As life becomes more stressful and the world around us is changing in ways we never imagined, I find myself seeking the simple things, cooking with my children, lighting candles and finding ways to bring the outdoors in. Tending to my window boxes or collecting broken stems on my daily walks to decorate my home.

I am lucky enough to spend my working days surrounded by beautiful preserved and dried flowers and what I have discovered is that the process of creating with flowers, whether filling a vase for a special spot in my home, hand-tying a bouquet for a customer or making a new greenery wreath, is often the most calming and enjoyable part of my day.

That flowers and greenery can have a positive impact on our health and well-being has been extensively researched in recent years. A 2005 study by Rutgers University produced convincing evidence that flowers may be potent mood elevators. The study found that flowers elicited an across the board immediate, positive emotional response from recipients. Three days later, the flower recipients were still feeling happier than a control group in the study.

"What's most exciting about this study is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way," said Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology.

Two years ago, we launched shida preserved flowers with this thought in mind; flowers make us happy. We want to offer people another way to bring nature inside, to fill homes and work spaces with maintenance-free, vibrant blooms and verdant greenery. A long-lasting, sustainable alternative to imported cut flowers, our flowers are harvested in full bloom and preserved naturally to retain their soft and beautifully fresh appearance for a year or more.

Imported cut flowers raise many questions about sustainability, requiring large amounts of pesticides and fertilisers, being transported in energy intensive cooled conditions and resulting in a high proportion of waste. The trend for home-grown and dried or preserved flowers stems from our desire for a more sustainable approach to decorating our homes and spreading joy with flowers.

The longevity of preserved flowers means they can be incorporated into a design scheme, as natural elements that do not need to be frequently replaced. Filling vases with greenery to echo the plants and trees of the outdoor space, enhances our connection with nature. The great news is that just ten minutes looking at or being in nature has the effect of decreasing biological and self-perceived markers of stress including significant decrease in heart rate and cortisol levels, Cornell (January 2020). It couldn’t be a better time to pick up some florist’s scissors and start creating your own beautiful flower arrangements.

Choose the perfect vessel. We love an opaque vase because it makes the flowers the focal point and not the stems.

Use sharp scissors or garden shears to cut your stems to the height you need as you arrange them.

To start, arrange the strong stemmed foliage in the vase, creating the structure and shape of your arrangement. Here at shida we favour an asymmetric, spontaneous look. Get creative making the display your own.

Experiment with groupings of flowers, varying heights and positioning focal blooms.