My name is Louise Curley and I’m a freelance writer and editor with a passion for plants whether they’re growing in my garden, on my allotment or in the countryside. You can find me for commissions and to discuss projects at my website.
I’m a great believer in the power of nature to transform our lives whether that’s a walk in a local wood, digging up home-grown potatoes or marvelling at a patch of wild flowers on the daily commute. In a world where it feels like humans are doing their very best to damage our incredible planet and where our connections with the natural world are being increasingly eroded nurturing your own plants is one of the best ways to feel like you’re doing something constructive to care for our environment.
And why Wellywoman? Well, I’m happiest when I’m in my wellies. If I’m wearing my trusty green boots it means I’m either in my garden surrounded by plants, at my allotment growing tasty fruit, veg and beautiful cut flowers or walking in the gorgeous countryside around my home. For some women, they’re happiest when their feet are ensconced in a pair of expensive Manolo Blahniks or Christian Louboutins, for me it’s a pair of mud-splattered wellies.
When I’m not sowing, picking flowers or digging up spuds I’m writing about plants. My first book The Cut Flower Patch was voted The Garden Media Guild’s ‘Best Practical Gardening Book of 2014’. I wanted to show that it’s possible to grow lots of cut flowers for your home even if you don’t have a lot of space. Based on my own experience of devoting a few beds on my allotment to cut flowers it’s a guide on how to grow, pick and arrange, with beautiful photographs from award-winning photographer Jason Ingram.
My second book The Crafted Garden is to be published in 2015.
This book brings together my passions of growing, crafting and nature. Project-based it takes you through the seasons with ideas on how to use plants you can grow in your garden, in containers or on your allotment to decorate your home or to make gifts for friends and family.
I write for the gardening section of The Guardian and for a variety of garden magazines including Gardeners’ World, The Garden – the magazine of The Royal Horticultural Society, Grow Your Own, Garden Answers and The English Garden.
Examples of my writing include:
The Guardian – A celebration of sweet violets
The Guardian – Let biennials plug the gap
Examples of styling include:
A spring project – The Crafted Garden
The Crafted Garden
If you would like to contact me (other than posting a comment) please send a message to sweetpealou@hotmail.com and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
wellywoman 
Dear Wellywoman,
Thanks for your kind comments about our mail order organic plants. I’d just like to add that they are grown in peat-free compost.
Happy Gardening,
Jill Vaughan
Delfland Nurseries Organic plants by post
My wellies are a serviceable black. Bought in horror just after we moved into our new house, and it threatened to sail off to sea. Two years of winter floods, now gravel paths and kinder winters have put the wellies into hibernation.
Tomorrow’s post I’ll bring you sunny South Africa.
You look so at home in your wellies – used to love mine and the ease of slipping them on (though not off for some reason). Have not worn wellies since volunteering for a gardening charity – the health and saftey gremlins have left me with the horrors of a fork pranged through my toe or a spade that slipped.
It took me a few minutes to figure out what “wellies” were, but I love your blog site and now I know what wellies are!!
I am glad I have just found your blog as we have just taken on an allotment and your posts have been really interesting and helpful.
Kate x
Thanks Kate. I’m certainly no expert but I’m pleased to hear that some of things I’ve picked up might help others. A lot of it is about trying things and not getting disheartened if they don’t work, which can be hard. WW x
I love your green wellies. Style and comfort.
Morning! I’m nominating you for the Very Inspiring Blogger award which I’ll publish in a moment. You dont need to do anything, its just to say I like your blog!
Oh thank you Sofia, that’s so kind. It really means a lot to hear you like my posts. :))
Dear Wellywoman,
your photos are beautiful!
May I use one of Sissinghurst Garden in our Swiss magazine? We have environmental themes.
Best wishes, Stefanie
Hi Stefanie, Thank you. If you would like to send me an email to sweetpealou@hotmail.com. Then we can discuss further. Best wishes.
Dear WellyWoman,
What is the best way to get in contact with you? I work for Woman’s Weekly website and would like to chat to you 🙂
Let me know
Thanks
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
You can email me at sweetpealou@hotmail.com.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Louise
Hey Welly Woman.
I am hugely impressed that you’ve been recommended to me by Amazon!
Hope your well.
Book is ordered.
Matt.
Dear Louise,
I have a copy of your wonderful book The Cut Flower Patch which is already looking somewhat dog eared as it travels everywhere with me! My tiny garden has had a revamp in order to accommodate my own cut flower patch. I have tried very hard but failed to get hold of the beautiful salmon pink Dahlia ‘Yvonne’ featured in the book. Do you happen to know where I can get it please?
Thank you.
Carol Derby
Hi Carol, Thank you for your lovely comments. I’ve sent you an email. Hopefully I got the address right. 🙂
have you seen the newly restored (in Summer 2014) walled kitchen garden at Hampton Court. I get to walk through it nearly every Wed (lucky me) http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/stories/palacehighlights/KitchenGarden
So glad I’ve just found your blog. I really want to grow some cut flowers this year on my allotment, but my boyfriend reckons it’ll be expensive to buy seeds and things? Can I persuade him otherwise? 🙂
Hi! I’m really pleased you want to grow cut flowers on your allotment. It shouldn’t be any more expensive than the vegetables you’re already growing on your plot. And if you have an allotment I assume you have pots, seed trays etc anyway. Perhaps there’s someone you know who would like to do it too, then you could share the cost of the seeds. The annuals I included in my book are all easy to grow and easy to find in most garden centres. It’s so much cheaper than buying flowers throughout the summer. More importantly though it’s fun. For the price of a couple of bottles of wine and a trip to the cinema you could have flowers to pick all summer long. Hope you get to grow your flowers. 🙂
I’ve just discovered your blog whilst searching Daucus carota Black Knight. I have grown this plant from seed bought in the UK and it is just starting to flower very prettily here in my garden in Dunedin, New Zealand! You have a great blog. I would love to be added to your email list. Thankyou! 🙂
Hello Jacqui! Isn’t Daucus carota such a gorgeous flower? Thank you for your kind comments about my blog. I’m very pleased to see you’ve followed. 🙂
Hi There,
My name is Nick. I represent Camminare UK. Camminare manufactures EVA wellington boots. Is there any other way i can contact you to discuss our product with you to see if you would review it?
Many Thanks
I have bought your book last year and has been so educational. I now have a cut flower garden and thanks to your book I have managed to fill vases after vases with my own cut flowers. It is still a learning curve but so rewarding when out in the garden snipping away beautiful blooms on a sunny morning. Thank you Welly women! Karina x
Hi Karina, Thank you for getting in touch. I’m so pleased you’ve found the book helpful and you’re enjoying picking your own home-grown flowers. Hope you have another bountiful year. x
Pingback: The Crafted Garden- Book Review - MiaFleur Blog | MiaFleur Blog
Just a quick comment to say how useful I found your Cut Flower Patch book. Our nursery sells native British wild flowers as cut flowers to florists – the idea is that it will both promote their beauty and give a nudge about our rapidly disappearing heritage to a wider public (as well as make money for us, obviously!). We’re now moving into cottage garden flowers that are wildlife friendly and finding your book has helped enormously with the transition. It’s incredibly practical and full of down-to-earth tips that have completely taken the stress out of the difference in growing styles and given us some really good ideas.
I’m very much looking forward to buying The Crafted Garden – is this out yet? I had to order the Cut Flower Patch through Amazon, as I couldn’t find it anywhere in our local shops, but if you’re selling it direct, or through your blog, I’d prefer to buy it that way than Amazon, even if it costs a little more.
(Victoria)
Hi Victoria, Thank you for getting in touch. Sorry about the delay in getting back to you, I’ve just come back from a week’s holiday. I’m so pleased to hear you’ve found my book useful. It’s great to get such positive feedback. 🙂 Yes, The Crafted Garden is out. It’s always worth asking in a bookshop. Most can order a book and have it in a few days. It’s good for authors too if people are asking for their books in bookshops as they’re more likely to look at stocking them. You can order the book at a discounted price (this doesn’t affect how much I get) from here:
To order The Crafted Garden by Louise Curley at the discounted price of £13.99 including p&p* (RRP: £16.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG355.
Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy it.
Best wishes,
Louise x
Thanks so much for the tip!
I’ve ordered The Crafted Garden as you suggested and am looking forward to some more great ideas.
Victoria
My pleasure! I hope you like the book. 🙂
Just to say how useful I found ‘The Crafted Garden’ for attractive ideas about seasonal gifts. I adapted your Christmas wreath design for some of our Christmas door wreaths and they were extremely popular with our florists!
Victoria
Hi Victoria, Thank you so much for your message. It’s so lovely to hear you found the book useful. 🙂 I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Louise
Dear Ms. Curley:
I am just an office worker in Canada who dreams of running her own organic agri business or cut flower business. I loved “The Cut Flower Patch” and have ordered The Crafted Garden. Your blog and books make me feel like it isn’t simply a dream. I can do something like this and I will. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. I’m so pleased you liked The Cut Flower Patch. I hope you like The Crafted Garden too. Good luck with your plans. Best wishes.
Pingback: Review of The Crafted Garden
Hi Louise,
We need your help! I work for a casting director called Lesley Beastall and we are looking for real gardening fanatics and allotment dwellers for a commercial we are casting for the BBC. We were delighted to discover your blog!
It would be a paid job. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in knowing more.
Many thanks,
Lucy
Hi Louise,
spontaneously I bought your first book (the german version) two years ago, because it looks so pretty. And I´m so glad I did, because it gave me a new hobby, wich I realy love: to grow my own cut flowers 🙂
I grew up, living on a farm, with a wunderful garden. But having a bed especially for cutflowers was a new idea to me.
So: Thank you very much! Wunderful insperation!
Stefanie
Hi Stefanie, Thank you for popping by and leaving a comment. I’m so pleased to hear you’re loving growing cut flowers. It’s really lovely to hear that my book has been an inspiration. Vielen Dank!
I came back by your blog on a whim.. hoping to see you post again, sadly not. Your posts are missed! 3 years, my time has flown,
Wishing you well
Hello! Sorry I’m not blogging here at the moment. I’ve set up a new website though and it has got a journal/blog section which I hope to keep updated. The first post went up last week. Find me at http://louisecurley.wordpress.com.