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Angie Lewin, autumn flower arranging, Petersham Nurseries, The Garden Gate Flower Company, The White Horse Flower Company
Autumn inspired arrangement
It probably wasn’t the best of ideas to go to Cornwall for an October break two weeks before my book was due in but, in my defence, I had booked it when my original deadline was February 2015. The reason for my visit wasn’t to see the sea, although I did manage to squeeze that in, it was something altogether more flowery. Becca and Maz of The Garden Gate Flower Company had decided, back in June, to celebrate the end of the growing season with a get together of flower growers/florists who had come to know each other via Twitter. There’d be the chance to chat, pick flowers and arrange, how could I resist. At that point my book deadline was the middle of February so it wouldn’t be a problem, I could easily squeeze in a break away. Then I worked out I could get everything I needed for the book done much earlier and it was agreed to bring the deadline forward. Scroll forward to a Sunday night in the middle of October and a restaurant in a converted lifeboat station in a tiny Cornish fishing village. I’m so excited to be meeting a group of flowery friends for a pre-workshop dinner but quietly panicking about the long list of jobs still left to do.
It struck me, on this Sunday evening how Twittter has transformed how people come together. There were those of us who had already met several times and had become firm friends, then there were those who were meeting for the first time. We had come from Wales, Wiltshire, Berkshire, London, Oxfordshire and Cornwall. It’s quite strange to think that only five or six years ago these connections would have been difficult to forge, if not impossible. And, you know the night has been a good one when the restaurant staff are doing everything, bar switching off the lights, to get you to leave.
Salvia uliginosa
So to Monday and Becca and Maz’s flower farm. There was chat followed by guided tours of their flower fields, more chatting, then flower picking. For a bunch of people who had spent all year growing and picking flowers it was perhaps a little odd that we all got so excited about picking yet more. It reminded me of when you’re out for a meal and the food other people have ordered always looks more interesting than your own plate. That surely isn’t just me?!!
We spent the next few hours arranging and photographing our creations in one of the stunning barns. Initially, I felt like a bit of a fraud. Here I was surrounded by people who arrange flowers for a living, whereas my own flower growing and arranging has only ever been to satisfy my own taste. I found myself and my bucket of flowers on the same table as Lindsey from The White Horse Flower Company, who will have arranged for an epic 70+ weddings this year, and Thomas from Petersham Nurseries, who creates beautiful floral designs for the rich and famous in London. Eek!! But everyone was so friendly, it wasn’t long before I was so absorbed by the process that I forgot my nerves.
Flowers and barn wall
Becca and Maz specialise in growing and arranging for weddings. They had such a beautiful array of flowers in soft colours that it was a real treat and inspiration for me to get my hands on flower varieties I haven’t grown before. My mind is still buzzing with ideas for my next cut flower patch. I can’t say I had any great plan when I initially started picking. I had taken a real shine to a particular dahlia called ‘Peaches’ and my arrangement ended up being built around that. I also took inspiration from the autumn countryside around the farm. I love teasels which capture the fading glory that I love so much about this time of year; they also remind me of my favourite artist Angie Lewin. In the end, my arrangement included dahalis, teasels, the rusty coloured and faded flower spikes of dock, straw flowers, Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’ and some fantastically sculptural seed heads from a couple of hedgerow plants such as ribwort plantain.
Another beautiful arrangement
Then came the photography. I’ve become a bit obsessed with this whole process in recent years. It has been fascinating to learn a little bit about the difference light and the right background can make to showing off flowers. What I’d give for Becca and Maz’s barn. As one person commented ‘You could photograph anything in here and it would look fabulous’. The quality of the light, the rustic doors, mossy bricks and stone walls added so much to the arrangements we had all created.
Since then it has been a crazy couple of weeks with late nights and being driven close to tears by Windows 8. It turns out I had inadvertently clicked on some tracking shortcut which it remembered each time I opened up the document, I couldn’t get rid of the damn thing. Fortunately Wellyman worked it out in the end. This final stage is so fraught with worry that you’ll click on the wrong button and something will disappear into the ether. There was a story, which did the rounds at university, about someone who had lost their dissertation only a few weeks before it was due, in a house fire. Whether this was an urban myth or not, it was enough then, and now, to make me overly cautious, with documents backed up several times to various places and emailed to myself. But even these can be a tad confusing when you’re on the umpteeenth draft.
Fabulous flowers
I had the final photo shoot on Monday and I clicked on the send button this morning. The next month or so will consist of the publishers designing the book and then there’ll be the edit but I’m nearly there and I can’t wait to see it all come together. So, I’m really very glad that I managed to get down to Cornwall after all.
The last photo shoot
If you fancy learning about flower growing and arranging Becca and Maz run a series of courses throughout the year which are open to anyone who love flowers, you don’t have to have a background in floristry. Becca’s mum provides a delicious lunch and fantastic cake to keep you going through the day. They’re also perfectly located near Fowey to combine one of their courses with a holiday in Cornwall. For more details check out their website The Garden Gate Flower Company.
What a lovely way of spending time with friends new and old.
It was a lovely couple of days. 🙂
Thanks so much Louise we loved having so many flower friends at the farm…better start planning next year!
You were great hosts. Think you both deserve a bit of a rest first. x
Gosh yes that sounds like a very stimulating time and I am really looking forward to your next book.
It was a lovely few days. Thank you, that’s so lovely to hear. 🙂
Gosh what an exciting time you’re having! It must be a roller coaster of all sorts of emotions when you are giving birth to a book, I can imagine it gets very intense, A few days spent amongst flowers and like-minded people must have been a brilliant antidote!
Rollercoaster is a good description. 😉 It was a great break, sometimes we all need reminding of why we love something so much.
There are some wonderful English flower companies and flower arrangers out there aren’t there, so inspirational. Good luck with the new book. CJ xx
There are some fabulous growers. Thanks for the good wishes for the book, it’s much appreciated. 🙂 xx
Beautiful arrangements! Well worth the trip I’d say regardless of the deadlines looming! And congrats on the book. Looking forward to it!
Thank you Caroline and yes it was well worth it. Thank you regarding the book too. 🙂
Now that’s a most handsome seasonal arrangement. Sounds as if was a perfect break for you WW and must have provided you with a boost on that final run in to completing the book. I completed my degree using reams of paper and a fountain pen but can imagine the angst of loosing your work in cyberspace, whether it be degree or book. It must have been a weight off your shoulders to click that send button earlier today. Hope that you are celebrating tonight 🙂
Thank you Anna. Yes it was a lovely boost. I still write by hand for the initial draft, I just find it easier that way. Probably a bit old-fashioned now. 😉 Celebrating will wait until the edit has finished then my work is fully done. I ended up spending last night cleaning. Ha ha! My house has been rather neglected recently.
Love your arrangement, that is a beautiful dahlia. There are too many beautiful dahlias!! Congratulations on surviving your deadline, if this book is half as beautiful as the last one you will he bursting with pride in a few months. And yes, other people’s food always looks better, and social media, for all its dark side, has brought such richness to our lives too. Connecting with like-minded people has never been so easy. Pity the terrorists have worked this out too.
Thank you Janet. I just loved the colours so much and they are very different to what I tend to grow. Becca and Maz have a field full of dahlias, I grew 6 this year. It’s going to be hard to narrow down my list I fear. 😉 And thank you for such lovely words about the book. Mmmm, it’s so frustrating, heartbreaking and depressing that as humans we have such power to do wonderful and hideous things in equal measure. Maybe that’s why I bury myself in my flowers and nature so much.
Sometimes a break can work wonders and re-energise you. It certainly sounds like it inspired you and that you had a great time. I love the peachy colours you chose – autumn, only softer! Oh, and good luck!
It’s good to see what others are doing and find renewed inspiration. It was just what I needed. I never thought I’d like peachy colours but I do. Thank you!. 🙂
Seems you had a fab time, Louise, and your bouquets are absolutely stunning, all of them!
Yes it was lovely to meet up and talk about flowers . Thank you.
A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures.
It’s good to have seen how you, and other growers, have promoted British flowers through Twitter, writing books and various courses and meet-ups especially over the past year or two. xx
Thanks Flighty. 🙂 xx
Well, Louise, I am guessing that the new book is going to be more about arranging flowers than growing them, or is that a red herring?! I regularly refer to your last one so look forward with interest to this next one, whatever it may be. What a grand weekend you had with all those people who share a similar interest but with different slants – and producing all those lovely vases between you. Now a simple book on photographing flowers would be most useful….
Ha ha! Afraid I can’t say yet. I’m dying to but don’t think my publishers would be too happy if I spilled the beans now. I’m so pleased to hear you use my book. It was a fabulous few days. The would be a great idea for a book, wouldn’t it…..
Looking forward to you next book WW. I have your first and loved it and have bought a few copies for gifts for other people.
I actually saw a copy of your book the other day in a posh interiors store here in Tasmania.
Funny how your tastes change, I never did like peachy colours because they reminded me of horrible 1990’s apricot/peach interior colour schemes. Now I love them and have just planted a heap of peachy toned dahlia tubers, as well as yellows, oranges and creams – colours I previously avoided like the plague!
Aw! Thank you. It’s a bit odd to think of my book so far away and in a posh interiors shop no less!! 😉 Isn’t it just, I hated peach for exactly the same reasons. I grew up in the 80s and 90s where peach, terracotta and apricot were sooooo popular. I didn’t like them then or since, it was literally my day at Becca and Maz’s which has changed my mind. Can’t wait to see your dahlias in flower. 🙂
It’s always a good idea to have a trip to Cornwall, specially the south coast. It’s so peaceful there, I never quite want to leave. (I lived there as a small child, in Helston.) It’s lovely to see the camaraderie between british flower growers – I was invited to the launch evening of Georgie Newbery’s book last week at the Garden Museum and there was so much flower chat and flower love in the room, loads of twitter friends meeting up, it was brilliant! Even I recognised a few faces and friends and half expected to see you there 🙂 (Bit of a long journey for you though.) Have you seen the preview of Chiltern Seeds for next year? Loads of temptation there for the flower grower; I had my copy last week and am drawing up a list already! I can imagine the big sigh of relief when the book went off to edit – I’m waiting with bated breath for the finished tome, I’m sure it will cause a huge flurry of excitement!
Hi Caro, Yes there is much camaraderie between British flowers growers. How lovely to be invited to Georgie’s book launch. I knew a few people there. Yes I was very excited to see the Chiltern Seeds preview. I haven’t started making lists yet, that will probably be a job for January. Yes it was a big relief, although there’s never much time to pause before you’re straight into the edit process. #eek I hope so. 😉