It’s not too late to sow sweet peas - so easy to It’s not too late to sow sweet peas - so easy to grow and blissfully fragrant in the summer months. 
They were my mum’s favourite flower, so growing them now feels like a precious connection. Especially when I pick some and arrange them in her beautiful old blue and gold jug just as she used to do with the sweet peas my dad grew for her every year.
There are some really handy tips for growing success from founder of The Real Flower Company Rosebie Morton over on the blog (link in bio). Rosebie has a whole farm dedicated to sweet peas near Chichester so she knows a thing or two about the subject!
Main thing I’ve picked up from her is to allow lots of depth for root growth at this stage and to make my own supportive wigwams from twiggy branches when the plants are really starting to go for it and need a bit of direction. This photo is making me yearn slightly.
I love this image of my friend Jo - we were trying I love this image of my friend Jo - we were trying out tiny living for a feature I was writing - this was taken on our way to indulge in a spot of forest bathing. To be totally honest, we were both a little sceptical beforehand. But we were only saying the other day how taken aback we both were by the amazing effect it had. I’m working on some new ideas around the subject - will keep you posted. X
I’m currently working on a redesign of the whole I’m currently working on a redesign of the whole site - which has meant lots of photo editing and reorganising so much content. What’s been lovely (despite the claw hand from so much keyboard work!) is revisiting work and becoming engrossed all over again. I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve been (re) loving - with links in the bio to the old site for now, but not for long…! X
This  image is from a feature about preserving garden roses. I’m going to give this a really good go this year, now I have a better idea what I’m doing. I know there’s nothing quite like a fragrant fresh rose in Summer but there’s a fragile beauty to dried and preserved flowers that I also love, don’t you?
Snowdrops 🌱🤍 . . . . . . #capturequiet #ins Snowdrops 🌱🤍 
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.
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.
.
.
#capturequiet #instabritain #natureandnourish #thewildernesstonic #cornersofmyworld
Signed copies of Bex Partridge’s new book Flower Signed copies of Bex Partridge’s new book Flowers Forever to be won! My bio has the link to enter as well as to get a peek inside. Beautifully photographed by Laura Edwards, I really enjoyed escaping into the pages and making plans for my own garden - hope you do too! X
To the Moon and Back Hares KNITTING PATTERN by Cla To the Moon and Back Hares KNITTING PATTERN by Claire Garland aka @dotpebbles_knits has to be the perfect post Christmas craft project 😊 
If you fancy getting your needles out to make this adorable pair, the link to buy Claire’s pattern is in my bio. Happy knitting! X
Thank you so much to Sarah @floribundaroseflorists Thank you so much to Sarah @floribundaroseflorists for a wonderful wreath making workshop yesterday. Such a special and creative space to spend time. I loved making my wreath - I went for a mixture of greenery arranged quite randomly with red waxed fresh apples, dried hydrangea, dried flowers, poppy and nigella seed heads and a winter white velvet bow. 
There were so many wonderful ingredients to choose from we were really spoiled for choice. 
Sarah’s new studio is such a beautiful, creative space. Think fragrant botanical candles flickering everywhere, mulled wine and apple juice simmering on the stove and containers full of fragrant festive greenery, waxed fruit, dried flowers and oranges, pine cones, lichen covered branches and even tiny gold wax-dipped fresh crab apples. 
Thank you for being so patient with my lengthy ribbon choice deliberations Sarah - and for bagging up a second choice option (dusky pink) to take home! X.  #wreathmaking #wreath #wreathsofinstagram #sustainablewreaths #wreathdecor #christmaswreath #velvetribbon #christmasdecor #festiveflowers
I’ve loved Olga Prinku’s work for ages now - s I’ve loved Olga Prinku’s work for ages now - she came up with the genius idea of embroidering on tulle using nature as her thread - and the results are sublime - like this Autumn colours beauty from her latest book.
I’m delighted that Olga is offering a fantastic prize bundle to my readers. For a chance to win one of her beautiful new dried flower embroidery kits (in collaboration with @driedandfloral ) as well as a signed copy of her wonderful new book(published by @quadrillebooks , pop over to my blog (link in my bio). It’s easy to enter so why don’t you give yourself a chance of winning this very lovely prize? Good luck! 
#driedflowers #driedflowerembroidery #olgaprinku #embroideryhoop #flowerembroidery #competitiontime #signedbooks #embroideryart #flowersontulle #autumn #autumncolours #hoopart #allthingsbotanical #instacraft
This beautiful image is by Laura Pashby @circleofp This beautiful image is by Laura Pashby @circleofpines and is from her beautiful new book Little Stories of Your Life. 
It’s packed with inspiration and practical ideas to help you become a visual story teller. Because, as Laura says, it’s the little moments that make up the fabric of all of our lives - and those moments are worth capturing and sharing with others.
We have three signed copies of the book to give away - just click the link in my bio to find out more. There’s a peek inside and a lovely film by @xantheb to enjoy too! X 
#littlemoments #littlestoriesbook #alifeofwords #lostinwords #competition #booksarelife #mindfulphotography #bookstagram #booksmakemehappy #booksconnectus #igreads #whatareyoureading #signedbooks
Thanks to Lisa from @inthemaking_aprons who has sh Thanks to Lisa from @inthemaking_aprons who has shared her wonderfully creative ideas for visibly mending well-loved clothing in need of repair and a little TLC.
She had me at ‘sometimes I like to use giant sequins…’ 
Hope you like Lisa’s ideas as much as I do. The link to head over to my blog and get all her step by steps is in my bio x
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FLOWERS, GARDENING, LIFESTYLE · January 25, 2023

Flower Growing with Floret, Plants Of Distinction & more

Flower Growing Bliss with Plants Of Distinction & more. Dreaming of Summer with Plants of Distinction & other indie seed favourites – I share my flower seed wish list

The ground might seem like permafrost right now and last year’s flowers blackened relics of long-gone summer joy. But Spring is already starting to do its thing and now is the perfect time to start putting this year’s garden dreams into practice.

To get us in the mood for dreaming, I’ve dug out a couple of photos of blooms I grew last summer in my cutting garden. Sigh…

flower garden roses david austin dame judy dench, wisley, chandos beauty and boscobel with flowers of distinction plants grown from seed: white purity cosmos pink cupcake cosmos and foxgloves and wild flowers
flower garden roses and cottage flowers grown from seed

I have a BIG thing for roses (shown above are a few of my favourites: Dame Judy Dench, Chandos Beauty, Boscobel and Scepter’d Isle I think), along with other pretty cottage garden plants I grew from seed including foxgloves and cosmos. (You can find out more about my own own cutting garden story here)

There might be precious little going on in the garden during January and February, but these are months for another source of flower growing joy all together. Namely shopping for the seeds you’re going to grow this year. Sounds a touch prosaic and, dare I say it, straight forward doesn’t it? Not so. It’s a process that requires a challenging mix of dream and space management.

Experience has taught me the hard way that you need to be brutally honest with yourself about the space you actually have – both for seedling propagation as well as for planting out your young plants. I have a small greenhouse, but more often than not, by March I am totally swamped, with seedling production laying claim to every available surface in the house.

Challenging though it is, the seed tray stage isn’t where things can get really out of control. In my experience, it’s the next bit, where you need to pot on all the seedlings you’ve grown, that is most testing. Potting on poses a double challenge for me. Firstly, no matter how tall my mountain of saved plant pots and containers has grown, it’s never tall enough and I always run out. Secondly, you’ll have far more seedlings than you can reasonably pursue and that means picking only the best and composting the rest. I struggle with this and feel compelled to nurture the smallest, puny seedlings, cheering them on as they do their best to survive. Much like you would with an orphaned lamb or baby bird.

Last year I finally accepted the evidence of my own eyes: stronger seedlings will always make stronger plants and give you more flowers as well as stronger seeds for the next crop. So it’s not heartless to put any weaker left over seedlings into the compost. They’re actually just remaining part of the circle of life (must remember not to hum anything from The Lion King whilst carrying this out as am more likely to lose resolve…).

You have to let nature do its thing, I’ve come to realise, rather than trying to intervene in a somewhat anthropomorphic and overly sentimental fashion. Strong plants will adapt the best to their surroundings and the seeds they produce will, with each successive season, increase that level of adaptation. It’s genius when you think about it and I do have a growing collection of seeds harvested from my own flower garden. I must remember to factor this in when shopping for more…

Now time to get down to the good bit – the hunt for new flower growing inspiration. I have a few go-to favourite seed suppliers (Plants of Distinction, Chiltern Seeds, Roger Parsons Sweet Peas, Zoe Woodward Gardening, Crocus, Stocks & Green and Sarah Raven) that I always check out as part of the long list-making process.

I love to browse physical seed catalogues as well as online websites as I’m pulling together ideas. I’m looking for new flower varieties, classics I haven’t grown before, shapes and colours I maybe didn’t have enough of last year.

That’s the easy part – it’s the editing down that takes skill and resolve – but I thought you might be interested to browse my long list of ideas, with all the links to source them in case they make it on to your list too.

Plants of Distinction

This is a great independent seed resource, a family business based in Needham Market East Anglia, and always a source of inspiration. I receive their printed catalogue in the post and at this time of year it lives beside my bed so I can browse and dream of summer before falling asleep.

Online, Plants of Distinction has a New and Featured flowers section which is where I usually start browsing. You can also browse by Cutting Flowers and Good for Birds, Bees & Butterflies.

My picks from Plants of Distinction for this year’s long list

Cosmos Xsenia

plants of distinction flower seeds cosmos xsenia an award winning variety in terracotta orange and rose. The perfect cut flower to grow in a cutting garden from seed as they are so easy to grow and will provide you with beautiful cut flowers for months - right up until the first hard frost if you're luckuy

Award winning for good reason, this stunningly beautiful Cosmos variety combines shades of terracotta with rose. I always grow Cosmos as it’s so easy will give you masses of flowers for months – right up until the first real frost if you’re lucky. I’ve grown Purity (a beautiful white flower) and Cupcake Blush Cosmos before, both of which I LOVED, but I’m thinking I should go for a different shade this year and this one is definitely a front runner as I write.

Chinese Forget Me Nots from Plants of Distinction

chinese forget me not flower seeds from plants of distinction the perfect blue cottage garden cutting garden flowe

I adore wild forget me nots and have lots of patches around my garden, but they don’t last at all well as cut flowers. That’s why I’m drawn to these super pretty Cynoglossum  seeds (commonly known as Chinese Forget Me Nots) as they are suitable for cutting and adding to bouquets or arrangements.

Helichrysum Apricot Peach Mixed, Plants of Distinction

plants of distinction flower seeds helichrysum straw flowers peach apricot blush pink

I didn’t grow any Helichrysum (or Straw Flowers) last year and I regretted it. Perfect for drying (so easy, you really can’t go wrong!) they are the perfect way to grow yourself some everlasting blooms. This mixture of double apricot, salmon pink and peach flowers from Plants of Distinction is the prettiest I’ve found.

Phlox Cherry Caramel, Plants of Distinction

plants of distinction flower seeds phlox cherry caramel scented and perfect cut flower for adding to bouquets or arrangements in soft pink, apricot and cream with cherry red centre

This is the perfect ‘filler’ flower for creating arrangements or bouquets, as well as being very pretty in its own right. Lightly scented and with soft caramel and cherry flowers.

Browse more Plants of Distinction flower seeds here: https://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

Chiltern Seeds

Like Plants of Distinction, Chiltern Seeds, is also a family business run by sisters Heather and Sally and is based in Oxfordshire. It’s the go-to resource recommended to me by professional flower growers I know.

I love their Cut Flower Edit section as it’s full of really suitable suggestions or the full Cut Flowers section that you can further filter (eg by colour, conditions, scent or flowering period).

Cosmos Bipinnatus, ‘Apricotta’

cosmos apricotta flower seeds chiltern seeds

I’ve added this to my list of possible Cosmos varieties because the colour is so unusual. Burnished apricot, peach and raspberry combine so prettily and would also work well with lots of my other existing perennials.

Delphinium ‘Salmon Beauty’

pink delphinium larkspur flower seeds salmon beauty from chiltern seeds perfect for cutting garden or cottage garden flower bed

I have plenty of tall delphinium plants already in shades of blue and violet but nothing in pink or white, so I am drawn to this salmon pink variety. There’s nothing quite like delphinium (or larkspur) for adding a pretty, English cottage garden touch to any arrangement or bouquet.

Acrolinium Double Giant Strawflower

acrolinium straw flower double giant mixed flower seeds from chiltern seeds ideal for cutting garden and for drying into dried flower arrangements

A larger than usual flower head for a Strawflower (perfect for drying and very easy to grow as mentioned earlier) so this beauty is definitely on my list.

Alcea Rosea Hollyhock ‘Halo Apricot’

hollyhock halo apricot flower seeds chiltern seeds

This one isn’t for my cutting garden – I’m thinking it will look spectacular along an old sunny wall. Such an unusual colour combination and the most stately of cottage garden flowers standing 7 feet tall when fully grown. Best of all, it’s a perennial plant, so it will come back year after year.

Amni Visnaga ‘Green Mist’

amni visnaga green mist flower seeds ideal for cut flower cutting garden or cottage garden growing to add interest and wild flower feel to arrangements or flower bouquets from chiltern seeds

One thing I realised I needed more of last year was beautiful foliage and seed /wild flower heads for adding interest and contrast to flower arrangements. I love the feathery green foliage of this plant, along with the pretty white flowers that have a wild/country garden feel.

Bupleurum rotundifolium, ‘Griffithii’ or Hare’s Ear

burpleurum rotundifolium grifithii hares ear flower seeds from chiltern seeds perfect for cut flower wild flower growing

This yellow-green wild flower beauty is on my list for similar reasons to the Amni above.

Dianthus Barbatus Sweet William ‘Auricula Eye’

dainthus barbatus sweet william auricula eye mixed flower seeds from chiltern seeds ideal for cut flower cutting garden or cottage garden growing

Sweet William always makes me think of my mum because she grew it in the garden of my childhood home and would fill jugs and vases with it throughout the summer. This is a really beautiful variety that would add welcome deep colour and drama to my cutting garden so it’s on the list too… The list is getting quite long already, I’m aware, but as I said at the beginning, there’s some serious editing to be done at the end. So bear with me for now.

Floret

I know that many of you are based in the US, in which case you’re lucky enough to have flower seeds from the wonderful Floret Farm available to you. You’ll find most of the seeds I’ve featured earlier (and lots more) in their online shop. I love what Erin and her team have created at Floret (you might like to read How to grow dahlias with Erin of Floret Farm) and have included some of my current seed favourites for you here even though I can’t order them myself (all available to order for shipping within the US and most to Canada too).

Amarath Coral Fountain

amaranth coral fountain seeds floret perfect for cutting garden cut flower growing

I actually ordered this Coral Fountain variety of Amaranthus seeds last year from Sarah Raven but was sent a deep dark red variety instead. Obviously with seeds, this doesn’t become apparent until quite some weeks and months of sowing, watering and nurturing later… So I wasn’t best pleased. A refund doesn’t really cover it does it? Not a major hardship, I’ll grant you, but irritating none the less. I plan to grow this more subtle coral variety this summer -as I’d planned to do last year, available in the UK from Honeyvale Farm on Etsy. More about Honeyvale Farm later.

Stock Apricot

Stock apricot flower seeds from Floret Flower farm easy to grow and perfect for cut flowers cutting garden or cottage garden flower beds

Highly fragrant with full, fluffy blooms, these elegant apricot beauties make a big impact in gardens and floral arrangements/bouquets. Half of the plants will be single flowered, the other half double, so plant twice as many as you need.

Calendula ‘Bronze Beauty‘

calendula bronze beauty flower seeds floret erin benzakein easy to grow marigolds perfect for cutting garden cut flowers and cottage garden in a caramel soft apricot creamy colour

I love this soft peachy-cream calendula (or marigold) with a reverse cranberry stripe and a chocolate brown eye. Just lovely.

Honeyvale Farm

Selling via Etsy, Honeyvale Farm is based in County Durham and all their seeds are 100% guaranteed, inspected, certified & organic. As well as masses of unusual tomato and vegetable seeds, Honeyvale also sells some beautiful flower seeds (eg the Coral Fountain Amaranthus featured above). I’d also pick out this beautiful

Delphinium Salmon King

delphinium salmon king flower seeds

Apricot Foxglove

apricot foxglove flower seeds easy to grow wild flower cut flower cutting garden cottage flower seeds

I grew these pretty soft apricot/pink foxgloves a couple of years ago and absolutely loved them. What I hadn’t realised was that I’d need to start them off really early to see flowers the first year, so there wasn’t so much as a single bloom until the second summer. Once they were in flower, the display was truly spectacular. I’d planted massed of them along a grass verge, and irritatingly, I didn’t think to save the seed heads from the mower once they’d finished flowering. I’m tempted to grow them again, but correct my mistakes this time.

Zoe Woodward Gardening

Another great independent resource with grow-along handbooks, lots of helpful online content as well as an Autumn jump starter and January seed shop. Stock quantities are small and do sell out fast, so the best thing to do is to sign up for Zoe’s newsletter and that way you’ll receive early access to the shop when it opens.

Stocks & Green

Stocks & Green is a small UK based independent business offer a hand-picked range of flowers, vegetables & herbs to grow from seed. With a commitment to limit landfill waste, wherever possible they pack orders in materials which can be easily recycled (almost all of their packaging can go directly onto the compost heap).

There’s a super-helpful Cutting Garden Flowers section full of inspiration. I’ve added a few to my ever growing list:

Antirrhinum ‘Orange Wonder’

antirrhinum snapdragon orange wonder pink salmon flower seeds

This variety of antirrhinum (or snapdragon) has colourful flowers on very tall stems and will attract pollinating insects to your garden. I grew a similar variety a couple of years ago and I must have had hundreds of beautiful cut flowers from one packet of seeds. Ideal for a cutting garden, snapdragons will go on producing more flower stems if regularly harvested above a pair of leaves.

Stocks & Green also offers a range of hand-picked seed selections to help you ‘grow the bouquet‘. There are pale and interesting, jewel colour, wild & rustic and pretty cottage mixes to choose from.

Candy Cascade Grow the Bouquet seed selection

grow the bouquet flower seeds stocks & green

If you’re just dipping your toe into the whole idea of cut flower growing, these mixes are a great idea. This pretty pink mix includes Lavatera ‘Dwarf Pink Blush’, Centaurea cyanus ‘Ball White’ – Cornflower, Amaranthus caudatus ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’, Eschscholzia californica ‘Carmine King’, Centranthus ruber and Nigella seed pods. All for less than £10. That’s one of the joys of growing from seed – you put in the growing time yourself, so the cost is really low.

Roger Parsons Sweet Peas

No self-respecting cutting garden should be without sweet peas but it’s important to source the right variety. Rosebie Morton, founder of The Real Flower company wrote a helpful piece for me: How to grow sweet peas with Rosebie of The Real Flower company and her favourite source for sweet pea seeds is Roger Parsons Sweet Peas (he holds the National Collection) and has a wonderful selection. Rosebie’s favourites are Cathy, Romeo, Zorija Rose, Alisa and Emily.

My own favourite is Blue Shift a fabulous and highly unusual variety with flowers that open a rich purple and gradually darken to a deep blue, both on the plant and when cut in a vase.

blue shift sweet pea seeds from Roger Parsons Sweet Peas - perfect for cut flower growing, cutting gardens, cottage garden and flower beds with purple and blue petals and beautiful fragrant scent

English Sweet Peas is another great place for sourcing seeds direct from the producer. Find all manner of sweet pea inspiration and information here.

Sarah Raven

What I like about Sarah Raven seeds is that you can find them in your local garden centre and there are regular online sales and offers. The selection is nicely curated and, although I was sent the wrong variety of Amaranthus seed last year, their seeds are usually reliable and grow well. There’s a Flowers for Cutting section which is particularly useful if you’re just dipping the first toe into the whole idea. It’s where I started and everything I grew flourished and gave me months of pure joy.

Cutting Garden Succession Collection

sarah raven cutting garden succession planting seed collection

This is a very pretty mix of sweet pea, amni and cosmos plants cleverly designed to take you through the whole of summer and autumn. Sweet peas frothed out by ammi for the early months, with the cosmos pair then taking over.

Crocus

I’ve included Crocus because of the wide amount of choice they offer online. Gold medal winners at The Chelsea Flower Show, Surrey-based Crocus has grown into the largest gardening website in the UK so it’s no surprise there is plenty of flower seed choice – and there’s 10% off as I write with code EXTRA10.

Right, that’s probably enough from me – I clearly have some major list editing to be getting on with. I already have one bed in my cutting garden devoted to roses and another to dahlias, so I don’t have as much space for planting out as I am inclined to delude myself into believing.

I do have a nagging feeling that my negligence has caused irreparable damage to my dahlia bulbs this year. They were still at the very end of flowering when the first, very heavy frost hit. The plants were instantly blackened (which is the prompt to remove the top growth and either dig up the bulbs or cover over with mounds of compost to protect from further frost). I didn’t manage to do either before another series of heavy frosts hit and now I will just have to wait and see what has survived. I need to change the subject as it’s making me spiral slightly just thinking about what I might have lost.

If the worst has happened and the dahlia bed does turn out to be tragically lacking in regrowth come Springtime, at least I can mitigate things if I have lots of new flower seedlings to play with by then… So maybe I don’t need to edit my list as heavily after all. I’ll keep you posted!

Information

Plants of Distinction has a wonderful selection of flower seeds online and also produce a printed catalogue. Browse the Plants of Distinction website here: https://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

Chiltern Seeds

Sarah Raven

Roger Parsons Sweet Peas

Crocus

Zoe Woodward Gardening

Floret

In: FLOWERS, GARDENING, LIFESTYLE · Tagged: cutting garden, flowers, gardening

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I'm so glad you're here. I'm Laura - national women's magazine editor and journalist now sharing my passion for sustainable and creative living here. Hope you find something to enjoy and inspire! X

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It’s not too late to sow sweet peas - so easy to It’s not too late to sow sweet peas - so easy to grow and blissfully fragrant in the summer months. 
They were my mum’s favourite flower, so growing them now feels like a precious connection. Especially when I pick some and arrange them in her beautiful old blue and gold jug just as she used to do with the sweet peas my dad grew for her every year.
There are some really handy tips for growing success from founder of The Real Flower Company Rosebie Morton over on the blog (link in bio). Rosebie has a whole farm dedicated to sweet peas near Chichester so she knows a thing or two about the subject!
Main thing I’ve picked up from her is to allow lots of depth for root growth at this stage and to make my own supportive wigwams from twiggy branches when the plants are really starting to go for it and need a bit of direction. This photo is making me yearn slightly.
I love this image of my friend Jo - we were trying I love this image of my friend Jo - we were trying out tiny living for a feature I was writing - this was taken on our way to indulge in a spot of forest bathing. To be totally honest, we were both a little sceptical beforehand. But we were only saying the other day how taken aback we both were by the amazing effect it had. I’m working on some new ideas around the subject - will keep you posted. X
I’m currently working on a redesign of the whole I’m currently working on a redesign of the whole site - which has meant lots of photo editing and reorganising so much content. What’s been lovely (despite the claw hand from so much keyboard work!) is revisiting work and becoming engrossed all over again. I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve been (re) loving - with links in the bio to the old site for now, but not for long…! X
This  image is from a feature about preserving garden roses. I’m going to give this a really good go this year, now I have a better idea what I’m doing. I know there’s nothing quite like a fragrant fresh rose in Summer but there’s a fragile beauty to dried and preserved flowers that I also love, don’t you?
Snowdrops 🌱🤍 . . . . . . #capturequiet #ins Snowdrops 🌱🤍 
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#capturequiet #instabritain #natureandnourish #thewildernesstonic #cornersofmyworld
Signed copies of Bex Partridge’s new book Flower Signed copies of Bex Partridge’s new book Flowers Forever to be won! My bio has the link to enter as well as to get a peek inside. Beautifully photographed by Laura Edwards, I really enjoyed escaping into the pages and making plans for my own garden - hope you do too! X
To the Moon and Back Hares KNITTING PATTERN by Cla To the Moon and Back Hares KNITTING PATTERN by Claire Garland aka @dotpebbles_knits has to be the perfect post Christmas craft project 😊 
If you fancy getting your needles out to make this adorable pair, the link to buy Claire’s pattern is in my bio. Happy knitting! X
Thank you so much to Sarah @floribundaroseflorists Thank you so much to Sarah @floribundaroseflorists for a wonderful wreath making workshop yesterday. Such a special and creative space to spend time. I loved making my wreath - I went for a mixture of greenery arranged quite randomly with red waxed fresh apples, dried hydrangea, dried flowers, poppy and nigella seed heads and a winter white velvet bow. 
There were so many wonderful ingredients to choose from we were really spoiled for choice. 
Sarah’s new studio is such a beautiful, creative space. Think fragrant botanical candles flickering everywhere, mulled wine and apple juice simmering on the stove and containers full of fragrant festive greenery, waxed fruit, dried flowers and oranges, pine cones, lichen covered branches and even tiny gold wax-dipped fresh crab apples. 
Thank you for being so patient with my lengthy ribbon choice deliberations Sarah - and for bagging up a second choice option (dusky pink) to take home! X.  #wreathmaking #wreath #wreathsofinstagram #sustainablewreaths #wreathdecor #christmaswreath #velvetribbon #christmasdecor #festiveflowers
I’ve loved Olga Prinku’s work for ages now - s I’ve loved Olga Prinku’s work for ages now - she came up with the genius idea of embroidering on tulle using nature as her thread - and the results are sublime - like this Autumn colours beauty from her latest book.
I’m delighted that Olga is offering a fantastic prize bundle to my readers. For a chance to win one of her beautiful new dried flower embroidery kits (in collaboration with @driedandfloral ) as well as a signed copy of her wonderful new book(published by @quadrillebooks , pop over to my blog (link in my bio). It’s easy to enter so why don’t you give yourself a chance of winning this very lovely prize? Good luck! 
#driedflowers #driedflowerembroidery #olgaprinku #embroideryhoop #flowerembroidery #competitiontime #signedbooks #embroideryart #flowersontulle #autumn #autumncolours #hoopart #allthingsbotanical #instacraft
This beautiful image is by Laura Pashby @circleofp This beautiful image is by Laura Pashby @circleofpines and is from her beautiful new book Little Stories of Your Life. 
It’s packed with inspiration and practical ideas to help you become a visual story teller. Because, as Laura says, it’s the little moments that make up the fabric of all of our lives - and those moments are worth capturing and sharing with others.
We have three signed copies of the book to give away - just click the link in my bio to find out more. There’s a peek inside and a lovely film by @xantheb to enjoy too! X 
#littlemoments #littlestoriesbook #alifeofwords #lostinwords #competition #booksarelife #mindfulphotography #bookstagram #booksmakemehappy #booksconnectus #igreads #whatareyoureading #signedbooks
Thanks to Lisa from @inthemaking_aprons who has sh Thanks to Lisa from @inthemaking_aprons who has shared her wonderfully creative ideas for visibly mending well-loved clothing in need of repair and a little TLC.
She had me at ‘sometimes I like to use giant sequins…’ 
Hope you like Lisa’s ideas as much as I do. The link to head over to my blog and get all her step by steps is in my bio x
Thank you @therealflowerco for these heavenly swee Thank you @therealflowerco for these heavenly sweet peas - the perfect way to celebrate #britishflowersweek 
I just wish I could share the blissful fragrance with you too 💕🌸
#locallygrownflowers #flowersofinstagram #supportlocal #britishflowersweek2021 #britishseasonalflowers #flowersfromthefarm #sweetpeas
This heavenly knitted lamb is by Claire Garland ak This heavenly knitted lamb is by Claire Garland aka @dotpebbles_knits and just one of the creative spring projects you might enjoy immersing yourself in right now. To discover other inspirational ideas and to get all the info you need - including this free pattern by Claire - click the link in my bio. Hope you find something that brings you a little seasonal joy x
Thanks to Erin at @floretflower for sending me a s Thanks to Erin at @floretflower for sending me a surprise signed copy of her dreamy new book Discovering Dahlias - and another signed copy to share with one of you. 
To enjoy a peek inside - and for a chance to win - click the link in my bio. 
The truly beautiful photographs (including this one) are all by Erin’s husband Chris Benzakein #discoveringdahlias #floretflowerfarm #dahliasofinstagram #flowersgivemepower #giveawayuk
Thanks to @sarahravenperchhill for sharing a beaut Thanks to @sarahravenperchhill for sharing a beautifully simple way to arrange snowdrops and other early spring flowers over on the blog (link is in my bio). I’ve already made my own simple flower grid using foraged twigs and it works brilliantly! 
As well as sharing her simple step by steps, there’s also a video tutorial where Sarah shares more inspiring ideas for creating with early spring flowers. The beautiful photographs are by @jonathanbuckleyphotography - hope you enjoy! X
Last call to enter our Pippa Greenwood Grow Your O Last call to enter our Pippa Greenwood Grow Your Own gift bundle competition!
My favourite #gardenersquestiontime panellist @pippa.greenwood offers a range of totally brilliant Grow Your Own gift bundles - which include garden-ready veg plants sent out at the right time for planting, email growing advice, tips and recipes from Pippa herself as well as signed copies of The Gardener’s Year. It’s the perfect gift for anyone interested in growing their own fresh produce - and comes with the best expert advice!
We have two Pippa Greenwood GYO gift bundles to be won - the link to enter the competition, and to find out more is in my bio - Good luck!
Last call for anyone who’d like to enter our Cla Last call for anyone who’d like to enter our Claire Garland Christmas Mouse knitting pattern competition. The link to enter is the top one in my bio. Good luck!
If you’re finding the world a somewhat shouty an If you’re finding the world a somewhat shouty and overwhelming place right now, you might like to get behind Sarah Corbett @craftivists new project - she’s crowdfunding to create the final part of her Craftivism trilogy: the Craftivist Collective Handbook. It will be a beautiful hardback with 20 gentle protest Craftivist projects and tools to help readers become positive and effective change makers. Because slow and gentle can be more effective in the long run than fast and loud. I am 100% behind Sarah’s project and have no doubt that those of us in the crafty, creative community have plenty to contribute when it comes to making a better, fairer world. 
Stitching a powerful message can be  more effective than shouting it at someone who’s not listening to you. If you’d like to get involved or find out more, follow the top link in my bio.
Thanks to @botanical_tales for sharing beautiful d Thanks to @botanical_tales for sharing beautiful dried flower wreath ideas over on the blog - link in bio. I love this dried mini wreath as natural gift wrapping decoration (you can buy ready-made too) - all the links are in the post.
Thanks too to Kirsten @henthorn_farm_flowers for sharing her step by steps for creating a stunning giant foraged dried flower wreath as well as her beautiful simple wreath in silvery winter whites. 
I’m increasingly obsessed with the idea of growing my own flowers for drying and creating lovely things with them. Watch this space for more dried flower inspiration coming soon... X
One of the joyful things about this time of year f One of the joyful things about this time of year for me is making plans for next spring and summer in my flower cutting garden. After two years of growing cut flowers, I’m ready for some fresh ideas and to raise my game a little more. I would like to fill some gaps in shape and colour and to extend the flowering season in particular. I’d also like to start drying and preserving my flowers... so I am thrilled that Kirsten of @henthorn_farm_flowers has shared a beautiful glimpse into her seasonal and sustainable flowery world as well as lots of fantastic expert tips and ideas over on the blog - the link is in my bio. I hope you find some inspiration too. Kirsten lives in a very beautiful part of the world - the Ribble Valley in Lancashire. It’s an area very close to my heart as I grew up not far away. Loved spending a little virtual time there again, thanks to Kirsten - and I am yearning to go back in person one day soon and breathe it all in again.
To be honest, I’m still clinging on to the last To be honest, I’m still clinging on to the last moments of Summer. I do always eventually embrace Autumn but, this year in particular, I’m wanting to hold on for as long as possible to the quiet bliss of the last few months. 
I do really worry about what lies ahead for us all, but spending time outdoors, connecting, really up close, to what’s going on in the garden definitely helps. I still have roses, sweet peas, snapdragons, zinnias, asters and LOTS of dahlias blooming so there are always jars and jugs of flowers on every available surface. Rose geranium leaves have been a revelation for adding a fragrant green frilliness - and now I’m full of love for abelia. 
This beautiful photo is by @gandgorgeousflowers and captures the between-seasons beauty in the flower garden right now. I am inspired to create something similar as I have many of the same colours. 
I do realise that it’s silly (and utterly pointless 😂) to resist Autumn as it’s actually one of the most beautiful times of year. As soon as the leaves really turn, and everywhere starts to smell like Autumn, I’m sure I’ll be fully on board. 
With that in mind, I’ve shared lots of inspiring Autumn Flowers ideas over on the blog (link in my bio) from some of my favourite flower creatives including @gandgorgeousflowers @simplybyarrangement @therealflowerco @wildbunchflowers @floribundaroseflorists @thesussexflowerschool @electricdaisyflowerfarm 

Hope you enjoy - and find a little bit of creative inspiration too. X

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