Telford florist Ella brings home silver for her crown
It is a crown fit for a queen – and it won a Telford florist silver at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Ella, from Newport, passed the regional heats last year, and beat 15 rivals to win silver in the young florist category.
"I was so thrilled," the 21-year-old said. "When we got there and I saw the competition, I had no idea which way it was going to go.
"Once I got through the regional heats, they set a brief that it had to be a royal floral crown to celebrate Queen Victoria's 200th birthday. Within that, you can do whatever you want."
Ella, who works at Flowerfair in Dawley, wanted to stay true to what she liked, rather than just giving the judges what she thought they would want.
"I wanted to do something that was more natural, going down the growing route rather than something that was flowers stuck to a crown," she said.
"Judges were impressed with the idea I had come up with. I wanted to stay true to what I wanted to do, rather than what I thought they wanted to see."
It was a great ending to Ella's first ever floristry competition – and her success has her looking towards 2020.
"I'd love to do it again next year," she said. "We'll have to see what the brief is and if I get through the regional heats, but I'd like to get gold next year."
