Flowers & Folklore

In this episode of Flowers & Folklore, we step into the shadowy world of the hellebore: a flower with rich history and many contradictions - the light and the dark. We explore how this moody bloom has been linked to Christianity and witchcraft in equal measure, how it was used to create some surprising “magical powers”, its role in some juicy ancient goss and also there’s some goats eating things they absolutely shouldn’t.To fully explore this little flower’s backstory we fall down more than one rabbit hole, but all of them bring us to the same conclusion - you’ll never look at The Christmas Rose the same way again. Books, Art & Poetry* The Language of Flowers by Odessa Begay* “How to do the flowers” by Constance Spry* Floriography by Jessica Roux* Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker* Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels* The Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa Dietz* Thanatos by Henry Kirke White* Lyrics from Speyer service book from 1599Artworks‘Arts & Crafts Hellebore’ by Margaret LightClick here to view the full article about Margaret’s gorgeous work. Inspiration* Hellebore and moth tattoo by Eleanor Gander (@eliluciitattoos)* Winter arrangement by Constance Spry* Hellebore arrangement by The Floral CoachHave your own floral stories or lore about hellebore? We’d love to hear from you! We’re accepting reader submissions, so if you have a flower story, (about any flower) please share it with us! Comment below or email us at [email protected] the episode!Keeley & SarahFind Sarah online: Instagram | Substack | PinterestFind Keeley online: Instagram | SubstackMore info and transcript on Flowers & Folklore you must access this via your desktop and not your phone. Get full access to Flowers & Folklore at flowersandfolklore.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Flowers & Folklore: Garden Gossip, we chat about what’s been inspiring us lately and what flowers we’ve been working with recently.Keeley tells us about viburnum, viburnum and more viburnum and Sarah tells us about the end of wedding season. Tangents include a trip through Keeley’s gorgeous garden and Haddon Hall’s recent exhibition Magic. Sarah also reveals her dislike of gyp and Jane Austen’s Emma.Flowers & Floristry* Keeley’s beautiful designs from college* The Season of Abundance ran by Sophies Flower Co. Read Sarah’s essay about it on Substack* The waxflower tree Sarah and the other students made at McQueens Flower SchoolWhat are Sarah and Keeley up to?* Join Sarah in Glasgow for one of her wreath making workshops this winter* Getting married in Scotland? Sarah is offering 10% off weddings booked by the end of November 2025* Keeley has launched her gorgeous new business The Green Edit StudioHave your own floral stories or lore? We’d love to hear from you! We’re accepting reader submissions, so if you have a flower story, (about any flower) please share it with us! Comment below or email us at [email protected] the episode!Sarah & KeeleyFind Sarah online: Instagram | Substack | PinterestFind Keeley online: Instagram | SubstackMore info and transcript on Flowers & Folklore you must access this via your desktop and not your phone. Get full access to Flowers & Folklore at flowersandfolklore.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Flowers & Folklore, we dive into the surprising history and tales surrounding the humble “bit-like-a-granny’s-handbag’ nasturtium, from its gory Greek naming origins to its gentle flower fairy depictions.We discover why this bright orange bloom was once associated with warriors and triumph, how Beatrix Potter, Claude Monet, and Cicely Mary Barker each captured its charm, and why it was once thought to repel serpents and bring good fortune. Along the way, we chat about Tales of the Shire (and Tolkien’s opinionated spelling choices), there’s poetry by Anne Spencer of the Harlem Renaissance, plus we uncover the curious Elizabeth Linnaeus phenomenon, and disappear down a rabbit hole over our mutual obsession with miniatures.It’s a magical episode that’ll make you see nasturtiums in a whole new (flashing?) light.Books, Art & Poetry* The Language of Flowers by Odessa Begay* Unearthing The Secret Garden by Martha McDowell* The Flower Fairies Alphabet (1934) by Cicely Mary Barker — “Nasturtium the Jolly” poem & illustration* The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (Nasturtiums in Mr. McGregor’s garden)* Lines to a Nasturtium poem by Anne Bethel Spencer * The Witch’s Garden by Sandra Lawrence* Country Life article by Mark Diacono: “In praise of the humble nasturtium”* “How to do the flowers” by Constance SpryArtworks* Nasturtiums in a Blue Vase by Claude Monet* Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit nasturtium illustration* Cicely Mary Barker’s Nasturtium FairyGames & Fun Bits* Tales of the Shire game by Wētā Workshop* Snaps from Sarah’s Halloween dried floral headdress workshop * Dollhouse project & miniature-making course (affiliate link, also you can get 10% off your whole order with the code: KEELEY) Picture below of the beginning of Keeley’s Brambly Hedge treehouse.Bonus video of Sarah’s foster boy Bruno “helping” to clean up after the workshop:Have your own regional stories or nasturtium lore? We’d love to hear from you! We’re accepting reader submissions, so if you have a flower story, (about any flower) please share it with us! Comment below or email us at [email protected] the episode!Sarah & KeeleyFind Sarah online: Instagram | Substack | PinterestFind Keeley online: Instagram | SubstackMore info and transcript on Flowers & Folklore you must access this via your desktop and not your phone. Get full access to Flowers & Folklore at flowersandfolklore.substack.com/subscribe

Hello! First episode back after an unexpected break! Two reasons why this is extra exciting: A) 1: because I’m now joined by Keeley Rees as a co-host! (Hooray!)And 2) because we’ll be bringing you new episode formats each month, as well as the much-loved Flowers & Folklore deep dive episode on one flower. Same podcast. Same feed. More floral nerddom. Also, new moody artwork:In this episode we chat about how we met and how we found flowers, or should it be how flowers found *us*? Plus we share our favourite and least favourite flowers. (They know what they did.)Plusss we’ve started a new Instagram account to share all of our findings and connect with you. Follow along here. We LOVE hearing from you and want to open up floor soon for reader submissions so if you have a flower story, please share it with us! Comment below or email us at [email protected] the episode! Sarah & Keeley Find Sarah online:InstagramSubstackPinterestFind Keeley online:InstagramSubstackMore info and transcript on Flowers & Folklore you must access this via your desktop and not your phone. Get full access to Flowers & Folklore at flowersandfolklore.substack.com/subscribe

The sixth episode of Flowers & Folklore will be all about the tulip!Resources used for this episode:The Language of Flowers by Margaret PickstonThe Language of Flowers by Odessa BegayThe Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa DietzFlower Fairies of the Spring by Cicely Mary Barkerhttps://www.tulipmania.art/in-persian-mythology-the-tulip-is-considered-to-be-the-flower-of-love/https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/learning/dartmoor-legends/the-legend-of-the-bed-of-tulipshttps://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/pages/the-story-of-the-tulipSave Wild Tulips: https://www.fauna-flora.org/species/wild-tulips/Find Sarah online:InstagramSubstackPinterestHave you heard some interesting folklore about tulips? Please let me know! Leave a comment or email me on [email protected] info and transcript on Sarah’s Substack - you must access this via your desktop and not your phone. Get full access to The Foibles of a Florist at sarahrushbrooke.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Flowers & Folklore at flowersandfolklore.substack.com/subscribe