Rosalind grows flowers at her home in the city. Originally from the UK, she was inspired early in life by her grandfather’s garden plot, where he would grow flowers to cut and arrange for her grandmother. Over the years Rosalind has moved a lot, and every garden she has ever nurtured has been left better than when she found it. During a stay in Victoria, she took a placement at a cut flower farm while studying horticulture. Drawn to the blooms she encountered there but not to the large scale of farming, she decided then to grow flowers on a smaller scale yet still striving for abundance and diversity.
Her current English style garden design is steeped in organic and permaculture no-dig principles. She has a few beds where she grows things in rows, but her principal is to respect the space she is in, putting the plants “where they like to be.” Her garden is full of colour, height, texture and shape.
While she sees herself as a gardener, Rosalind is not just growing flowers. Cutting flowers and bringing them into the house is a big part of her experience. Rosalind notices that “when you cut flowers from your garden and take them inside, let them rest and then arrange them, it’s a much more intimate relationship with what you are growing.” She always picks only what is best. Her philosophy is evident in the stillness, softness and beauty that surrounds her home. “For me, it’s about the garden, the soil, nature and the environment, going around and picking what’s best that day.”
Her deep appreciation for her garden and for the flowers she grows is paralleled by the enthusiasm she has for their Latin names, which she knows very well. Sometimes, Rosalind only grows a plant because she loves its Latin name. “Cercidiphyllum japonicum or Kirengeshoma palmata – beautiful names, you’ve got to grow that. I love the flowers, their gorgeous names.”
Because of the scale of her business and her love for community, Rosalind has been able to work with other local flower growers trying to help them form connections. She successfully established and manages the Ottawa Flower Market, a thriving monthly market that connects local flower growers and consumers.
Taken from an Interview with Kate of City Love Flowers https://cityloveflowers.ca
Rosalind's Garden Blooms 