When I think about it now, this would have been an obvious career choice for me right from the start. 

Since buying my first house in 1980 something, all things that kept me from my garden have had to be endured. Curiously though, my interest in floristry goes back earlier than that. I can remember collecting flowers from the fields behind our house and arranging them for the dining room table when I was a very young girl. My parents were not gardeners and had little time for floristry, so I really have no idea where this inclination came from!

I previously worked for many years in building conservation and also in the higher education sector, both very worthwhile careers but now I have finally reached a point where I can indulge my flowery passion without interruptions.

My own garden is quite small, but I  rent a plot of land from my neighbour. This is just around the corner from my cottage. It isn't huge (apparently it is the size of two allotments), but it is sunny and sheltered and I am always amazed by the volume of flowers that I can produce.

At the time of writing, the plot contains 20 raised beds of various sizes. I also have perennial borders along the perimeters and things growing in pots wherever I can find a space to place them.