episode 210| show notes & advice
episode description
Bea Andrews is no stranger to Perch Hill - she was head gardener for many years, and is now back in a new guise as our visiting florist, aka Botanika Flora.
It's a joy to welcome Bea back for this nostalgic episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Sarah as she shares her fascinating background and route into horticulture in her native Hungary, the story of how she came to Perch Hill, and the inspiration she draws from the garden and the Sussex countryside in her stunning floral designs.
In this episode, discover
- The early inspirations behind Bea’s journey into gardening, horticulture and floristry
- Fond memories of Perch Hill, her impeccable eye for colour, and humorous anecdotes from her time as head gardener
- What Bea looks for in seasonal cutting, and how she combines these flowers and foliage in her unique arrangements
links and references
Order Sarah’s new book - A Year Full of Pots
Order Sarah’s book - A Year Full of Flowers
Order Sarah’s book - A Year Full of Veg
Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook | Sarah Raven
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website
Botanika Floral: https://www.botanikafloral.co.uk
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Episode 210 advice sheet
Bea’s path to becoming head gardener at Perch Hill (2:10)
Bea grew up in Budapest in Hungary with a strong background in horticulture – her mother grew flowers on the balcony of their city apartment and her ever-resourceful grandfather was a greengrocer, so both ornamental and edible plants played a big role in her upbringing.
After initially studying medicine for a year, she switched her specialism to agriculture and horticulture, before coming to the UK for work experience on an organic farm. There, having discovered the many rare and unusual fruit varieties, a friend showed her an advert for the position of head gardener at Perch Hill and the rest is history.
Fond memories from Perch Hill, and Bea’s next chapter (12:00)
From her time at Perch Hill Bea shares a number of fond memories, one in particular which involves the late, great Italian chef and restaurateur Antonio Carluccio.
When it comes to her innate knack of combining plants, Sarah celebrates Bea’s eye for colour - with the freedom to pick what she pleases, to this day Bea continues to curate her own collections for the Sarah Raven range.
Bea now runs her own floral design studio, Botanika Floral, and shares her creative flair through teaching workshops. Her Instagram account is a veritable feast for the eyes curated with pictures of her seasonal arrangements, and she’ll be posting equally delightful content on the Sarah Raven social media channels too.
How Bea decides what to pick (19:10)
Bea knows the garden at Perch Hill well from her time as head gardener, so when she comes here to pick, she sees how much the diversity of flowers and foliage has grown over the years. She has even compiled a diary of what’s best in the local hedgerows close to the garden and when, which injects a splendid sense of seasonality to her arrangements.
