Aspinal Guest Edit 2015

Interview with Aspinal of London for their Guest Edit online column.

https://www.aspinaloflondon.com/discover-aspinal/guest-edit

Aspinal 2015

This month I was delighted to be asked by Aspinal of London to design and install a series of plant and flower displays for the launch of their new collection in Mayfair’s historic Brown Hart Gardens as part of SS16 London Fashion Week. The collection was inspired by the English Garden and as part of the launch Aspinal were running a whole parallel campaign called ‘Bee Aspinal‘ to raise funds and awareness for saving the English Honey Bee (for more information go to www.saveourbees.co.uk). It was, therefore, a project right up my garden path. The commission was especially great, because it allowed me the first opportunity to create a truly cross-disciplinary work – floristry design and garden design coming together in one project.

The idea was to create a series of displays, two vertical garden walls, a planted entranceway and a small ‘arranged’ garden (for that read nothing was actually planted), the challenge was designing something that could be installed in 10 hours. So different to the way I would normally lay out a garden, the challenge was however met, and for all of 3 hours the different displays were the perfect backdrop for the launch and a, much taken advantage of, ‘selfie’ opportunity. Thankfully, the usual transient and arguably frivolous nature of floristry, was undercut in a massive way due to more than 90% of the materials being actual plants – plants that this friday will find a permanent home as a nectar rich real garden (for that read planted in the ground), at Aspinal’s head quarters in West Sussex.

Islington Garden

Great to see these early photos of my Islington Garden on the website of Lia Kiladis Architecture

Marksman, Hackney Road

Very excited to be doing the flowers at this wonderful newly opened public house and dining room. Oh and one of the chef owners happens to be my husband. Apologies for the shameless promotion!

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/21/the-marksman-restaurant-review-jay-rayner#img-1

Belgravia, June 2015

Up there now, on the fifth floor of a house in Belgravia there is a place where all sorts of wonderful plants are bursting out of of their pots. Bronzino blackened bronze and brass lacquered basins combined with Atelier Vierkant grey clay planters, curved pots, tall planters and long troughs are the vessels that allow these plants to take ownership of the space, creating a rich and enveloping garden, high above the rooftops. Finally my collaboration with Studio Ilse has begun to look like the vision that was created all those many months ago.

Greenwich, 2015

A beautiful sunny afternoon in Greenwich. Happy garden. Happy client. Favourites? Phlox divaricata Clouds of Perfume and Salvia nemorosa Caradonna

 

 

 

Cassland, May 2015

I so want this one to graduate from paper… fingers crossed.

Japan

A whole palette of inspiration… top to bottom, left to right; cherry, bamboo, Ginkaku-ji, family, Tokufu-ji, Shoren-in, moss, volcano (Mt. Fuji), Arashiyama, gravel, steps, blossom, Tenryu-ji

Camberwell, May 2015 part 1

The shopping trip….

Belgravia, January 2015

Phlebodium aureum Blue Star – otherwise known as the Blue Star Fern in a Skultana Brass Flower Pot. What’s not to love? Thank you Grace & Thorn for supplying the plants for this small but perfect little collaboration with Studio Ilse.