About Honeybridge Flowers
All my flowers are sown, grown and styled here in my garden and studio in Ashurst, Sussex.
“I aim to create unique flowers with a wild, natural feel. I am totally led by my garden and what it produces throughout the year.”
A bit about me
How it began
Honeybridge Flowers grew out of a love of gardening, nature, colour and texture. I studied woven textiles and always looked to the natural world as a starting point for my work. I worked in the textile industry and then costume for film and television. When we lived in London my allotment became an obsession and I couldn’t wait to have a big garden. We moved down to West Sussex 11 years ago and bought the house I grew up in from my Mum and Dad, this gave me my dream garden and my vegetable disasters turned my attention to flowers.
An RHS course, some garden maintenance, working in a plant nursery and volunteering at Parham House Gardens led me to my dream of growing flowers and using them in floristry.
“We moved down to West Sussex 11 years ago and bought the house I grew up in from my Mum and Dad, this gave me my dream garden and my vegetable disasters turned my attention to flowers.”
“I love that the same plant can have so many differences in colour, shape, size and texture. I am slightly obsessed with growing as many different varieties of flowers to use in my work as I can. You can never have too much colour!” Ellie
My flowers, garden and studio
I am a bit of a seed and plant addict and am always searching for new, unusual flowers and foliage that will add something different and exciting to my bouquets. I trial new varieties every year, some with success, others not so good! But it’s the experimenting I love and when I find that extra special plant it’s so rewarding.
I grow a wide variety of flowers and foliage throughout my garden available from late March to October depending on what the British weather throws at me. I then have dried flowers available from October for making wreaths and arrangements.
My garden is surrounded by woodland and hedgerows, where I forage for extra beauties. I even like to leave self seeders on our driveway as some real treasures pop up that deserve to be picked! I do everything I can to grow sustainably, only using natural fertilisers and encouraging as much wildlife into my patch as possible (I’m not so keen on the ones that eat things but everything that eats them is welcome)
Everything is cut to order for you, meaning you are receiving only the freshest blooms that will be long lasting, have no air miles and grown with no nasty chemicals.
I am lucky to have a beautiful, cool studio that used to be my dad’s pottery and furniture restoration space. I have inherited his fantastic workbench which I love arranging my flowers on.
My Plot
It’s just me in the space I have in my garden doing all the jobs, with a bit of help from my family. My two boys still need a bit of space in the garden so I’m navigating around mountain bikers and footballers.
I have learnt a lot since I started 4 years ago but every year I learn more and aim to grow more varieties and colours each season. I am having a poly tunnel built this year to give me extra space and hopefully an extended season.
