The Flowerfield

Having studied landscape-architecture in Berlin and then  worked as a consultant for Carlow County Council and private clients, in 2011  I started to grow flowers for cutting. Every Saturday and Sunday from March to October ,  I sell them in Dublin at both  Bushy Park Market and Herbert Park Market.

From the beginning I decided not to fight the Irish climate but to embrace it by growing  traditional varieties of  cottage garden flowers that love the cool, damp Irish climate . Customers are constantly amazed how many varieties can be grown successfully here in Ireland no matter what the summer is like. Slowly grown outside,  my  cut-flowers develop maximum colour and scent and have a much better vase life. My customers often come back with reports that last week’ s flowers are still perfect. Many  tell me that they had stopped buying flowers altogether because they were disappointed with the vase life and that they are delighted to have found my flowers.

My arrangements are made to the customer’s  wishes and  right in front of them, a process I enjoy . Some days, everybody  seems to look for large bouquets, other days people are asking for small posies . Either way,  they  receive  a generous, beautiful, fresh bunch of flowers .

I also arrange flowers weekly for ‘The Brook Lodge’ hotel and the organic restaurant ‘The Strawberry Tree’ near Aughrim in County Wicklow . There,  I try to capture the essence of what is happening seasonally in nature. Apart from my sustainably-grown   flowers, I forage the hedgerows surrounding our flower farm. Even in the depth of winter there will be interesting branches, seed-heads  and grasses for display.

For autumn  and Christmas, I make seasonal wreaths using flowers and berries  dried throughout the year.  My German background comes into play here and of course I do flowers for weddings and special occasions and to order.