About Zara Flora

Zara Flora of East Grinstead is a leading independent florist and floral designer, creating arrangements, bouquets, wedding flowers and funeral flowers of exceptional quality and style. The Zara Flora shop (Ship St.) also sells flowers by the stem, plants, gifts, accessories and vases.

Sole appointed Master Florist for the postal districts of East Grinstead in West Sussex (RH19), Forest Row in East Sussex (RH18) and Lingfield in Surrey (RH7), Zara Flora operates its own local flower delivery service within these areas and to various other locations in Sussex and Surrey.

Examples of floristry by Zara Flora, undertaken for previous clients, can be viewed on the gallery pages of this web site - accessed by clicking on the relevant menu headings (such as Bouquets) at the top of this page, or on the left hand menu bar of the home page.

A specialist designer of Wedding Flowers, Zara Flora has been named among the top 50 florists in the UK by Wedding Flowers Magazine and provides flowers for around 100 weddings and civil partnerships per year at venues in West Sussex, East Sussex, Surrey (East) and Kent (West), including Alexander House, Ashdown Park, Buxted Park, The Felbridge, Gravetye Manor and Langshott Manor. (More locations and venues listed on the page Flower Delivery-Wedding Flowers).

Recommended florist of many fine establishments in the area, Zara Flora fulfils contracts to supply weekly house flowers, table arrangements, displays, floral decorations and bouquets to hotels, restaurants, business centres and conference and banqueting venues. Zara Flora also provides flowers to companies and organisations locally for one-off events and special occasions, such as board meetings, presentations, dinners and receptions for clients or employees.

Zara Flora is experienced in the design and make-up of Funeral Flowers and personalised tributes, and flexible in considering forms and types of floral presentation to accommodate the wishes of family and friends. Special requests for tributes to members of the armed forces, depicting insignia or service badges, are welcome. Delivery of funeral flowers can sometimes be arranged outside our usual delivery area.

Zara Flora is a trading name of Zara Flora Service Limited, a company established in 2003 and registered in the UK (the registered address and details are shown on the Contact Us page of this site). The business takes its name from principal florist and designer, Zara Dalrymple

About Us - Zara and The Team

Zara looks on what she does, and what Zara Flora as a business offers, as being about art rather than technical skill. The view is that whilst technique can make the difference between a well executed or poorly put together piece of floristry, it is passion, flair and imagination that make it stand out and say something often more effectively than words.

Zara loves big, bold sweeping designs, reds and purples and bright risky contemporary combinations that are fiery and inspire; yet too she loves simple white against green or black, cool and crisp and classical. Above all, the secret lies in the balance between striking contrasts and gentle complementary shades, between wild and forceful statements and quiet, soft touches that comfort and caress.

Deputy to Zara, and full-time senior florist is Clare Fletcher, who hails from the county of the Bard; a fair Midlands lass with a degree in Fine Art Sculpture (which may have something to do with the fact that she is keen on making structural pieces). Clare has considerable experience as a florist and works closely with Zara, especially on wedding flowers.

Clare shares Zara's fondness for the colour purple and Alliums are among her favourite flowers. A florist that relishes a challenge, she loves to be asked to come up with unusual one-off pieces, using simple yet striking designs. Clare is our Intellectual Rock Chick, combining well developed taste in art and literature with a fanatical appreciation for the Kings of Leon and the Foo Fighters.

Pasha is our scribe (responsible for most of the lengthy text on this web site, including the "Zlog" musings), the Sales, Marketing, PR, Accounting and Logistics Departments, and job-shares the flower delivery duties.

Janet is our multi talented local encyclopaedia, combining floristry and sales duties in the shop with sales calls, venue preparation and deliveries, A familiar face for Zara Flora’s contract clients, Janet delivers and sets up weekly flower orders in local hotels, restaurants and corporate offices.

It is often Janet that takes out the wedding flowers, and she just loves meeting a bride on the big day and handing over her bouquet. Janet is fond of Peonies, Spring Flowers, firemen and Morgan sports cars, keeps hens at home and supplies the florists with eggs.

Christine drifts in and out of our lives every couple of weeks to offer a helping hand in making up and delivering the flowers. Chris appears to like every type of flower known to mankind/womankind, as each time she appears in the shop she looks at a different variety and exclaims "Ooh, it's my favourite" .

Chris loves Argentinean music and is our "Queen of Salsa". Also the resident commando, expert in scaling six foot fences after delivering Valentines flowers and somehow getting locked into a back garden.