The Importance of Plants…
Plants have always spoken to me. Not loudly, never that, but in the gentle, persistent way that wild things do when we take the time to listen.
My garden is not pristine, nor overly planned. It’s layered, a little unruly, and all the better for it. Every patch, from the twisted willow to the fig tree, the dandelions I leave untouched to the camomile underfoot, is all a part of a delicate system.
A living mosaic of colour, texture, and purpose.
Flowers aren’t just beautiful (though they are that, achingly so) they are lifelines. To bees in early spring, when dandelions bloom before anything else. To hoverflies and butterflies. To birds gathering seeds. To us, too, in ways we often forget.
Studying botany deepened my respect for the plant world. Knowing their Latin names, understanding how they grow, where they thrive, how they fit into a larger ecological web… this knowledge makes each embroidered stem or painted petal feel like a tribute. It matters to me that what I stitch is real That forget-me-nots look like forget-me-nots. That the bees have the right pollen sacs. That each plant is placed where it might actually grow.
In a time when wildflower meadows are disappearing and native species are under threat, my work is a way to preserve their presence; not just as decoration, but as memory, message, and map.
A healthy garden is a conversation with nature. One rooted in respect, not control. And I believe, wholeheartedly, that the more we value and protect our plants, the better chance we have of safeguarding all life that depends on them — including our own.
‘and blossom haunting bee are never weary of their melody ‘
by John Clare, the Northamptonshire peasant poet .
‘There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground’
Rumi
