Some of us (I think I mean me!) buy flowers, rummage for a vase, search for the scissors and then maybe tweak them a little bit before standing back to admire our handiwork. This is lovely but it is not art.

In this podcast episode we travel to Strawberry Hill flower festival where floral artists take British grown flowers to a whole new level and they do create art. Follow up and down the stairs of this small gothic mansion, as it is transformed for one weekend into a feast of flowers. The theme this year is 'Nature unbound.' At the end of this sustainable flower festival all that will be left is a compost heap.

Guests:

Leigh Chappell and Janne Ford are the co-founders and creators of this festival now in its sixth year.

Leigh Chappell grew up in Wales where she studied Botanical Illustration. She later moved to London and worked in graphic design before decided she wanted to be a floral designer. She is passionate about flowers. Follow her Instagram account.

Janne Ford is a floral photographer. "I use natural light, composition and colour to create emotive floral imagery." She works from her garden studio at home, growing many of the flowers she uses in her designs. Follow her instagram account

In this episode you also hear from:

Philippa Stewart of Just Dahlias who you can also hear in two other episodes - 'Dahlia bonus' and 'Philippa's dahlias'.

Andy Monaghan - who on his website says: "With a background in dance, I bring movement to my floral work, crafting a free and natural aesthetic inspired by the vibrant, changing seasons".

Lucy Phillips who describes herself on her website as: "grower and supplier of unusual and unruly dried flowers. Part of the slow flower movement."

Kara Johnson of Floral Odyssey, Kara spent 14 years as a Creative Producer in the design industry before becoming a floral designer.

Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally Flatman

The music is Fade to Black by Howard Levy

Independent podcasts like Our Plant Stories depend on their listeners for help with the costs of making the podcast such as the hosting platform and the editing programme.

Using the Buy Me A Coffee platform you can make a one off online donation of £5 and that money will go towards making more episodes. Everyone who buys a 'virtual coffee' will get a shout out on the podcast.

The support of listeners means a lot to me.

Buy Me A Coffee