A passion for the outdoors lies at the heart of Tattie Rose Flowers, whether it’s an award-winning window display, a show-stopping event at the V&A or a simple country wedding. Twee, it most certainly is not, says founder Tattie Graham
Firstly, Tattie, congratulations are in order. The display you created for Linley’s Pimlico Road showroom was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society-judged Award of Excellence for Best Floral Display during Belgravia in Bloom 2016. Can you tell us all about it?
Yes, this was my third year for Linley. My sister used to work for Linley and introduced me to them and it has been a partnership based on a shared ethos and a love of English craftsmanship. For my first window I had roses tumbling down the steps, and last year created a whole garden with everything from herbs and lavender to delphiniums for their Dove Collection.
This year Linley wanted to celebrate craftsmanship, using Coates English willow, which I combined with foxgloves, lupins, delphiniums and moss. The finishing touch was a willow corgi sculpture (below) created by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) scholar and award-winning basket maker, Bob Johnston.
How would you describe your style?
In many ways, although I love flowers, I think of myself as a set designer more than a florist. What I love doing is transforming a space – using trees and greenery to make an impact. Whether I’m working on a big event, like a wedding or party, or dressing a shop, I take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. I’m passionate about the outdoors.
Did you always want to be a floral designer?
I was 21 when I started working with flowers. I had started a business in India and when I returned I started to work in a flower shop. Although I had no formal training, I found out through instinct what lasts. My advice to anyone starting out is not to stick to the rules – in fact, break them! Courses are good in some ways but nothing compares to trying and practising and finding out for yourself what works.
I take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. I’m passionate about the outdoors
Whose work do you admire?
I adore the Rich brothers, who had a garden at Chelsea last year. They have the same ideas as me. They are young and like the wild and that untamed look.
What was your first big commission when you started out?
My first one was a December wedding in the country. It snowed so much that we couldn’t get the car up to the church and had to take everything, from the candelabra to the flowers, up in a tractor trailer. Since then we have gone on to do lots of exciting projects at venues ranging from the V&A to Westminster Abbey – each one bringing wild into the design.
How much notice do you pay to trends?
I try to pay no notice of trends. I love changing my colour palette and perhaps that is what inspires my work.
What events do you enjoy working on the most?
I love weddings and parties but I also enjoy designing for a big event, such as the one in February at the V&A for the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. The room was made to feel like a wood in spring, with pussy willow, snowdrops and cowslips, as well as weird and wonderful mushrooms growing up through the moss. I also work with some great event companies, such as Lillingston.
A favourite flower?
My favourite flower changes with the season. In winter and autumn it’s snow berries and pussy willow and foliage that changes colours, but at the moment it’s cow parsley and foxgloves. Especially the wild pink foxgloves you find in woodlands of Scotland.
What is the key to a great design?
The art is to make a design feel alive and free and growing. I don’t go twee. The trick to that is getting the balance right. Scale is hugely important when I’m designing. Of course you have to make sure you are using the right ingredients – the plants and flowers – but it shouldn’t be too constrained. I have to get the scale right for the whole scheme to gel. I won’t rest until it’s perfect.
Main image: Bella West
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