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Monday 9:30am - 5pm Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm Thursday 9:30am - 5pm Friday 9:30am - 5pm Saturday 9:30am - 5pm

Margaret Raymond Florist

Name: Margaret Raymond Florist
Address: 81 Hamlet Court Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS07EU, GB
Telephone: +441702300068
Price range: £

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Margaret Raymond Florist

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Flowers for all those times of your life, for happy times and sad - we have been providing flowers i

Please click on the link below to take a virtual tour and visit us in our flower shop: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.539031,0.69344,3a,75y,304.81h,89.73t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s4wyiY7tY0AkAAAQo8DcP8g!2e0!3e2!6m1!1e1

23/10/2026

It's all getting very exciting in the shop! 🎄✨

We've been busy behind the scenes pulling everything together for our Christmas Wreath Workshops starting next month — and we now have ALL the beautiful bits in!

Our classes are starting to sell out (thank you!), so if you've been thinking about booking, now is the time to grab your spot while you can.

*Book your wreath workshop here 👉 https://bit.ly/4jwHej4*

And if you're planning on making your own wreath at home this year? We're here to help too! Pop in for any bits and bobs you need — whether you already have your base or you're starting from scratch, we can sort you out with foliage, ribbons, dried fruits, pinecones and all the finishing touches.

It’s really starting to feel like Christmas is coming!

18/09/2026

THISTLE - The beautiful protector 💜

Prickly, resilient, and so much more than meets the eye.

This week we’re celebrating the thistle — a flower that protects itself with sharp spines and protects our wildlife at the same time.

A few of our favourite thistle facts:

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland’s national emblem since the 13th century. Legend has it, Norse Vikings tried to sneak up on sleeping Scottish clansmen barefoot, until one stepped on a thistle and cried out — alerting the clan just in time.

👑 The Order of the Thistle, founded by King James V, is still the highest chivalric honour in Scotland.

🍬 Native American tribes historically chewed the sticky petals of certain thistles like natural chewing gum.

🐝 A true powerhouse for wildlife — it produces huge volumes of rich nectar and pollen, making it top-tier food for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

🐦 Goldfinches in both the UK and America feast on them and line their nests with the soft, fluffy down — adorably known as ‘thistledown’.

🌿 One musk thistle alone can produce 120,000 seeds, and beneath the surface, its deep taproots break up compacted soil and draw essential nutrients up from the subsoil.

Tough, beautiful, and vital. We love it.

Have you spotted any thistles out and about this week? If not, come and see the beautiful ones we have in stock this week.

04/09/2026

What an INCREDIBLE plant drop this week! 🌿✨

We’ve had so many favourites back in the shop — including some you’ll recognise from previous posts like Magic Bells, Cat grass, Oxalis triangularis, Calatheas, and Kalanchoes.

BUT we’ve also got two very special ones back that we haven’t had for a wee while...

1. Tradescantia — The Inch Plant
Named in the 17th century by Carl Linnaeus after father and son gardening duo John Tradescant — John Tradescant the Elder was the Royal Gardener to King Charles I!

You might know it as Inch plant, Wandering dude, or Spiderwort — mostly because of its beautiful trailing growth. It’s called spiderwort because the sap forms web-like threads when the stems are cut.

Why we love it:
- Super easy to propagate
- Loves bright, indirect light
- So resilient
- The most colourful, vibrant foliage

It’s originally from the Americas and is a real joy to have at home.

2. Zamioculcas zamiifolia — The ZZ Plant
Named for its resemblance to Zamia, an ancient cycad plant. Also known as the Zanzibar Gem, Eternity Plant, Emerald Palm, or, most commonly, the ZZ Plant.

Why it’s a favourite:
- Stores water in thick, potato-like underground rhizomes — so thick they can even crack plastic pots!
- Those rhizomes help it survive long droughts in its native East African grasslands
- Unlike most houseplants, you can actually propagate it from a single fallen leaf

Perfect if you want a super stylish, almost unkillable plant.

Pop in and see them — they won’t be here long! 💛

17/08/2026

August’s birth flower is here: The Gladiolus 🌸⚔️

Say hello to these beautiful yellow gladioli in the shop today. Nicknamed the "sword lily" for its long, sword-like leaves. And with over 250 varieties, they come in every colour imaginable.

Why we love them:
- Birth flower for August — perfect timing
- 40th wedding anniversary flower — the traditional gift for 40 years together
- Victorian meaning — sending gladioli meant “I’m pierced by love” 💘
- Pop culture icons — Dame Edna’s signature ‘gladdies’ + Morrissey dancing with them on stage

They originate from South Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean. In Africa they’ve even got a long history of being used to treat the common cold.

Tall, dramatic, and full of meaning. Pop in to see our gladioli — they’re even better in person!

05/08/2026

Bright days, inside the shop 🌼

It might not be as bright outside today, but it’s absolutely glowing in here with these gorgeous Germini flowers

They come in such a wide range of colours, and they symbolise cheerfulness and friendship — perfect for gifting or just treating yourself.

Fun fact: Germini is a miniature hybrid form of Gerbera, which originate from South Africa.
No fragrance, and with little to no airborne pollen, they’re also great for people with flower allergies.

Pop in and see them in person — they’re even brighter up close!

31/07/2026

Yesterday was International Day of Friendship, and it got us thinking... friends are a bit like plants. With a little care, they grow, bloom, and make life brighter.

We’re not just flowers and plants here at Margaret Raymond Florist. We’ve also got a whole host of other gifts to help you treat your favourite people — including *Bean and Boy soap* and other beautiful handmade finds.

Plus, come meet our geese! 🪿 They’ve been attracting lots of attention in the window and in the shop.

Pop in, browse the gifts, say hi to the geese, and pick something special for a friend.

21/07/2026

New plant drop at Margaret Raymond Florist 🌿

We’ve had some stunning new arrivals in store this week, including favourites like Callalilies and Monsteras✨

But we’re especially excited about two we haven’t had for a while:

Alocasia Amazonica 'Polly' — aka African Mask Plant or Elephant Ear 🐘
Those dramatic arrow-shaped leaves with glowing silvery veins are hard to miss. A tropical beauty that grows 30-60cm indoors and loves bright, indirect light, humidity, and moist, well-draining soil. Don’t worry if it drops leaves in winter — it’s just having a seasonal nap. Keep it warm, water less, and it’ll bounce back in spring.

Fun fact: Despite the name, it’s not from the Amazon or found in the wild. It was actually bred in 1950s Miami by crossing two Alocasia varieties. And when light hits the back of the leaf, those veins really do glow. It grows from little bulb-like “corns” in the soil you can harvest to propagate.

Orchids — nature’s master tricksters
We’ve also got absolutely gorgeous orchids in right now. With 28,000 species across every continent except Antarctica, they’re wild. Some mimic the aroma of chocolate or even rotting meat to attract pollinators. The most famous? Vanilla — the only edible orchid, and yep, that’s where the flavour comes from.

Orchids can live up to 100 years in the right conditions. A single pod holds up to 3 million dust-like seeds — the tiniest in the world. Many don’t even need soil and drink moisture straight from the air.

Pop in to see them while they’re looking their best. Which one’s coming home with you?

06/07/2026

*We’ve been a bit quiet here… but that’s only because the sunshine has been keeping us busy! ☀️*

With today set to be a scorcher, and the rest of the week looking seriously hot, there’s no better time to bring some greenery into your space.

We’ve just filled the shop with beautiful new arrivals:

*Gorgeous striped pink roses* for that cottage-garden feel
*Elegant calla lilies* — so sleek and timeless
and these absolutely epic
*Calathea Ornata* — big, bold leaves with stunning patterning that look amazing in any bright spot

They’re perfect for brightening up your home while the sun’s out… and for keeping that summer feeling going long after the heatwave ends.

Pop in and take a look while they’re here — and stay cool out there!

22/06/2026

They’re back — and they’re tough as anything!

Our *Snake Plants* have landed again, and if you want a plant that’s low-maintenance, stylish, and seriously resilient, this is it.

You might know it as *Sansevieria trifasciata*, but since 2017 it’s officially *Dracaena trifasciata*. Either way, it’s still a succulent at heart, storing water in its thick leaves so it doesn’t mind if you forget to water it. Let the soil dry out completely between waterings — it hates soggy roots.

It’s gone by loads of names over the years: *Mother-in-Law’s Tongue*, *Saint George’s Sword*, *Devil’s Tongue*, *African Spear*, and even *Viper’s Bowstring H**p* because indigenous Africans used it to make biodegradable ropes and bowstrings.

In the Caribbean and across Africa it’s seen as a symbol of spiritual defence and ancestral strength. Feng Shui experts call it a lucky plant thanks to its upright, sword-like structure.

Native to West Africa, it doesn’t just look good — it works hard too. NASA studied it in their Clean Air Study and found it’s one of the most resilient air-purifying plants around.

And here’s the cool bit: it breathes backwards. While most plants release oxygen in the day, the snake plant uses CAM, which leads to it releasing fresh oxygen at night. That makes it perfect for bedrooms as well as living rooms.

Just a heads up: it’s toxic to pets and humans if ingested, so keep it out of reach of nibblers.

Come grab one while they’re here — they won’t hang around long!

17/06/2026

New batch of aloe vera just landed 🌵☀️

This resilient succulent has been around for 6000+ years. Native to the Arabian Peninsula, it was favoured by Cleopatra + Alexander the Great, and is even mentioned in the Bible.

It’s 99.5% water, with 75+ beneficial compounds including vitamins A, C, E + B12. No wonder it’s been a summer staple for centuries. Cut it at the base and it heals itself + keeps growing. Wild species can live 100+ years.

Basically: low-maintenance, ancient, and perfect for bright, sunny spots in your home. Pop in to grab one before they go.

Address

81 Hamlet Court Road
Southend-on-Sea
SS07EU

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 5pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5pm
Friday	9:30am - 5pm
Saturday	9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+441702300068

Website

http://www.mrflorist.co.uk/

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