Flowers grown with love
My approach is based on a deep respect for the land and all the blessings it provides. Each seed we plant represents a commitment to the future. I take great care of every plot or pot using sustainable practices, nurturing biodiversity, enriching the soil, and doing my bit to enhance the overall well-being of our local environment.
I see each and every one of us who grows mindfully as cultivators and stewards, responsible for nurturing our flowers for the greater good. By fully embracing this responsibility, we can create a thriving environment and establish a legacy of thoughtful and sustainable growth.
For generations, my family and I have cultivated flowers in small batches from home gardens and allotments. We also manage a larger plot in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside at Hill Farm, a National Trust estate in Ashridge. The plot here is a work in progress; every season gets better, and something beautiful always pops up out of the ground.
I have been invited to show at the lovely Strawberry Hill Flower Festival for two years, showcasing my growing principles in all its splendour. I also take enormous pride in being a member of the Sunnyside Allotment Society and recently had the opportunity to showcase our work at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
Cultivate Newsletter
A seasonal miscellany
Cultivate is our quarterly journal, a considered publication created by Julie to mark the passing of
each season.
More than a newsletter, it is a slower kind of reading.
A space to pause, to notice, and to reconnect with the rhythm of growing, gathering, and arranging flowers.
Each edition brings together reflections from the flower field, conversations with growers and makers, and practical, thoughtful guidance for working with seasonal flowers at home.
What you’ll find inside
Cultivate is structured as a seasonal collection, part journal, part companion, with recurring chapters that unfold across the year.
In the Ground
Notes from the field. Observations on what is growing, what is working, and what is quietly shifting beneath the surface.
Growers & Gatherers
Conversations with those working closely with flowers, exploring their paths, their practices, and the shared language of growing.
This Season We Love
A closer look at a single flower. Its history, character, and place within the season.
Seasonal Arrangements
Simple, natural approaches to working with flowers, designed to feel achievable, abundant, and rooted in what is available.
Essentials
Tools, materials, and small practical details from the flower bench and potting shed, the things that make the work easier and more enjoyable.
Places of Inspiration
Moments of noticing. Exhibitions, landscapes, and influences that shape the way we see and work
with flowers.
Gather & Create
Ideas that bring people together, from wreath-making to community-led floral work, are always grounded in seasonality and care.
A slower way of sharing
Cultivate is rooted in the belief that flowers are not only something to arrange, but something to live alongside.
It reflects the more attentive side of floristry, where seasonality leads, where materials are respected, and where beauty is often found in the simplest of things.
Each issue builds gently on the last, forming an ongoing record of the year as it unfolds at Madge & Ivy.
A journal to return to
Cultivate is shared seasonally, delivered directly to you each quarter.
Simply sign up via the website with your email, and as each new edition is released, you’ll receive the journal straight to your inbox as a downloadable PDF.
You can read it online, on your iPad or laptop, or print it at home to enjoy on paper, perhaps with a cup of tea in the greenhouse, or tucked into a quiet moment at the kitchen table.
Designed to be kept, Cultivate is something to return to, to revisit, to learn from, and to draw inspiration from over time.
It sits somewhere between a field notebook and a keepsake. Something to collect and enjoy!
