Your stories | Bea Andrews

Where do you garden?

Nestled in a Sussex village, at the foot of the South Downs, our east-facing, Victorian terraced garden stretches long and narrow - just 5 metres by 15. Though compact, it’s a patchwork of purpose and beauty, where a little greenhouse stands beside my home studio, a seating area basks in the sunnier spots and an ever-shifting collection of pots and containers brings seasonal bursts of colour.  

I love growing flowers and vegetables but in a small space every plant must earn its keep.  As a florist-gardener there’s nothing more satisfying than stepping outside to pick a few stems, no matter the season. My first design for the garden was delightfully ambitious, brimming with scented climbers - roses, honeysuckle, clematis - trailing along the fence lines, and a large border filled with trees, perennials, roses, bulbs and annual cut flowers, all chosen for their cutting potential.  

Over time, though, my ambitions softened as we craved more space to pause and breathe. Many of those early plants found new homes at our allotment, which has become a wilder, less tamed extension of our garden. There, old scented shrub roses nestle among the perennial fruit and vegetable beds, while sweetpeas, nasturtiums and clematis scramble up fruit tree arches. Vegetables happily share their beds with flowers and bulbs crammed into every available corner. A tapestry of self seeders - nigella, ammi, hesperis, calendula, tanacetum, linaria - returns naturally each year and by late April, a soft blue tide of muscari spills over the paths - perfect for filling small vases scattered around the house.  

How much time do you spend in the garden each week?

I tend to spend more time in the garden during winter and early spring preparing the growing areas for the months ahead. There is a quiet satisfaction in clearing, mulching beds, pruning and setting up crop protection for the season to come. This groundwork means that when it’s time for sowing and planting out, my crops are better equipped to cope with the variable weather, need less watering, and weeding becomes far less of a chore.  

Ironically, my busiest times coincide with the garden’s most abundant periods - when everything is flourishing, but I don’t get to spend as much time out there as I’d like. Still, I usually manage to carve out a couple of hours each week to pick and check on the allotment crops. Those small windows of time feel like a gift, a chance to reconnect amidst the seasonal rush. 

Can you pinpoint when you first got ‘into’ gardening?

My grandparents were greengrocers back in Hungary, where I grew up. They had a wonderful, sprawling garden in the city’s greenbelt, a place that felt like a world of its own. I spent long, sun-drenched summers with them as a little girl, helping to water the vegetables or simply sitting quietly with my grandfather, soaking in the peace of the evening garden. 

I can still recall the sweet perfume of ripening fruit drifting from their orchard - cherries, apricots, peaches - all warmed by the summer heat. And collecting walnuts under a giant of a tree in the autumn.   

My mum is an excellent gardener too, still busy with her plants to this day. She has an incredible knack for houseplants, and despite the modest size of our city apartment’s balcony, she managed to fill it with a vibrant array of summer herbs and vegetables. It’s from her - and from those early days in my grandparents’ garden - that my love for growing things truly blossomed. 

How would you describe your gardening style in 3 words?

Shifting, abundant, meaningful. I am passionate about maximising space with plants that truly contribute. Beyond being edible or great for cutting, they offer practical benefits - supporting  wildlife, enhancing biodiversity, and, of course, bringing joy through their beauty. 

Can you share three life skills you wish you were taught at school?

Financial skills, public speaking and time-management. Simple lessons that would have made navigating adulthood a little smoother — but, as with gardening, some things we learn best through experience. 

What’s your ultimate gardening/floristry hack?

I love using wooden flower grids made from simple sticks - a brilliant, practical piece of floristry kit I learnt to make with Sarah at Perch Hill. They’re incredibly easy to craft using straight, foraged wooden sticks or bamboo, laid out in a lettuce pattern and secured with twine.  

The beauty of these grids is their versatility: you can make them to any size, customise them to fit particular vessels and they fold away neatly when not in use. They’re especially handy when arranging flowers and foliage in larger urns or wide, shallow bowls, where there’s more surface area to fill. The grid provides natural support, helping to create beautiful, flowing arrangements with ease. 

What does gardening mean to you, and why do you do it?

My work is a balance of both gardening and floristry, but when it comes to gardening, it’s the hands-on graft - propagation and pruning - that I find most fulfilling. There’s something deeply grounding about nurturing seedlings and cuttings; it offers a quiet sense of purpose and hope. The tasks can be repetitive, but that’s part of their charm - you slip into a blissful flow, where time softens and the mind settles.  

There is also a satisfying element of problem solving, while restoring a rose bush or pruning an apple tree to its best potential. It makes gardening not just a task but a therapeutic practice.