joy and disappointment

Joy abundant in having Ursula and Huberta here from Austria for nearly two weeks, they have been FANTASTIC (as ever, photos will appear at some completely irrelevant time probably!) and Ursula may be starting a cut flower patch in Graz in Austria, the first in the country. I can't wait to visit...

Disappointment when I stopped for a much needed cup of coffee and sugar intake between delivering wedding flowers to the Cotswolds and North Shropshire on Friday. Ludlow Food market has a brilliant reputation and I'd never managed to get there before. In their cafe I had the most disappointingly horrible and extortionately priced carrot cake it has ever been my misfortune to  buy. I am rather keen on cake, but I couldn't eat it, dry, gritty, and maybe worst of all, full of unwished for coconut....

Slight panic about flowers for the Chelsea gig today. Very very stormy. Very very flat blooms! Yet another rethink necessary!

Back to the studio

Bill Tingey also took some wonderful shots in the studio last weekend as I got ready to go to a Plant Fair.

Photos from the second April wedding

I'm extremely spoilt to have Bill Tingey also taking amazing pictures of my flowers, he just sent me these from the second April wedding, (very low res on screen) where he came to the studio the night before to see me making things up with extremely dirty hands (I hadn't realised how disgraceful my hands are until I saw them through his lens!!) and it's amazing to see my flowers through someone else's eyes.We're hoping to do a lot more work together, watch this space..... Thanks SO much Bill.

Photos from the first April wedding

A few lovely pictures from Lucy and Will's April 2nd wedding. Her bouquet was hellebores, tulips, ranunculus and lily of the valley, anemones and rosemary and ranunculus adorned the tent poles, one marquee entrance had tulips and variegated foliages across the awning entrance, the big dining tipi tents had dozens (literally) of candelabra, buttonholes were Mt tacoma tulips with lily of the valley, some had hellebores too. Lucy had lily of the valley and hyacinth pips on a barre in her hair, and the bridesmaid's headdresses were immaculate at the start of the proceedings, but got more and more wayward as the day drew on!

in the top gardens

No time to write, so just some snaps of what's going on in the top gardens around the cottage. too windy to photograph anything on the field this week but everything is really stepping into gear now. But I also love the gardens round the cottage - it's going to be all change later this year as it seems a move is scheduled, (lovely cottage with amazing garden to be for sale if anyone's interested, with flower growing neighbour in the field next door!) so many plants from the top gardens will also be on the move down to the field and to a new garden. All a bit daunting, but also very exciting, the chance to create another garden!

Proper snaps from Alex Ramsay

Amazing when a real photographer comes to call - Alex Ramsay popped over last Sunday when I was fiddling in the flower house.