Award winning designer opens garden boutique in Ironbridge
An award-winning garden designer who scooped gold at this year’s Shrewsbury Flower Show has opened his first shop in Ironbridge.
Andy Walton has opened the doors of Gwhizz on Tontine Hill in time for the World Heritage Festival this weekend.
Andy, a garden designer, has already taken on a member of staff, 26-year-old Natalie Way, a highly talented floral designer who creates amazing hand-tied bouquets and stunning arrangements.
Andy, who designed the award-winning 1960’s Brighton courtyard for the prestigious flower show, said: “There’s no better time to open a new shop in Ironbridge than in time for the World Heritage Festival.
“We are not just the average florist – we also sell speciality plants, garden furniture, and handcrafted garden sculptures by local artists – we’re more of a ‘horticultural boutique’.
“We do not do national flower orders through a third party because everything we do here is bespoke and unique, so we wouldn’t want to do something which every florist in the UK can do.”
Andy said he was proud of the high quality products and designs he and Natalie produced at competitive prices. He said the presentation of a gift or a bouquet was as equally important as the standard of the product itself.
“Thousands of visitors a year come to Ironbridge for its very special bridge but also the speciality shops which have so much to offer.
“We were inundated with people coming into the shop the day before we had actually opened which was fantastic and is hopefully a good sign of the support we will get,” he said.
Andy said he was eager to make the best of Ironbridge and get involved in promoting the World Heritage Site.
He added: “For a World Heritage Site we need to make it the best it possibly can be and that involves every single business working together.
“I have already approached many businesses to collaborate – we can all help each other.”
On the first day of opening he visited local businesses and gave them a complimentary bouquet to celebrate the new shop. He is also preparing some special limited edition themed bouquets for the World Heritage Festival weekend.
