As one of Britain’s top florists, Simon Lycett’s working life is spent surrounded by gorgeous blooms, many of them shipped in from around the world and carefully wrapped so every single petal is at the peak of perfection for the glamorous events he works on.
At home, though, his tastes are much simpler.
Simon’s garden is planted with the sort of flowers any of us can easily grow from a few packets of seeds, like marigolds, cornflowers, dianthus, cosmos, zinnias, nasturtiums and sweet peas – plants that are not only colourful but also ideal for attracting beneficial insects into your garden.
His garden has, in fact, been designed with the natural world in mind.
Simon is passionate about wildlife and that’s why he’s so excited about the Mail’s annual wildlife census, which we launched in Weekend on 30 May (see box, below right, on how you can take part).
Simon Lycett, 53, (pictured) who has decorated celebrations including Elton John’s 50th birthday bash and two Royal weddings, revealed the plants in his garden
As Simon says, ‘What better distraction from the daily challenges facing us all than being given an extra reason to watch, to listen and to note the varied visitors from the natural world, with whom we share these strange times? I’d urge everyone to fill out their census – and I can’t wait to see the results!’
Simon’s own London garden, a relatively modest 12m by 7.5m, is proof you don’t need a huge plot to attract wildlife.
In shady areas he grows evergreen ferns in containers, while in sunnier parts there are tulips and wallflowers in springtime, followed in summer by dahlias and that assortment of annual seed-grown flowers. ‘It’s a carnival of colour, and bees and other pollinators love them,’ Simon explains.
The garden, which is managed organically, supports a rich variety of wildlife.
‘Almost everything we grow is in containers and the pots themselves provide a wonderful habitat for myriad creatures,’ says Simon.
‘Worms and woodlice are legion, and there are such beautiful beetles and bugs, although I keep a gimlet eye out for dreaded red lily-beetles.’
Simon, 53, and his husband Nicholas Cannon, 55, an educational consultant, have created a dense canopy for birds and insects by planting trees in the front and rear gardens.
‘The Prunus serrula at the back is a variety of cherry known for its incredible burnished bark. Recently it was in full bloom and the buzzing sounds of the hundreds of bees gathering nectar was so loud we could hear it from inside the house.’
Simon knew from the age of seven that he wanted to be a florist. Pictured: Simon created the arrangements in Four Weddings And A Funeral
To make the steps and raised beds they chose old railway sleepers, which can be laid without mortar so the gaps and crevices fill with compost and old leaves and become a haven for small plants and insects.
‘I like to perch on the steps on a summer morning and watch bees and armies of ants, centipedes and woodlice wandering among the timber,’ says Simon.
‘We also have pots placed around the garden to collect rainwater, which swiftly become a teeming source of life for so many bugs, as well as providing water for birds and our dog.’
Simon grew up in Warwick and knew from the age of seven he wanted to be a florist.
‘One of my parents’ neighbours was a florist and she would let me watch her work, and eventually I started helping out. I did my first solo wedding flowers – for family friends – when I was all of 14. You could say I was precocious!’
His career took off when he moved to London in the 1980s, a time he remembers with great fondness.
‘It was the era of conspicuous consumption and it was incredibly exciting. Our clients would send their pilots to buy flowers and then fly them down to the south of France. It was crazy.’
Simon’s big break came when he was asked to decorate the church for the funeral of Muppets creator Jim Henson in 1990. The result was so spectacular he was offered work in advertising and films, including Four Weddings And A Funeral.
The esteemed florist revealed most of the weddings he does require 20,000 roses. Pictured: Some of his work for Charles and Camilla in 2005
‘Doing the flowers for Four Weddings was the happiest six weeks of my life,’ he says. ‘I loved every minute of it, but we had no idea as we were making it what a huge success it would turn out to be.’
Simon describes his trademark style as ‘abundant, lavish, slightly tongue-in-cheek’ – most of the weddings he does require 20,000 roses.
His commissions have included Elton John’s 50th birthday bash and Victoria and David Beckham’s wedding, and he’s also done the flower arrangements for two royal wedding days: Prince Charles’s with Camilla Parker Bowles (see box), and Princess Eugenie’s marriage in October 2018 to Jack Brooksbank.
The princess, says Simon, took inspiration from her grandmother in her choice of flowers.
Why I lost sleep over Charles’s wedding
Simon revealed that he struggled to find enough daffodils for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s wedding
Doing the wedding flowers for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall turned out to be one of Simon’s toughest jobs.
He was asked to provide the floral decorations that greeted the guests as they arrived at Windsor Castle following Charles and Camilla’s marriage in April 2005. To his delight, he was invited to take whatever greenery and stems he wanted from Windsor Great Park, and the Savill Garden flower beds within the park.
‘My main problem was finding enough of the daffodils – the Welsh national flower – that the prince had requested.’ recalls Simon.
‘Most British daffodils had gone over, but I scoured the country and found the thousands of blooms I needed.’
However, there was one sad and unexpected last-minute hitch: the death of Pope John Paul II meant the wedding had to be postponed for a day so Prince Charles could attend the funeral.
‘We’d created huge columns of daffodils, with moss, hellebores, fritillaries and muscari underneath, and my concern was that, because of the delay and the fact Windsor is quite well heated, the flowers would have wilted by the wedding day.’
Simon spent a sleepless night worrying about the blooms but fortunately all was well. ‘I can still remember the relief when I walked into the Grand Reception Room and saw the flowers looked fabulous and fresh,’ he says.
‘The Queen likes flowers that feel as if they’ve just come straight from the garden, and Princess Eugenie wanted that as well, so we decorated Windsor Castle with branches of chestnuts and liquidambar, and gorgeous heads of English hydrangeas. It was a celebration of the season.’
Does he get nervous working on such high-profile events? ‘Not really,’ says Simon.
‘All weddings are special and should be a wonderful, joyful occasion. I try to make everyone’s dreams come true, whoever they are.’
Like many, Simon has seen his work come to a grinding halt during lockdown.
‘There’s been no work for events florists and no likelihood of things turning round for us before spring 2021,’ he says.
‘It’s so hard having my brilliant team on furlough, and I miss them as much as I miss the flowers, and my clients.’
In the meantime he’s been promoting his sixth book, The Flower Market Year, a nostalgic and beautifully photographed tribute to London’s New Covent Garden Market (which is currently being redeveloped) and the magnificent blooms usually available there. ‘I just love the place and I wanted to capture it before it disappeared,’ says Simon.
He can also be seen on our screens in the second episode of The Big Flower Fight on Netflix, which he filmed last summer.
This slightly bonkers show, hosted by Vic Reeves, challenges ten teams to create wildly extravagant flower sculptures. ‘It was huge fun,’ says Simon. ‘It’s high time floristry and floral art were recognised by mainstream TV.’
The lockdown has given Simon the chance to spend more time in his own garden and bask in the spectacular spring weather.
‘It’s been a riot of birds – from loutish pigeons and raucous crows, thuggish magpies and scruffy starlings to magical songbirds such as blue tits, greenfinches, blackbirds and thrushes. There’s also a very friendly robin who keeps me company as I garden.’
Simon often has to be at the flower market when most of us are still asleep, so he’s very familiar with the dawn chorus.
‘Some mornings woodpeckers can be heard and, very occasionally, a cuckoo. There are also many foxes who fearlessly follow us on early-morning dog walks.’
What about the people who aren’t lucky enough to have a garden? ‘Even if you just have room for a pot, a hanging basket or a window box, you can grow a few cornflowers and marigolds, or a scented pelargonium,’ says Simon.
‘They’ll reward you with flowers and fragrance all summer long, and bring in bees and insects.’
Simon is clearly itching to get back to work, but in the meantime he is taking solace in his garden and its abundant wildlife.
‘Connecting with the natural world is something that does you a power of good. We now have scientific evidence that backs up what many of us have known – that being in a garden, watching clouds or birds, smelling a flower or planting a seed, will actually make us feel a whole lot better.’
The Flower Market Year by Simon Lycett (Pimpernel Press, £30).