[from press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Royal Mail Reveals Flowers Special Stamps

• The new silhouette marks a significant milestone in British philatelic history
• The 10-stamp set showcases some of the most popular types of flowers grown in gardens across the UK:
  • Sweet pea
  • Iris
  • Lily
  • Sunflower
  • Fuchsia
  • Tulip
  • Peony
  • Nasturtium
  • Rose
  • Dahlia
• Royal Mail worked closely with gardening writer Naomi Slade on the stamp issue
• The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flowers and by telephone on 03457 641 641
• All 10 stamps in a Presentation Pack go on general sale from 23 March and are priced at £10.40

Royal Mail is releasing a set of 10 stamps celebrating some of the most popular flowers which are grown in gardens across the UK.

These Special Stamps mark a significant milestone in British philatelic history as they are the first to feature the silhouette of HM King Charles III. This is the first change of silhouette since 1968. [more on the silhouette]

The stamps feature striking photographs of flowers against a white background alongside their common names and show:

• Sweet pea
• Iris
• Lily
• Sunflower
• Fuchsia
• Tulip
• Peony
• Nasturtium
• Rose
• Dahlia

Royal Mail worked closely with gardening writer Naomi Slade on the stamp issue.

The UK’s Favourite Blooms:
Although they are steeped in the familiarity of long association, many of the UK’s most identifiable flowers have arrived here from all over the world.

In addition to our native dog roses, a key ancestor of the garden favourite is the fragrant, multi-petalled French rose, Rosa gallica. It was prized by the Greeks and the Romans, and legend has it that new varieties arose when a cultivated form, Rosa gallica var. of ficinalis, was carried from Syria to France after the Crusades, where it became the Rose of Provins.

Peonies, too, are a footloose breed. The tree peony is esteemed in China as Hua Wang, the King of Flowers, and although 8th-century Buddhist monks originally valued peonies for their medicinal properties, this has been overshadowed by the sheer magnificence of their blossoms. Frequently held up as paragons of simplicity, lilies are more complex and culturally significant than most of us imagine. Cherished for millennia, the various species can be found in rocky Chinese gorges, flourishing in American meadows, or baking in Mediterranean heat. Yet throughout history, they have represented gods and purity, death and seduction, and have appeared in art for thousands of years.

Dahlias arrived in Spain from Central America, and inspired Europeans with their flamboyance and in finite variety. Like 17th-century ‘tulip mania’, dahlia-fancying soon became an expensive hobby. By the 19th century, dahlia tubers could fetch as much as £100 – then several years’ wages for many people.

It seems that even the UK’s best-loved traditional blooms are wanderers. Sweet peas hail from Sicily, while fuchsias, nasturtiums and sunflowers – often the first seeds we sow as children – are from the Americas.

In many ways, however, geography and provenance are irrelevant to the glorious melting pot that is a garden. Flowers mark our celebrations, our joys and our sorrows and, above all, they unify us through a pleasure that we can all understand.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Britain is a nation of gardeners, and a love of flowers runs deep in our collective consciousness. His Majesty is known to be a passionate gardener and we are delighted that the first Special Stamps to feature his silhouette should be a celebration of some of the most popular flowers in British gardens”.

The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flowers and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps in the set is available on general sale from 23 March and priced at £10.40.

[VSC: Philatelic products include first day covers (two postmarks, the Tipton alternate shown below], unserviced cacheted envelope, picture postcards and sheets and half-sheets with just five of the 10 designs.]

Technical Specifications:
Number of stamps: Ten
Value of stamps: First Class
Design: Charlie Smith Design
Stamp format: Square
Stamp size: 35mm x 35mm
Number per sheet: 25/50
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor Bars: as appropriate
Gum: PVA