"Having been a friend and avid customer of Sarah’s for many years
I was delighted to be invited to work with her on this project.
Choosing dahlias and pelargoniums, my two favourite plants, was absolute heaven!"
YOUR GARDEN STORIES WITH
Cath Kidston
HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET SARAH?
We first chatted about 10 years ago about our businesses and have had various connections along the way.
CAN YOU SHARE YOUR FIRST GARDEN MEMORY?
Going to pick carrots for our donkeys. My mum had rescued Beauty and two weeks later, to everyone’s surprise, she had Bertie. So it was carrot picking every morning for a while! We had a kitchen garden which was my favourite place as a child.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR GARDEN?
My garden is really mainly about the view and trees and not too many flowerbeds. Our house sits on a small escarpment looking down a valley called Paradise. We have a stream and beautiful beech trees, as well as native bluebells and wild daffodils in the fields in springtime. We came from a very intensive high maintenance garden so purposely haven’t created too much.
My main project, however, is my geranium and pelargonium collection in my two greenhouses. They are where I spend hours and love experimenting and collecting new varieties. Next to them I have a small cutting garden so I can grow tulips, anemones, dahlias and sweet peas. Last year I went mad for Sweet William.
TELL US HOW THE GARDEN HAS INSPIRED YOUR BRAND, C.ATHERLEY?
C.Atherley was literally born in my greenhouse. My pelargonium collection really took off in the pandemic and from that I began to develop fragrances from the different plants. Our mantra now is ‘From greenhouse to bottle’!
LOCALITY, SEASONALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ARE THEMES THAT RUN THROUGH YOUR RANGE - WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?
I’ve always appreciated local and native things. Here, where I live near Stroud, we have a wonderful local farmers market which was one of the first in the country. When I embarked on my new brand, I had a blank canvas to work with and to have it made in the UK was top of my list. I’m very proud to employ people here and to build something British.
APART FROM GERANIUMS AND PELARGONIUMS, WHAT OTHER PLANTS OR FLOWERS CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
I love growing my own herbs and salad and they are so much nicer than anything you can buy in supermarkets. I’m addicted to sorrel and lovage in salad. I also love picking flowers for the house so something like Alchemilla mollis is a staple to add for any summer bunch.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO BRING THE OUTDOORS IN?
I adore bringing my geraniums in en masse. They dislike being in the house so they are usually weekend visitors! The house doesn’t feel like home without flowers too, so pretty much all year I can find something to make a bunch for the kitchen table.
Our top picks to combine with Cath's C.Atherley Dahlia Collection
We recommend pairing this collection with these bestsellers and new comers
