designs in a timely fashion. Our team are rightly proud of the town they live in, including the surrounding region, and find inspiration here on a daily basis. In addition to their passion for flowers, the team is passionate about the history and beauty on their doorstep. Our florists are confident that after sharing a brief history of the town they call home, and the natural beauty that inspires them, others will be similarly inspired.
Located in Hampshire, in the south east of England, Southampton is a major port city with a population in excess of 250,000. The city sits at the confluence of the rivers Test and Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south. There is archaeological evidence of human habitation in the area since the Stone Age, and after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD a fortress settlement called Clausentum was established in what is now known as Bitterne Manor. After this settlement was abandoned in 410AD the Anglo-Saxons built a new, larger settlement, known as Hamwic on the site now known as St. Mary’s. Incidentally, the name Hampshire derives from this settlement. After the Norman Conquest of 1066 the city became a major port and has remained so ever since. After becoming a spa town in 1740, there was major expansion during the Victorian period, with the foundation stone of Southampton Docks being laid in 1838 and the city soon became known as ‘The Gateway to the Empire’. The ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic departed from Southampton in 1912 with the vast majority of the crew being Southampton residents.
One of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed heathland, pasture land and forest in the UK, The New Forest, is on the outskirts of the city. The New Forest, which features in the Doomesday Book, was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror. Covering almost 30,000 hectares it is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Park. The New Forest boasts a variety of habitats which contain a diverse array of rare wildlife including the New Forest cicada, Cicadetta montana, the UK’s only native cicada. Rare plants and flowers, such as marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), marsh clubmoss (Lycopodiella inundata) and the wild gladiolus (Gladiolus illyricus) can be found in the wet heaths of the site.
The city is also home to several nature reserves which offer a chance for aspiring florists to explore nature in the heart of the city. Peartree Green is one such nature reserve and is near the site of the historic Supermarine factory, which was famous for its production of Spitfires and seaplanes. The factory was subjected to major air attacks during World War 2 which destroyed many houses and left bomb craters which later became landfill sites. After construction of the M27 in the 1970s, chalk was laid at the site creating a unique habitat for flowers such as the pyramidal orchid these in turn attracted various insects like the white marbled butterfly and the white letter hairstreak butterfly. These, in turn, have increased the number and variety of flowers on the site. It is little surprise that the wonders of nature have attracted both amateur and professional florists to the site in search of inspiration.
The florists at The Flower Shop are sure that after reading this brief history of the city and the nature that can be found here potential customers will be inspired just as our team is. Our florists have the experience and expertise to provide any floral design for any occasion.