Tag: growing flowers

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A Naturally Festive Christmas: Exploring the Eucalyptus, Citrus & Gypsophila Collection

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There’s something truly magical about decorating your home for Christmas with pieces that feel natural, handmade, and full of seasonal charm. This year, my Eucalyptus, Citrus & Gypsophila Collection brings together three of my favourite Christmas elements, cool winter greenery, bright citrus tones, and delicate white blooms, to create a range of handcrafted decorations designed to fill your home with warmth and natural beauty.

Every item is made entirely by hand, using a carefully curated mix of dried eucalyptus, gypsophila, and dried oranges. Together, these elements capture the scent, colour, and texture of the season, fresh, uplifting, rustic, and timeless.

Why Eucalyptus, Citrus & Gypsophila?

This trio has become the signature of my festive range, and for good reason:

  • Eucalyptus brings a calming winter freshness, with soft, muted green tones that complement any Christmas décor style. In my wreaths I use fresh foliage which will dry beautifully in the warmth of your home.
  • Citrus adds warmth, colour, and gentle, nostalgic fragrance, instantly evoking cosy kitchens, mulled wine, and festive treats.
  • Gypsophila offers a snowy, delicate touch, adding softness and light to each arrangement.

Together, they create a Christmas aesthetic that is natural, elegant, and beautifully understated.

What ties this collection together is the love and time poured into each piece. Every wreath, stocking, posy, and tiny wish bottle is arranged, stitched, tied, and finished by hand.

The result?
Decorations that feel personal, natural, and filled with festive spirit.🎄

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Growing Flowers

The growing season is here again and my window sills are filling up with trays of germinating seeds. This year I’m growing a few different things; like Helichrysum subulifolium which are bright sunshiny-yellow papery flowers  which will look so jolly in yellow inspired bouquets.

I try to grow a wide selection of flowers and grasses as I think its important to have a good amount of texture and movement in a bouquet, posy, wreath or wall hanging – getting the right mix is so important!

So when I start looking at my seed catalogues its very easy to get a little carried away!

I also grow and dry Dahlias…but that’s another post!!

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Drying Flowers

As August approaches, the garden is in full bloom, and I’m picking flowers every day to dry. The Paper Daisies are starting to wind down, with their blossoms much smaller now compared to when they first bloomed in June. Soon, I’ll be pulling out the last of them.

The Strawflowers are the main star of my wreaths, and they’ve just begun to produce beautiful, large blooms on long stems. I prefer to wire most of my Strawflowers, as they work so well in wreaths that way. This year, I’ve grown a wider variety of colors, and my absolute favorite so far is the ‘Salmon Rose.’ It’s a warm, inviting hue that will look stunning in both bouquets and autumn wreaths.

My drying wall is currently overflowing with flowers, and there are many more to come. That means plenty more wreaths and bouquets are on the horizon!

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Growing Annuals

It’s April and I’ve planted out all my Autumn sowed hardy annuals, which included Larkspur. Last year Larkspur certainly got the better of me! I’d tried to grow it before in the past with no success and since starting my small dried flower business I felt Larkspur was a flower I needed for bouquets.

So I stored my seeds in the fridge for a few weeks, this is called Stratification, which I hadn’t done in the past and it turned out that it was quite important! I sowed my seeds in March and waited…and waited. Nothing apart from the odd one. So back to square one and started again, still very poor germination. I really didn’t know what I was doing wrong. Consequently I didn’t have many Larkspur blooms, although the few I did get were beautiful.

I figured out from various reads and advice that the best way was to sow them in the Autumn and over winter them in the greenhouse. Which is exactly what I did. I had fantastic germination and who would have thought that these little seedling could survive -8C temperatures? but they did. Apparently Larkspur quite like a cold spell, and they certainly got that.

They are all planted out in the beds now and will soon be flowering, and finally ill have beautiful Larkspur for my dried flower bouquets.

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Its March!!

Its hard to believe that it is March already, although the weather at the moment feels more like the depths of Winter!!

In the greenhouse all my Autumn sowed hardy annuals are getting to the stage were they need planting out, but I’m going to keep hardening them off for a few more weeks. I have Larkspur, Nigella, Nigella Oriental’s, Briza Maxima and Hares Tail Grass.

The Spring seed sowing is now fully underway with lots of varieties of flowers that will dry beautifully and although its turned cold they are doing really well in the greenhouse under their horticultural fleece. Its early days and I’ve only just started to prick out a few.

The Ranunculus’ that were started off in the Autumn are growing lots of new growth and soon they’ll be some incredible bloom’s, even the later sowed corms are doing so well and will be ready to plant out when this cold snap has passed.

Happy gardening eveyone

Sue.