Happy February! Much and all as I adore the slower pace of January it does drag on a bit doesn’t it? February is a nice short one full of love (and my birthday!) and a winding down of Winter before Spring starts… so what’s not to love?
I am literally just landing back from my trip to Nashville - will spill all the secrets in this week’s Friday Seedlings. Three things to note in the meantime - 1) I met Sheryl Crow! 2) people in Nashville, and America in general, are SO nice! 3) Shane Connolly is the flowery, travel partner of dreams.
In this edition, I share a love themed Willow Loves, a wonderfully simple pasta recipe to impress a loved one from Nina Parker’s book Saucy; we spend 5 mins chatting with Sarah Raven about my dahlia collection (which has just launched but almost sold out!) and lots more including her favourite flowers and dream last supper. We also round up our favourite love-themed fashion & homewares; interview Clare Foster on her beautiful new book, Pastoral Gardens (and quiz her on garden related do’s and don’ts); and finally, round up things to do this short, sweet month.
I hope you enjoy. This is my monthly free edition, but every Friday I send out one to my paid subscribers with flowery, fashion, food and wellness content, and other related posts in between.
Wishing you a wonderful month ahead!
Love, Willow
PS. this is a long read so might be best to read in app/web browser (just in case it cuts off in your email).
Willow Loves
Some love-themed loves for February…






Top row, left to right
This red head (or neck) scarf is giving chic Red Riding Hood vibes
My dahlia collection for Sarah Raven - a selection of mad, striped faves
Can I break my trainers with socks and brave a flat? With these studded Zara beauts, I think I can…
Feeling collegiate cool in this red boucle Me&Em varsity bomber
Adding a much-needed healthy glow with Chanel Les Beige highlighting fluid
Joining the love club with Sezane, this month & always…
Willow Loves… (6 more!)
(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)
introducing…
My Dahlia Collection at Sarah Raven

The Collective at Sarah Raven is a curated group of tastemakers who have chosen their favourite dahlias. I am honoured to be included to select my favourites, alongside Shane Connolly, Mili Proust, Savannah Miller and Cath Kidston Padgham MBE. Check out The Collective here, and my own Dahlia collection here.




“I am always led to the maddest, stripiest dahlias and love this mix together. It’s pure, unadulterated joy.” Willow Crossley
5 mins with Sarah Raven
We also thought it was the perfect opportunity to ask Sarah about dahlias, gardening, last suppers & more. Read our mini interview here.
Love to Love Edit
Making hearts aflutter this month…
Clockwise, left to right…
NOT ANOTHER BILL Red Heart A5 Graphic Frame
OLIVER BONAS Gold Polly Puffy Heart Small Hoop Earrings
NINA CAMPBELL Egg Cup, Blue Heart
ROCOCO Devotion Heart Box of Chocolates
WILLOW CROSSLEY Pink Linen Bow Set
WILLOW CROSSLEY Cherry Loving Cup
BYREDO Rose Noir Eau De Parfum 50ml
WILLOW CROSSLEY Pink Rim Twisted Vase
JENNIFER MEYER Mini Heart 18-karat gold Bracelet
ANYA HINDMARCH Love Heart Charm
WILLOW CROSSLEY Wisp Scented Candle
ROBINSON PELHAM Labyrinth Heart 18-karat Gold Diamond Ring
PURA UTZ Lobster Love Pearl Necklace
WILLOW CROSSLEY Talk Pink Filigrana Vase
BODEN Smocked Tankini Set-Bubblegum Pink Heart Stripe
Background - WILLOW CROSSLEY Pink Striped Napkin Set
Pastoral Gardens by Clare Foster


In this beautiful new book, writer Clare Foster and photographer Andrew Montgomery explore 20 exquisite gardens that embrace the bucolic ideal - from Sussex to Connecticut, Kenya to Hampshire. Appealing to lovers of art, photography and the natural world, as well as gardeners of course, this book celebrates the astonishing beauty of wild landscapes and how we can be inspired to harness this rural beauty in our own gardens, whatever and wherever the space…
Montgomery Press are offering a 10% discount to Seedling readers who purchase Pastoral Gardens, with discount code WILLOW10 at checkout. Visit www.montgomerypress.co.uk.
Q&A with Clare Foster
You may know the author of Pastoral Gardens, Clare Foster, as the Garden Editor of House & Garden magazine (her monthly column on what to sow and so much more is the gardener’s bible). As well as writing about plants and gardens, Clare has always been a keen gardener herself, first in an allotment in London and now in her beautiful bucolic garden in the Berkshire Downs. It is from here that she has created a colourful cottage garden, in two years from scratch. So naturally, we wanted to quiz Clare not only on her incredibly beautiful new book, but on how to plan and plant our very own garden of dreams…
We asked Clare to choose her favourite garden from the book, what garden jobs we should be doing in February, the easiest flowers to grow, what every garden (and gardener) needs, and more. Read here…
Crab Bucatini with Chilli Sambal
from Nina Parker’s Saucy
“Does it get any better than this?! Effortless yet bursting with chef-like depth of flavour, this Crab Bucatini with Chilli Sambal is sure to impress. Buying the brown crab meat is key, as this is where most of the rich taste comes from. In the past, I’ve paired this with chipotle paste (also very good), but now I love it with Chilli Sambal. The best part? You can have it on the table for dinner in the time it takes to cook the pasta.” Nina Parker
Serves 1 - to share or double for two
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp @saucyninaparker Chilli Sambal
3 tbsp olive oil
90g bucatini
Zest of 1/2 lemon and 2 tbsp lemon juice
100g crab (a mix of white and brown)
6-7 tbsp starchy pasta water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the Pasta: Set a large saucepan to boil and generously salt the water. Add the bucatini and cook until al dente, which usually means taking 2-3 minutes off the packet cooking time.
Prepare the Sauce Base: Set a frying pan to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Let it heat for a few seconds, then add the thinly sliced garlic. Gently cook the garlic for 1-1.5 minutes, just until it begins to turn golden. Remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the garlic.
Add the Crab and Flavourings: Add the crab meat to the frying pan and break up the pieces gently with tongs or a spoon. Add the lemon zest, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and mix well to combine all the flavours.
Combine Pasta with Sauce: About 1 minute before the pasta is done, remove 6-7 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and add it to the frying pan with the crab. Set the pan on very low heat. Use tongs to transfer the al dente pasta directly from the saucepan into the frying pan. Toss everything together to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce.
Adjust and Serve: Taste the pasta to check the seasoning, adding a little more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Plate up the Crab Bucatini, add a bit more lemon zest on top, and finish with a spoonful of Chilli Sambal for an extra kick.


Visit www.ninafood.com / @antoninaparker / Order Saucy
Cabana x Colony Hotel






Old-school glamour at a Palm Beach classic.
The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach extended an invitation to design one of their iconic bungalows to Editor-in-Chief of Cabana Magazine, Martina Mondadori and artist and decorator, Ashley Hicks. The result is a series of beautifully considered and appointed rooms, bursting with colour, wrapped in fabric and adorned with antiques and very special pieces. For more, visit here.
February Arts & Culture
What to see, visit & plan this month…
Order my selection of colourful, stripey Dahlia tubers from Sarah Raven
Go and see Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy released 14 February
Visit the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens until 2 March
Book for one of Sarah Raven's courses at Thyme during March in the Cotswolds
Watch Amandaland, the spin-off from Motherland, starting on the BBC on 5 February
Check out the new Barbour X Erdem Collaboration
Get your Valentine’s Diptyque candle engraved at Liberty on 7 February
Book tickets for The New Romantic Garden Talk by Garden Designer Jo Thompson on 25 March at the V&A
Pre-order Cordelia Castellane’s new book ‘Flower Couture’ - on-sale 18 March
Find a beautiful garden to visit this month with The National Garden Scheme
Book ahead for Sarah Raven’s Spring (Tulips) Open Garden at home in East Sussex (dates from 24 April through to 2 May)
Visit Picasso: Printmaking at The British Museum, until 30 March