Snapdragon's garden

Dream Acres

When you are a small hand-making Scottish business you soon become aware of others ploughing the same furrow.  I first became aware of Karon Grieve and her business Dream Acres in Spring 2006 when this small scented mouse appeared in Country Living Magazine's Emporium section  (Well not this actual one as he belongs to Zoe- but another very similar!).  I was impressed with the quality (sadly not always the case with small businesses), cuteness and the long, leathery tail.
I met Karon in person at last year's Country Living in Glasgow where she had the cutest stall, centered around a rescued and restored handcart - much admired by Annabel Lewis of VV Rouleax who felt (along with me) that it should have won best stall.
We kept in touch and, at the beginning of this year, we both found ourselves needing to move our businesses onto the next level so that we could make some proper money.  So we formed formed a bit of a bolstering support group we call Sow Sew Scottish - We are unusual in that we both have businesses growing and sewing things (Karon grows the herbs for the sophisticated blends that fill her products) and also in our commitment to sell unique things that we have created, rather than supplementing with bought in things. 
It has been an interesting process - and I think that having someone to bounce early prototype ideas of has been invaluable for both of us.
Anyway, Karon has just been re-vamping her website and has incorporated a secret page full of tips and special offers which can be accessed if you e-mail her.  It is well worth a look - and for anyone who will be attending the Country Living Fairs in either London or Glasgow this year I recommend signing up for her special offers - I know she has something very special planned for these 2 Fairs.
Thank you for all the get well soon e-mails.  I feel rather a fraud as it was really only a cold - I am a terrible patient though.

Taking shape

We have fantastic friends.
Yesterday evening Callum came round with his shiny new pick-up and gamely towed the airstream from our back lawn (where it looked as though an aeroplane had crashed into the greenhouse) over the flowerbeds to the top field where it is to stay, looking down through the bluebell wood along the glen.
Jane R took this photo of the airstream before it moved - you can see all the light covers that we need to replace.
Then we barbecued sausages and halloumi and raised a glass  to Callum and Jo (who had omitted to tell us that it was their wedding anniversary when we asked the favour- as I say great friends) and their new baby while relaxing in the sun.
A great evening.
Moving the airstream has made an enormous difference.
You can now begin to see what the gardens will look like - I haven't been able to plant up some of the beds this year as we knew they would be squashed by the airstream so they can now be filled which will help.  But it is more than that - now the hedges start to make sense, the paths lead somewhere.
It is all very exciting - now I just need to make the plans a reality. 
A garden photographer called this morning to see whether it would be a good time to take shots for a guidebook.  Gulp. I said to call by in August . . .so now that I have a deadline, I better do something about it.

Busy week ahead

The school breaks up for the 2 week Easter break this afternoon. I am arranging flowers for a wedding in Fife this weekend and the girls' cousins Christine and Jayde are coming to stay for a week.
Building work will hopefully start on our extension and I have to get to work on a very exciting project - my first commission designing for a different medium.  I don't want to say anything about this at the moment as I am very nervous and excited by it and don't want to jinx the whole project.
Anyway the upshot is that I don't think that I shall have much time for blogging so I may be away for the next week.
Then again I may find that I miss the head space that writing this gives me each day. We shall see.
No matter what I doubt that I shall be able to keep away for long - definitely back after 12th.
J
x
Photo of my poor wind ravaged (but still stunning) hellebores c. Jane Robertson

50 top florists

This morning is a good one.  Snapdragon has been chosen as one of the top 50 florists by the Independent newspaper.
Thank you to the panel of Victoria Summerley, Annabel Lewis and Tricia Guild.  I am just so, so chuffed and extremely smiley!
A friend had great news yesterday and went off to celebrate by eating an entire bar of chocolate.  I shall be celebrating in similar style- we shall head into town for lunch and to buy a new front door - then we are going to a James Taylor concert and onto friends' joint 40th birthday party.
Oh its going to be a good day.
I hope all your Saturdays are as fine,
J
x

Jane Lindsey - media whore

Di Overton of the wonderful Designers Block blog mentioned my egg cosies in her round up today - Thank you Di - it is just lovely to see my chickens there with all the loveliness that Di collects together each day.
The April edition of Woman and Home is also out and there I am in my greenhouse on p 136.  The photo of me is lovely - perhaps too lovely - I'm suspecting a bit of airbrushing.  Oooh how celebrity!
Funny how you don't get any publicity at all and then it all happens in one week.  Euan has decided that I am a media whore but personally I think it is the greenhouse that he reclaimed and rebuilt that is the star of the article.
Now I must get on the phone to some features editors . .(joke) . .  Actually I'm just waiting to see my google search results after choosing the title for this post!

Bring on the spring

This week we have been trying to bring Spring forward.  This morning a photographer for a monthly magazine was here to take photos of me - the brief was for it to look spring like.
According to a friend's father who measures these things, this January has been the wettest he has known - many of our raised beds are puddled with water and the overall mood is more squelchy than spring.
Thank heavens for forced bulbs - we had only 5 days notice of the photo-shoot so the house has been filled with bowls of paper whites and iris reticulata trying to get them into bloom.
The photographer was charming and it was great fun being photographed by someone perched up a stepladder proclaiming "Now give us that lovely smile"
He is going to send some images so that I can post them here.
I am going to do a "how to" on bulbs in containers in my Newsletter which should go out at the end of the week.  It also has a bit about our chickens, what to do with an amaryllis when it stops flowering and special offers only available to subscribers.  You can subscribe here. Completely free, guaranteed no spam and you can unsubscribe at any time.

New Years Resolutions

I've been very thoughtful for the past few days.  I have been wandering around looking a bit like Christopher Robin here (though in a longer frock)

I have been trying to think of a phrase to aim for in 2008.  It seems to be less of an immediate disaster than trying to keep to a resolution such as going to the gym or keeping my handbag tidy.

Last year I decided that I was going to say "yes" to things - it was a great experience and led to lots of fun things - most excitingly THIS (I'm not sure what episode I'm in).

This year I have decided that I will try to live more outside my comfort zone.

It looks like it is going to be an interesting and demanding year - I hope that I'm up to it.

The badge is from a batch made from a rescued copy of The House at Pooh Corner - they are available here.

Doing the flowers for the wedding of the year

Well my year that is.  This weekend my "little" brother got married to his fiancee Helen - The little has to be in inverted commas as, despite the fact that he is 5 years younger than me, he has been taller than me since he was 8.

It was a really lovely wedding day - the sun shone, the bride looked radiant, the bridegroom proud and lucky (as he is), the church service was moving, the bridesmaids angelic and the party afterwards great fun.

Helen is a nursery nurse, children are at the centre of her life and it was a gloriously happy wedding thronged with children from 5 days old upwards, everyone under 13 and over 30 whooped it up on the dance floor while those too cool to dance lingered outside drinking under the stars.

Stephen and Helen just married (and about time too)

Helen wishing that she hadn't had quite so many bridesmaids and that they hadn't made quite so much confetti.

Katie with the confetti - trying to prolong the fun be seeing how many times you can throw it.

Zoe and me outside the church .

Scrubbing up a bit

My brother's wedding in on Saturday and I looked in the mirror at the end of last week and decided that I was really far too split endy and snaggle browed to be seen in public and should do something about it.

I still hadn't got an outfit sorted either so I arranged to go into town yesterday afternoon and get me hair cut and brows "reshaped" so that I seem a bit more civilized on Stephen's "big day".
I should really have done it sooner as the photographer for the article in The Independent magazine was here in the morning - he was a delight, he turned out to be a friend of a friend of a friend and for once the sun was shining.
I still don't know when the article will be published, it was scheduled for September but the photos seemed to be rather urgent so perhaps it will be this Saturday.
We now seem to be well into Autumn colours now - this is a bunch of flowers delivered up to Strathblane yesterday morning, they almost glowed.                                                         
   Over on Snapdragon's chat we are talking about family businesses - the benefits and drawbacks.