The Grower’s Guides! A New Book Series!
As the last dusk of the year draws ever closer, I have, as many of you will too, been reflecting on this last year. I love that we have a moment in our calendar to mark a new chapter in the seamless, endless passing of days, to have a moment to simultaneously look forward and back feels utterly precious. Reaching back through the months under today's pale winter sky, I reckon that my biggest takeaway from the previous 12 months is relatively simple- just keep going.
And, in the spirit of that energy, I'm thrilled to announce two new books coming out in 2024.
They're a different format from my first book- they're much more concise, more niche in subject and petite like the sweetest practical guidebooks, small enough to slip into a waistband or jacket pocket. They are the first two in the new series, The Grower's Guides.
These two books are scheduled for release on March 14th this coming year. The first copies from the printer have already arrived at my door- I have them next to me on the table as I write, and they are filling me with joy and some bafflement at how on earth I got them done and sent to print this year. The truth is, books take a lot of time, love, and energy- a village to put together. I worked with the same fantastic team at Quadrille (meaning the books look and feel both beautiful and luxurious), with simply the best photographer Éva Németh at the helm. Somehow, we got them done with endless lists, meetings, tight schedules and deadlines, and a lot of cheering each other on. We're all thrilled to bits with them. They are so sweet and so useful. I hope you love them as much as we do.
You can pre-order them from my website now (*worth noting that I can send them to the UK only), or you can order them via Amazon internationally (but Jeff Bezos gives authors such a bum deal it does make a big difference if you can order directly). Either way, I'm very grateful to you if you'd like to get your hands on a copy.
If growing more flowers, learning more floristry skills, or simply connecting with nature is on your list of goals for 2024, I sincerely hope these little books will be helpful this coming year in helping to bring much beauty to your life.
THE GROWER’S GUIDES-
Seeds. This book is a guide to seed sowing, but it's much more than that, too- I wrote this book to answer the many questions I get sent on the finer details of sowing from seeds and having plants thrive. In the pages of seeds, I walk you through each step, from the soil, bed preparation, filling seed trays, seeds' need for light or darkness, ideal temperatures for germination, and understanding seed packets. Then, there are 30 individual in-depth guides to specific cut flowers with tips and tricks for success with each—a whole bank of troubleshooting- signs, what they mean, and what to do. I then hold your hand through the hardening-off process, planting, support, harvesting, and seed saving. We also added a handy little cheat sheet in the front and back flaps to help refer to ideal spacing, temperature for germination, light or dark, aspect to plant in, whether you need to pinch and provide support, and when the best time of year to sow is.
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Floristry. This book is about bringing flowers into everyday life and making arrangements for special occasions. It covers sourcing seasonal flowers (even if you don't grow your own), harvesting, conditioning and tricks for individual 'tricky' flowers. It is a book complete with easy-to-follow floristry skills, foam-free mechanics and working with seasonal blooms; I've made illustrations to cover techniques such as wiring stems, fixing a pin frog and wrapping a bouquet. There are also illustrations step-by-step for a meadow arrangement and bowl arrangement, a hand-tied bouquet, a buttonhole, and a wreath. Then, seasonal projects are captured beautifully by Éva Németh, with ingredient lists and how-tos. I hope it is as inspiring as it is practical.
