HOMEstead GROWN

14/08/2026

Yours truly, on a subject I get very excited about! Please come and join in if you can, whatever your interest in arranging flowers in a planet-friendly way may be!

22/07/2026

21/07/2026

The Happiest 1st Wedding Anniversary to K & J who entrusted me with their Westminster Abbey flowers last July for the most beautiful intimate wedding in the most awe-inspiring setting. Who would have thought that possible, but it really was. Normally staying local for wedding commissions, we set out for London with some trepidation and a car bursting with stunning Cheshire-grown flowers and foliage. They came from HOMEstead GROWN HQ here, Smokebush Floral Design and Abbeywood Estate cutting gardens. It's not the first time in recent years that the Abbey has been decorated with seasonally-grown British blooms. The coronation of King Charles III showcased vast quantities of stems, relayed from the length and breadth of the country and arranged by royal florist Shane Connolly. But this was a personal, not public day of huge joy and excitement, and the long-past midnight hours of conditioning and arranging the flowers in the crypt, along with staying at the Abbey, was an experience I won't ever forget. "Thank you so much for giving us the most beautiful wedding flowers I have EVER seen - I still can't believe that bouquet was mine!..." K & J. Always an honour to help celebrate life's milestones with flowers. Photos:⚡️Simon Withyman Photography⚡️

18/07/2026

On a roll! ... herewith the bridal bouquets, buttonholes and corsages. And yes, the theme was pink, pink and white all the way. I absolutely loved working with this romantic early summer palette. Cheshire blooms grown here at HOMEstead GROWN HQ, Smokebush and Margo 'Lucy' Pownall - the very best of the season.

18/07/2026

I do realise it's bad form not to show up here for so long - many apologies! I've managed a few behind-the-scenes insta stories a day but simply put, this is a reflection of what a tough, all-consuming growing year this is turning out to be in flower farming: hail one minute and then heatwave after heatwave the next. Along with some big plates spinning in the rest of life. All good in the grand scheme of things, just very, VERY busy! (Oh, and an NGS open garden weekend here in a week's time - eeek!) Side note: Please come!
So without further ado, a little catch-up to feast your eyes on - some shots of the first gorgeous wedding of my year, in May. Peak peony time as it happened, and my new planting of white peonies Duchesse de Namour did not disappoint with her blowsy petals and stunning fragrance.
Huge thanks to local flower growing buddies Min and Margo for some of their truly wonderful field-grown flowers and foliage to add to my own. Smokebush Floral Design localcolouratbrookhousefarm Margo 'Lucy' Pownall

13/07/2026

https://ngs.org.uk/gardens/the-homestead-sk1/

OPEN GARDEN WEEKEND! Head over to HOMEstead GROWN HQ on 25th / 26th July, 11-4pm, and enjoy cake in the garden while helping us raise money for a range of worthwhile medical and health charities such as Parkinsons UK, Macmillan, Maggie's and Horatio's Garden... no need to book, please just stop by!

The Homestead's ¾ acre garden lies within Macclesfield's South Park, fronting onto Ryle's Pool with views of the parkland. Laid out in 1920, the g...

25/06/2026

As always, it was THE greatest happiness making buttonholes with over 150 people of all ages who stopped by during the wonderful 1261 Festival in Macclesfield’s town centre at the weekend! So many lovely conversations and stories. Ten minutes of creativity and there’s a smile on the face of everyone heading out into the sun wearing their cheery, ribbon-tied little flowers. All locally grown, this was the perfect end to celebrating British Flowers Week too.

12/06/2026

Another VERY rainy day saw some of the north-west growers taking shelter from our farms and fields for a bespoke workshop at Macclesfield’s brilliant Silk Museum. Armed with some of our flowers and herbs, we came together to learn about making botanical dyes, inks and printmaking pigments and had a fantastic time in the capable and enthusiastic hands of Becca, Director of the New Macclesfield School of Art. Spurred on with coffee, cake and happy chat, our experimenting was full of fun discoveries. Many of us tie wedding bouquets with frayed-edge silk ribbon, so watch this space: there could be some special naturally-dyed pieces in the offing…!