Any Questions?
About Norfolk Pampas
Yes, all dried flowers and bouquets are prepared and arranged by hand at our Norfolk Pampas Studio by myself and my small team. We have loads of content on our social media showing how we make the arrangements for our shop which enables us to produce new, bespoke and limited edition products quickly. We do not make the vases and accessories. We do not dry our own flowers. However, if local pampas grass is good enough we will dry these ourselves. We do not dye the flowers - it’s very messy and we don’t have space!
Hand Making all our bouquets means we need a few days to prepare your bouquet - especially during busy periods.
Yes, all our standard cardboard, packaging tape and paper is fully recyclable and comes from sustainable sources. Our boxes contain around 60% recycled material. We are working on our full environment policy statement.
We sometimes RE-USE plastic to protect glass and especially fragile items. This is more difficult to recycle. However, Norfolk Pampas has never purchased ANY single use plastic, bubble wrap or similar packaging. We simply re-use existing plastic materials sent to us as packaging by the manufacturers. As much as we work with our suppliers to reduce plastic waste where possible, we also recognise that sometimes this is still the best way to protect delicate items in transit. Pending future packaging innovation, we will continue to do so when needed.
Our normal hours of operation are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (UK time). In reality, as a small business, we operate at pretty much all waking hours, 7 days a week. We will always reply to any initial query within 24 hours, usually much faster!
In 2020, the UK Pampas was amazing. In 2021, it was terrible. This is entirely due to the completely unpredictable weather. In 2020 we used thousands of UK pampas stems, most of which we harvested ourselves in Norfolk, from dozens of local growers. In the past few years, we wouldn’t use it because the quality we saw was awful. In future? Maybe. If we can we will, but our customers expect quality first and that only comes from hot climates. Pampas is also a seasonal product, so first orders would be around October time. See below section about where dried flowers typically come from. See the About Us page for the story behind Norfolk Pampas’s name!
Orders, Deliveries and Issues
On the product listing(s) we state the amount of time it takes us to hand-make each item. If you have ordered multiple items the longest “make time” is the one you should note. During this production time we will dispatch the order and you will receive a dispatch confirmation from us. After this it can take a few days to a week for your order to arrive depending on the type of shipping used. If you have the dispatch confirmation this will include details of how to track your delivery. If there is an issue, delay or problem with the order please contact us, with your order number and we will get onto the couriers on your behalf!
Please email us immediately and include photographs of the damaged item and the packaging so we can investigate. We will get back to you with solutions as a priority.
Please check the listing. We clearly detail sizes and contents of all our bouquets and other items. However, if you are still not satisfied, believe something is missing, or have the wrong item, please email us a photo, your order number and explain your concern. We are human and mistakes (occasionally) happen. If you are still unsatisfied you are of course welcome to return the item for a refund in accordance with our Refunds Policy.
If you need something much faster than our normal lead times would allow for, please contact us before placing the order so we can advise if it is possible or not. We will always try to accommodate special requests, but if we cannot do it, we will tell you straight away to avoid disappointment later. If you are planning a wedding or large event please contact us as soon as possible so we can book you in. We will let you know straight away if we can help or not.
Our fastest selling lines we make all the time, so these are more readily available. Some items are more complex to make and take us longer. For our dispatch times we always state a MAXIMUM time we need to prepare the item, we always try to dispatch quicker. If we agree to produce a bespoke listing or large event/bulk order we will agree a timescale with you before the order is accepted.
Care Advice & Disposal
With little care, dried flowers will last 2 to 3 years with minimal signs of degradation. Be gentle with them, avoid high heat, fire, water and direct sunlight.
No, you should never water them. The drying process preserves the flower, so it is in effect already dead. Watering it will cause damage and rot the stem. Moisture should be avoided, long-term exposure will damage them and with dyed items can cause the colouring to leak (it’s not pleasant). This is why dried flowers are perfect for people that are away from home regularly or forgetful!
We do not recommend keeping dried or preserved flowers in bathrooms or other humid environments. The humidity will damage the dried flowers over time. If the flowers are dyed, humidity can release the dye which may stain anything it touches, or drips onto. It is fashionable to have Eucalyptus in showers, however, only fresh eucalyptus should be used. Preserved eucalyptus will be quickly damaged and can release a green dye which is difficult to clean. We know a lot of people like to put dried flowers in Bathrooms and that’s your choice, we just don’t recommend it. This is one place a nice living pot plant might be better.
Simple answer: Yes. But, usually in small amounts. Pampas is a natural product that has seeds that, even after drying, will naturally shed. We air all of our pampas before sending it to release as much of the shedding as possible. On arrival, we suggest taking it outside and (very) gently shaking it to release any build up after it is removed from the packaging. Pampas is best placed in locations where it is not going to get touched or moved about much. Occasional hoovering will deal with any strays. If you do get a stem that starts shedding a lot, let us know.
To further reduce shedding, you can spray with hairspray. But you will lose some of the fluffiness and lightness of the pampas feather - it is up to you. Personally, I do not spray them. There is no such thing as non-shedding pampas, unless it is artificial. Don’t even get us started on artificial pampas…
Yes, you can. But, be careful! It is far better to leave pampas outside, in a gentle breeze, on a sunny day, for a couple of hours. If this is not possible, we still recommend going outside, to a covered area, with the dryer on a MILD heat and LOW power. Hold the pampas by the stem, just below the feathery part. Slowly move the dryer up and down the stem, angled toward the base. This will release more of the fronds and puff-up the pampas. BUT, we can't say this enough, BE CAREFUL. Too much heat, power, or just overdoing it will damage the pampas. Also, if the pampas is already at its peak, there is no more fluffing to be done! Some pampas stems are just fluffier than others.
Any pollen will be destroyed in the drying process and there should not be a risk. Again, there is conflicting advice, so avoid it if you are highly allergic to something specific (I detail all of my components), but it is not a problem I have ever encountered. Preserved Eucalyptus should be kept away from pets, humans and koalas that are likely to try and eat it.
The long answer, if you really want to get into it, is: Naturally dried flowers can be composted. They are the original plant/flower with all moisture removed to preserve it, so introducing it to a compost bin will cause it to rot the same as a freshly cut plant/flower. There are no nutrients in dried flowers, so there is nothing beneficial for the soil there. However, if the plant/flower has been dyed (i.e. a colorant has been used to enhance or change the colour) then the answer is more complicated. If it is a natural plant based colour dye then it is OK for composting. If it is a paint or non-organic compound, then no, they probably contain toxins. The difficulty is identifying which type of dye has been used. Our preference is always for plant based dyes on our flowers, but honestly, it is impossible to be certain this is accurate.
General Questions
The truly great thing about dried flowers is they require absolutely no effort to maintain their natural, original beauty. Perfect for anyone who struggles to keep house plants and fresh flowers alive! Dried flowers are suitable for any occasion where you would use fresh flowers. As a bonus, they will last for years so can be kept as a memento of special events.
I have read that this is possible, but I must have put billions of dried pampas seeds into my garden and have not had one grow yet!
The price of our dried flowers reflects the cost involved in buying materials, preparing, making and shipping the items. Norfolk Pampas uses only the best materials, produces all of its bouquets in the UK, using our own staff, who we pay a fair living wage. So far, despite the cost of everything going up, we have been able to hold or improve our prices. We have become more efficient and use our business growth to negotiate better prices with our suppliers, reduce our costs and produce more items more quickly. At wholesale, dried flowers are more expensive than fresh flowers because of the additional processes involved in drying them out.. If the flowers are also dyed, this is another process that adds cost to the items. Also, some types of flowers are considerably more expensive than others, so check what you are buying when comparing bouquets. However, dried flowers will last for years, where fresh flowers may last only a few days, or weeks at best, so it can be argued that dried flowers are much better value!
The flower market is global. For the UK and Europe most flowers (fresh and dried) are from, or routed through, the Netherlands and their famous flower markets. For dried flowers, huge amounts also come directly from China and the Far East, because they are dried they can be transported further and stored for much longer than fresh flowers. We see many UK small sellers claiming to buy “local”. They may do, but they are buying from a local distributor, who has bought them from the Netherlands or China. It’s like buying your Prosecco “locally” from Asda. Currently, there are very few commercial flower farms in the UK. These are some lovely boutique growers who produce both fresh and dried flowers, but the quantities are tiny and prices (relatively) high. So, while we try to use local materials wherever possible, the reality is truly local dried flowers are impossibly expensive for the prices our customers expect to pay, in the quantities we require for our business.
Probably not. We see sellers that claim theirs are, but unless they have a source with a Soil Association Certificate and chain of custody that proves this source (via an audit), they are not ‘Organic’ and this claim should not be made. This also should not be confused with picking wild flowers, which is illegal without permission from the landowner and is still not organic! It is the sellers responsibility to provide proof to support this claim, so if in doubt ask for credentials. Unfortunately, organisations like Trading Standards rarely have the resources to monitor small sellers, so they often get away with claiming whatever they think buyers want to hear. I have yet to find a reputable supplier for dried organic flowers, this does not mean they do not exist, but I remain sceptical about claims I have seen elsewhere. This is something I would be happy to be proven wrong about! More information can be found on Wikipedia or direct from the Soil Association.
No, Pandas eat bamboo. Koalas are the only mammals that can digest the toxins in natural Eucalyptus. Preserved Eucalyptus should not be eaten by anyone or anything, including Koalas.
Wholesale and Event Planning
We are working on it. Coming soon! If you have an upcoming wedding you are planning please get in touch with us and we can let you know if we can help straight away. We just need an idea of what your requirements will be and when you need it.
If you have a specific, large requirement (over £200), please let us know what you need and when you need it for. We will help if we can and see what discounts we can offer.
Pricing and Delivery Costs
Our carriage fees reflect the costs charged to us by the couriers. It is more expensive for us to send parcels to these locations and we cannot absorb these costs. We use several carriers and have tried to find the lowest cost option for your location. The amount charged covers the difference between what we calculate for “free” delivery and the actual cost.
Etsy, and other selling platforms (Ebay, Amazon etc) charge various fees to use their marketplace. By selling from our own website, our selling fees are lower. We have calculated the average saving on an average order over £25 covers the average carriage cost to UK Mainland addresses. We love maths. There is no such thing as ‘Free Delivery’. The cost of delivery is included in the price!
Different marketplaces charge different fees for using their services. We aim to be as competitively priced as we can be on each platform. Sometimes we will run specific promotions on certain sites, for a variety of reasons, but our website will have the lowest prices. Please remember to include Postage and Packaging charges when comparing. However, if you have outsmarted the Norfolk Pampas supercomputers and found a lower price than our website, at the time of your order, we will match the price and refund the difference. The promotion or discount must have been available at the same time as the purchase, for the same item, we cannot offer retrospective promotion discounts. We also cannot refund the difference between 3rd party purchases (e.g. Etsy) and our website for all the above fee mentioning reasons.
Contact Us
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