Foxgloves and Roses

Nicola Roberton left a career in PR to become a florist. She began by growing flowers in her own garden and selling small bunches at the school gate, and a first wedding request led her to found Foxgloves and Roses in 2011.

She now works from a barn on a hill in Letcombe Bassett, in the chalk downland south of Wantage, with a small studio team. By 2017 she had dressed around a hundred weddings and was shortlisted for the UK's Best Wedding Florist at the UK Wedding Awards, as reported by the Oxford Mail.

The style is nature-led and fine art, designed to look gathered rather than arranged. Rose arches that appear to climb old stone are a speciality, and blush, peach and powder blue are the most requested colours. Garden roses, sweet pea, delphinium, peony and ranunculus are among the signature flowers, seasonal and British wherever possible.

Venues include Blenheim Palace, Ardington House, Stowe House, the Ashmolean Museum, Caswell House, Oxford Town Hall, Cripps Barn and Aynhoe Park, along with timber barns and private garden marquees. The studio has worked with planners including Your Story Events, Vanilla Rose Weddings and Petra Opperman.

Weddings start from £4,500, and most couples spend between £5,500 and £8,000. A limited number of weddings are taken each year. Alongside client work, Nicola keeps a monthly practice called the Artist's Table, a still-life study made from whatever the garden and hedgerow offer.