Melanie Garbutt beams with joy moments after learning she is the new RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year. Melanie Garbutt beams with joy moments after learning she is the new RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year.

Melanie Garbutt, owner of what she describes as a simple florist shop in Upton, North Yorkshire, has snatched a shock victory to become the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year.

In her first interview after receiving a gold medal and the coveted Florist of the Year crown, she told Professional Florist that she was “stunned, amazed and feeling out of this world to have won the competition.”

Garbutt could not even have been at Chelsea Flower Show in previous years, when a full diploma in floristry was required to enter the Florist of the Year contest – a qualification she does not have.

“Now it is open to anybody with a passion for floristry,” she explained.

The owner of Passion Flowers Florist has risen above UK floristry’s finest designers, including last year’s winner Neil Whittaker, to grab victory.

Her winning design was a Fantasy Parasol made up of several hearts created using rope, raffia and chicken wire, adorned with orchids and calla lilies.

“The heart theme was the first thing that popped into my head, and I just stuck with it,” Garbutt explained. “There are several hearts. I didn’t want the main shape of the parasol to be circular, so I made it a heart instead. There are then hearts within hearts to make up the design that I hope conveys passion and movement.”

Garbutt is not a complete stranger to competitive floristry. Last year she won Best in Show at the Society of Floristry Annual Show with a bridal wedding design.

Becoming RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year is a dream-come-true for a provincial florist who does not even work on major events in her home town. “I suppose it might be good for business, but I don’t really know,” she concluded.