SARAH’S BOTANICAL LIFE
The Journal
Flowers • Art • Growing • Life • Floristry •
A Chelsea moment with Monty Don — one of the many memorable encounters from Sarah's life in flowers.
Welcome to Sarah’s Botanical Life
For as long as I can remember, flowers have been at the heart of my life.
What began more than 46 years ago as a career in floristry has taken me on a wonderful journey — from my shop in Royal Leamington Spa, to Chelsea Flower Show, botanical art, teaching, designing and, more recently, growing my own flowers.
I have always believed that flowers are about far more than simply putting beautiful stems into a vase. They connect us to the seasons, to nature and to one another. They mark some of the most important moments in our lives, from celebrations and weddings to times when flowers help us express feelings that words sometimes cannot.
And after all these years, I am still fascinated by them.
A life shaped by flowers
My career has given me the privilege of working with flowers in so many different ways.
I have been fortunate enough to win three RHS Chelsea Gold Medals and to be named Chelsea Florist of the Year. I have designed for wonderful venues and clients, taught floristry and worked with some of the most talented people in our industry.
Alongside floristry, botanical drawing and painting have become an increasingly important part of my creative life.
There is something very special about really looking at a flower before you draw it — noticing the way a petal curves, the tiny details in a seed head or the structure hidden inside a seemingly simple bloom.
That same curiosity has influenced the way I design with flowers.
Sarah at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
More recently, another chapter has begun.
I have started growing flowers for Sarah Horne Flowers at our flower farm at Moreton Morrell College.
Lisianthus growing as part of the flower crops.
Growing my own flowers
There is something incredibly satisfying about seeing a tiny seed develop into a plant, watching it come into flower and then eventually cutting it to use in a bouquet.
It has changed the way I think about flowers.
When you have grown a flower yourself, you understand its season, its quirks and its character in a completely different way.
Some flowers are wonderfully productive. Others are fleeting and precious. Some need patience. Some surprise you.
And that is part of the joy.
I want to share more of that journey here — from sowing and growing to harvesting and arranging.
Sarah harvesting sweet peas at Moreton Morrell.
A summer harvest of flowers, gathered for floristry.
Welcome to the Academy
Our Academy is another part of this botanical life.
It was created as a beautiful, calm space where people can come together to learn, create and spend time with flowers.
We hold flower design and art workshops, from floristry and seasonal designs to botanical drawing, as well as private and corporate experiences.
For me, teaching is another way of sharing what I have learnt over more than four decades in floristry.
There is nothing quite like seeing someone's face when they look at something they have created themselves.
A Sarah Horne Academy corporate flower experience off-site for Skewb.
What you’ll find here
Sarah’s Botanical Life – The Journal is where I want to bring all these different strands together.
You'll find stories from the flower farm, seasonal flowers, floristry knowledge, botanical art, Academy news and glimpses behind the scenes at Sarah Horne Flowers.
I'll share the things I have learnt over the years, the flowers I am excited about, the things that inspire me and, occasionally, the things that don't quite go according to plan!
I'll talk about flowers that are in season, how to care for them, how I use them in my designs and why certain flowers have remained favourites throughout my career.
And I'll share the story of growing our own flowers — from seed to harvest and ultimately into the bouquets we create.
Flowers grown by Sarah just seven miles from the shop, gathered and prepared for customers.
A conversation through the seasons
I don't want this to feel like a traditional blog.
I'd rather think of it as a conversation through the seasons.
Flowers constantly change, and so will the Journal.
In spring we'll have seedlings, bulbs and the first flowers of the year.
Summer will bring the abundance of the flower farm, harvesting and long days surrounded by colour.
Autumn will bring dahlias, seed heads, grasses and the wonderful changing palette of the season.
And then comes winter — when we turn our attention to evergreens, Christmas flowers, wreaths, botanical drawing and planning for the year ahead.
There is always something happening.
A botanical study by Sarah.
So, welcome
Whether you have been buying flowers from me for many years, have joined one of our Academy workshops, have discovered Sarah Horne Botanicals recently, or simply love flowers, I hope you'll enjoy coming along for the journey.
This is my botanical life — a life shaped by flowers, creativity, seasons, growing and an enduring love of what nature gives us.
Welcome to Sarah’s Botanical Life.
Sarah x
Next in the Journal
From Seed to Bouquet — a day on the Sarah Horne flower farm.