Friday Seedlings
It's Tulip Time! Seed sowing, raffia mania, garden lounging & a new cook book
I hope you had a very happy Easter break and are still feeling a spring in your step! This week I have been back from holiday with a bang - straight into back-to-school and work with some big exciting meetings and a trip to NYC where I’m flowering for a big event next week. So lots of unpacking and packing again…
On returning home I have been so delighted to see the green wash over everything as well as so much in bloom - full apple and cherry blossom, wisteria climbing out, some early bluebells in the woods and even a few cow parsley sightings… it is just such a beautiful time of year for all the senses. There is also lilac everywhere - and I dare you to find a better scent in spring?
But most all its… tulip time!! Tulips are simply so happy making after the winter months and I am loving seeing the mix of colours, scale and texture of tulips shooting up and spilling out of garden beds and pots up and down the country.
For this week’s 6 Things I’m Loving, I talk more about tulips, inspire you and show you how easy it is to sow from seed, share a fabulous new cook book launching next month with a sneak preview recipe, share my raffia mania slide essentials (proven comfortable from a weeks wearing them non stop on holiday), an essential gallery visit and the astro-inspired beaded necklace I am coveting…
The weather is getting hot again next week and the garden is calling - so we’ve put together an edit of 11 lovely things for dining or reclining in the garden…
Finally, I answer this week’s Ask Me Anything question.
Happy weekend!
Love Willow
PS. Next week, I am in New York with my team so we will be taking a Friday Seedlings break and will be telling you ALL about it in the following week’s edition.
5 things I’m loving…
1. It’s Tulip Time!
Some tulip pots-piration because there is nothing that brings joy more than colourful tulips in pots or garden beds at this time of year. I recently introduced you the oversized Van Eyike variety that I found at my parents home in Wales. My favourites are still the striped ones but we do love a mix…
In terms of arranging, there are endless opportunities - so whether you’ve already planted yours and have them in the garden or picking them up in a supermarket sweep, here are my top tips:
Cut flower supermarket tulips are everywhere right now. Make sure you follow my guide to waking them up with cold water and if you fancy it, reflex the leaves to create a totally different look - for some or all of the tulips in the vase
Mix colour & variety - the more the merrier I say
Layer with other flowers in season - to create something a little bigger, mix with lilac, clematis, spirea, blossom and guelder rose.
My favourite vases for them - the petal vase trio for a couple of single stems dotted down the table, and single stems en masse or mixed arrangements in any of our Loving Cups (the spotty may be my favourite for tulips!). We are also working on a very special Tuliperie design to be available for this special tulip time next year which is very exciting!
PS Badminton Estate will be open to the public this Sunday for the first of three special Open Garden Days (27 April, 15 June & 7 Sep) - there will be a huge variety of flowering beauty with spring tulips in full bloom!
2. Sowing from Seed
Episode 6 of The Magic of Flowers has landed! I wanted to inspire you to sow seeds from scratch - to watch the magic unfold - the journey from a tiny dot into beautiful seasonal flowers… and to remind you that you don’t need anything fancy - no greenhouse required! Find the full episode on my YouTube channel here and please do subscribe to be notified of new videos dropping.
Watch it in full here.
3. Raffia Mania
Having just returned from a tropical holiday I can confirm that these slides were the most-comfortable-easy-to-wear-go-with-everything pair that I will continue to wear throughout the season ahead. And they go very nicely with the visor and bag too…