Abergavenny florist Charlotte Davies is getting ready to compete in the grand finale of Interflora’s Florist of the Year competition, which celebrates excellence in floral design across the UK and Ireland.

Charlotte, who works for her mum’s business Hilary’s Floral Design in Abergavenny, has been a florist for 17 years and has successfully competed in numerous professional floristry competitions including World Skills and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

She said: “I love competitive floristry and the creative freedom, to take simple stems of flowers and transform them into a piece of floral art that is unique and expressive. The thought of competing and representing Great Britain on the world stage is really exciting.”

Charlotte overcame strong competition in this year’s semi-final, where she created a hand-tied bouquet, a bridal bouquet and a design suitable for a wellbeing garden, all under this year’s competition theme Growing Together.

Along with four other hopefuls, she will now get to showcase her skills at the RHS Garden Bridgewater in Manchester on Sunday, July 3, in a bid to be crowned Interflora’s Florist of the Year. The winner will go on to represent the UK and Ireland at Interflora’s World Cup in September 2023, which is being held for the first time in the UK.

All five finalists will create four designs including a shawl inspired by botanical roots, a table for two inspired by nature and a tied design inspired by bark.

The fourth and final task will be a complete surprise on the day and a real test of creativity with just over two hours to interpret the brief, review the flowers, materials and tools available, and complete the design.

Each task is designed to test skills, push boundaries, and encourage creativity and innovation to bloom.