Celebrate the start of summer as Manchester’s annual floral takeover is back this May Bank Holiday Weekend and we’re highlighting two green-fingered geniuses of our own! 

Hold onto your gardening gloves because the vibrant Manchester Flower Festival is running from Friday 26th - Monday 29th May and it’s set to engulf the city. Amidst the floral frenzy, two of our remarkable traders have caught our attention with their extraordinary installations and we’re obsessed!

First up is our very own horticultural hero, Mark from City and Bloom. As one of our most recent success stories, Mark’s green wonderland on the 3rd floor has almost tripled in size this year! It's a testament to his dedication and the immense love he pours into his craft.

Mark even has his own stall as part of Manchester Flower Festival this year. You can find him at the market next to St Ann’s Church and they’ve got plants, books, pottery, art, as well as a limited supply of their soon-to-be-released 100% seaweed plant food!

Jamie from Jamie’s Jungle also ROSE to the occasion as he’s created an incredible installation right here in Afflecks! Located on the 1st floor, just a stone's throw away from his dried flower boutique, customers can find his unofficial (but still absolutely brilliant), David Bowie inspired addition to the flower festivities.

Sharing his thoughts on the installation, Jamie explained “Back To The Stars is a floral homage to the late David Bowie and his most iconic persona: Ziggy Stardust. 

As a young boy, two of the greatest passions my mum gifted me was the music of Bowie and the language of flowers. My mum, Dawn Evans, is an incredibly talented florist, whose eye for detail is only surpassed by her incredible imagination.”

Jamie joined forces with his mum on this project to express their mutual eternal love for Bowie. “We decided to keep the design paired back to an abstract depiction, as opposed to a lifelike form. We wanted to keep an ethereal atmosphere to the installation; a suspenseful feeling that the starman is still with us in many forms, spanning a vast plain of time and space. In the medium of dried flower, we return Ziggy Back To The Stars”. 

At Afflecks there’s always something new to discover so why not head down this weekend? We’ve got over 3 floors of independent traders with tones of artistry, imagination and passion to inspire you and the family!