Ringwood florist Emma Newson-Smith of Arcade Flowers triumphs at Chelsea in Bloom with Peter Rabbit display at hotel 11 Cadogan Gardens

A RINGWOOD florist sowed the seeds of success when her Peter Rabbit-themed display won the top prize at Chelsea in Bloom.

Taking inspiration from the area’s links to Beatrix Potter, Arcade Flowers managing director Emma Newson-Smith (45) chose the children’s favourite for the contest’s Flowers in Movies theme.

Around 200 plants and another 400 cut flowers were incorporated into the display decorating the entrance to luxury hotel 11 Cadogan Gardens.

These included delphiniums, foxgloves, roses, hydrangea and lavender, along with larkspur and peonys.

The centrepiece figure of Peter himself, dramatically clinging to vines above, used pampas grass for the fur.

Judges were so impressed they presented Emma’s entry the gold award and prize for best overall display.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she told the A&T.

“I’m really excited. I’m really proud of the team – it was a real team effort. Local London nurseries helped with the design and made it look as good as it could.

“I came up with Peter Rabbit because it could tell a story and it linked nicely with the hotel as I think Beatrix Potter grew up on the estate.”

Another key feature of the display, which took 12 hours to install on one day, was a vertical vegetable patch including cabbage, lettuce and tomatoes, along with herbs such as mint, parsley, sage, thyme.

“One thing I wanted to do was inspire Londoners to grow vegetables at home,” Emma continued.

“The vertical vegetable patch is an idea of how you can grow a garden in a very small space.”

Emma has run Arcade Flowers for 15 years, and operates from her home studio after closing her Ringwood shop during Covid lockdowns.