Florist Friday : Interview with Rosie Ansell of Rosie & Twine

Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Rosie Ansell of Rosie & Twine. And today I’m delighted to feature an interview with Rosie as part of my Florist Friday blog post series.

Could you tell us what prompted you to set up Rosie & Twine?

I grew up in the countryside as a gardener’s daughter, so flowers and plants were a big part my childhood. I grew to love flowers as a teenager and since then it has always been my dream to build my own floristry business. I wanted to build a flower delivery business that used predominantly seasonal British flowers and was simple, creative and affordable.

When did you start your business and where is it based?

I started the business in October this year after quitting my job and doing a few months of travelling. I’m based in Wandsworth in South West London and the deliveries are currently available to all Central and South West London postcodes. The delivery area is flexible, so I encourage anyone to get in touch, as I will always see what I can do.

How does your service work? 

Rosie & Twine offers a choice of three lovely posies and each week the flowers change according to seasonality. The British flowers come from lovely growers down in Cornwall and the rest come from New Covent Garden Flower Market in London, which I’m very lucky to live so near to. Over time, as demand grows, I would love to be able to support more British growers and encourage more people to buy British flowers.

You can choose from the ‘The Jam Jar’, ‘The Kilner’ or ‘The Big One’ and they all come hand delivered, arranged in a jar and wrapped with twine. The beauty of these products is that there is something on offer for everyone. Rosie & Twine also offers tailored packages of regular flowers for homes and businesses. A donation of £1 from every posy is donated to the ‘Friends of the Honey Bee’ campaign, providing a better future and further bio-diversity to support bees all across Britain.

The Jam Jar

The Kilner

The Big One

How would you describe your style?

My style is very natural and colourful. And I like to create the more ‘handpicked’ look that is inspired from my childhood in the Hampshire countryside.

What are your plans for the remainder of 2014 and next year?

This year has been a bit mad and the business is just getting moving.  So for the remainder of the year I want to focus on encouraging more people in London to buy Rosie & Twine flowers, and understand the importance of British. Next year, I have some very exciting things lined up and ideas coming out of my ears…so watch this space.

What is your favourite flower?

It may be very obvious, but I just love roses and my favourite has to be the David Austin ‘Queen of Sweden’. It is just beautiful.

Thank you so much to Rosie for all her help in compiling today’s blog post. I wish her lots of luck with her wonderful new business! She has a lovely website and you can also find her on social media: Twitter and Instagram.

(Images: Rosie & Twine)