Hello my fellow garden lovers, how are you? I spent a lovely evening in the garden, making notes for the open garden which is the 26th of this month. There is still much to do but I’m pleased with progress considering the weather. Things that are looking particularly good right now (but who knows how long for) are the echinacea pallidas shown above and below, I know I mentioned these in my last post but I just adore their petals falling down like a ballerina’s tutu. So graceful they remind me of watching a ballet. It’s funny but right now my favourite flower bed is a tiny triangle to the right of the cutting garden. This tiny little triangle is shown in the photos and just goes to prove you don’t need a big space to create something beautiful and impactful. Textures and harmonious colours are key here! The planting is simple, just a few things, the pallida, dianthus carthusianorum and a miscanthus (not sure which one). All these things will work well for winter structure too- something that’s very important to me as a gardener, plants have to keep working, keep delivering interest for at least three of the four seasons, I demand a lot. My garden is a constant source of inspiration- read on to see how over the years mine have shaped my career.
Over the years my gardens have inspired me in different ways, they really have shaped my life and I don’t think I could ever be without a patch of ground in which to plant something and watch nature do it’s thing. My gardens have dictated careers and helped my creative endeavours bloom. When I had to give up my hairdressing business many moons ago- it was my garden I turned to, at first for respite, healing. I was suffering with rsi so badly I couldn’t lift a kettle but I could use a trowel and a pair of secateurs. I took time out, I baked, I pottered and made things beautiful around the home and garden. I used flowers everywhere and it wasn’t long before I started a vintage styling company hiring out antique china and dressing venues with garden grown flowers. From here I took a floristry course and went on a flower farming course with Green & Gorgeous and A Bunch Of Wild was formed.
For years I grew flowers in my garden and sold them at farmers markets, my flower stall in Ampthill and eventually in my Ampthill shop. Then let’s pause for covid- my garden once again became my sanctuary and inspiration but something had shifted. I’d studied ceramics at night school and had always painted. In lockdown, I sat in the garden and painted, sketched designs and re awoke parts of my creative brain that had sat dormant for far too long. My garden inspired delicate floral watercolours which I turned into fabric designs- delicate roses, my favourite flower adorned soft cotton linen blends. I started to experiment with clay and yet again the inspiration came from my garden as I carved flowers and made flowers from clay- I bought a second hand kiln and haven’t looked back. Paintings became bigger, inspired by walks over fields and coastal marshes and my work developed, slowly immersed in my garden and nature- A Bunch Of Wild shifted, still rooted in flowers, I named the offshoot Emma Connolly Designs. They now sit as one A Bunch Of Wild by Emma Connolly- The coming together of all things beautiful- a delightful mix of handmade, original art, vintage & gardens, and is the epitome of seasonal living with nostalgic charm.
Back to the here and now, and my dahlias are flowering and I couldn’t be happier! I was so late getting them going but I think because they were my stored dahlias from last year, they were so strong that it’s really helped them. I haven’t got any designs featuring dahlias, I love growing them but for me it’s always about the roses when it comes to my work. I’m still really enjoying painting my classic roses collection on my hand built stoneware. My pottery studio sits in the garden so is situated perfectly for inspiration.
Right I best get on. The shop is open this week- Friday 10-2.30 and Saturday 10-3 (or until I melt). I’ve reduced the hours this week as I’ve no air con and the shop gets full sun all day- beating down on huge glass windows. The website is open 24/7 and I’ll pop the link here for you. Don’t forget you can keep up with me over on my Instagram stories here.
Emma.
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