Meet Sarah & Rory From We Grow Colour
Meet Sarah & Rory- sustainable flower growers at We Grow Colour They grow uplifting, vibrant flowers & herbs filled with scent & colour from their micro-scale flower farm in the Dorset countryside. My photographs in this journal post are from a beautiful golden hour evening in September at Sarah & Rorys’ rural cottage and garden. There is a lovely interview with Sarah & Rory where they share their passion for the landscape and growing for you to enjoy reading too xx
Can you tell us a little about you?
We are a husband and wife team who love growing colourful, joyful cut flowers. Having spent many years tending our own flowers, herbs & vegetables, we were inspired to start growing cut flowers on a very small scale from our urban garden in Bristol in 2019. In September 2021 we moved to Beaminster in West Dorset and now live and grow on a 3rd of an acre plot in a little hamlet where Rory was born!
What has been your creative journey into growing flowers in the beautiful Dorset countryside?
We are both from artistic backgrounds, and this plays a big part in WE GROW COLOUR.
RORY: My creative journey has been a winding one, firstly as a professional percussionist for over 15 years, a traditional timber framer and a gardener. I’ve always had a deep connection to nature and the environment and felt a very strong pull to come back ‘home’ after being in Bristol for so long. Growing and looking after the land means something, particularly in this place which I’ve known my whole life.
Sarah: My background is in printed textiles and print making which is where my connection and love of colour originates. I’d grown flowers as a mindful, calming practice for many years in the city and dreamed of being a florist but it wasn’t until I came across ‘The Flower Farmers Year’ by Georgie Newbery and visited ‘Organic Blooms’ that I realised it would be possible to grow sustainable and beautiful flowers that had minimal impact on the environment. All the years I spent working in art schools and community arts organisations has had a big influence on our floral journey so far.
How would you describe your floral style?
Sarah: I love bold, bright, generous and playful floral designs. I find exploring colour transitions really exciting and work hard to choose varieties to grow that will work together. What’s been interesting is seeing how my style, flower and colour choices are shifting with my change in environment. I’ve always lived in the city, and having moved to the countryside I feel like what I’m drawn to is softer and more connected to what I’m surrounded by. I’m adding in more dancing, sparkling and tendril like elements to my colourful creations.
What are your favourite flowers to grow?
Rory: Mine are Roses - I’ve loved propagating them, pruning them, and looking after them and can’t wait for our Rose beds to flourish.
Sarah: I find this a very difficult question, partly because I love so many different flowers! but also because each season offers such different varieties. I would have to say Ranunculous - the rose of spring is my all time favourite. It’s quite a tricky one to grow and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of learning about what she needs!
Where do you feel most creative?
Rory: I feel most creative when imagining the long term landscape and planting plans especially for hedges and trees. I have to imagine what it will look like in 5, 10, 20 + years and this is a really grounding and wonderful prospect for the future.
Sarah: I feel most creative when I’m on the plot and can see what is flowering at the same time, in a colour palette that works and makes my soul sing. I love to cut, condition and take these flowers up to our barn to arrange and know that I can go and hunt for any elements that might finish off one of my creations perfectly.
What inspires you with your home and garden?
Rory: What inspires me are the ideas of perma-culture and how we can create an oasis within an oasis (where we live is a tiny unspoilt hamlet), that is a well thought out and self supporting system to work and live in.
Sarah: The connection between inside and outside is what inspires me here. This is a very old cottage, with minimal road noise and lots of owls as neighbours! I feel like I’m on a journey, observing and listening to what might work well for every being that dwells in this tiny corner of Dorset. I’ve never lived in the countryside before so this is quite the experience. Seeing how much we’ve achieved in 2 years is giving us the inspiration and excitement to continue on with our grand plans.
What do you love most in each season living in rural Dorset?
For us the key is truly sensing and noticing the gifts of each season. We live remotely, with no central heating and are completely immersed in the seasons from the tiniest shoot in spring to the summer heat waves and raging autumn weather systems. This deep awareness of seasonal shifts is integral to our lives here. We love the cusps of each season but particularly spring when the joy of seeing new green growth and colourful blooms after a long grey winter is like nothing else.
Can you tell us a bit about your recent flower field open day with ‘Flowers from The Farm’?
This is the first time in our four seasons of growing that we’ve opened up to the public so this felt like a big moment. It was wonderful to welcome other local growers and people from our community into our space and share the journey we’ve been on so far. We’ve always been honest our experiences and it was refreshing to share the highs and lows, successes and failures of small scale flower growing with this group of supportive visitors.
What gives you the greatest joy?
Rory: Seeing buckets and buckets of flowers that we’ve grown going out to people.
Sarah: The reaction to our flowers is really really special. Whether it’s brides, florists, or customers buying gifts for their loved ones. It brings me joy every time!
What plans do you have for the future of ‘We Grow Colour’?
We are really looking forward to developing our infrastructure this winter so that our growing can be even better next season. We will continue to take Erika - our colourful flower trailer to Bridport market and further afield and are really excited to be expanding our wedding and workshop offerings in 2024. Whatever we do it will be COLOURFUL!
A huge thank you to Sarah & Rory for this interview. You can find out all about ‘We Grow Colour on their website here xx https://www.wegrowcolour.co.uk