The love of gardening and growing flowers has always been a big part of my life and a yearning to start my own business married the two and so in 2014 The Flower Patch was created!
I’m always getting asked ‘do you have a shop?’ The answer is, I have a garden instead! I choose to grow my own flowers for my floristry as it gives me the opportunity to be spontaneous with my arrangements and I can grow such a wide variety which is ever changing with the seasons. It’s always a joy to gather up a lovely collection of ingredients from the garden and create unique bouquets, making them all special in their own way. And my passion is to share what beauty lies within the British garden both with couples looking for seasonal wedding flowers and through my talks and workshops.
I grow many flowers from seed and it’s always interesting to trial new varieties and to keep on trend with the latest flower colours. I’m still fascinated that a tiny seed can grow into something so beautiful and I get a little ping of excitement when I see those seeds emerging through the soil. I hope I’ll always be amazed by nature and the magic it brings.
Collaboration is important to my business, there are so many super talented suppliers in the wedding industry it’s always a great opportunity to work together to create a look to Wow potential couples. I’ve collaborated with Cathy from Boelle Events for the last 3 years to style out the Sami tipi’s at the open weekend events at Cattows Farm Weddings in Heather Leicestershire. Cathy has some amazing styling ideas and it’s always fun to weave my British Grown flowers in amongst her many different styles. I’m always open to working with others on a collaboration photo shoot or freelancing for other florists in the area, so if you think my style would be a fit for you, please get in touch.
Ever since cheaper flowers started to be imported in the 70’s our flower-growing heritage has been in rapid decline. Only 10-15% of the flowers we buy are grown in the UK. However that is gradually changing and I’m excited to be part of the Great British flower growing revival! I’ve been a member of Flowers from the Farm (a network of British flower growers), since 2013 and enthusiastically promote and educate the general public about our home grown blooms.
I’ve been involved with creating the Flowers from the Farm exhibition stands at the BBC Gardeners World Live Show in Birmingham for the past four years. And I’m very proud to say that we have gained Gold Awards for all of the displays. The organisation also had a crowd-pleasing exhibition at The Chelsea Flower show in 2018. A real highlight for me as I sent some of my garden flowers for the display and spent a day at the show. We had so much interest and many wonderful compliments it really was a privilege to be part of this amazing venture.
