Meet the Maker!
Hi! My name is Kelly (although I do like to be called Raiden).
I have loved flora and fauna my entire life, and my favorite book of choice in primary school was actually a very large and heavy DK Encyclopedia on Nature, it probably weighed more than I did, but I carried it often.
Honestly, I was a weird child. And I still am.
Years later and I have ended up living in the middle of jungles, mountains and forests across the globe, on my own.
Fig.1 (below) My dress sense has always been questionable. That goes back as far as I can remember.
I only have a few obsessions other than flowers; moss, mushrooms, and all things poisonous in the botanical world. Yes, poisons. I find them fascinating. Don't get me started on poisonous mushrooms. You may have noticed my flower shop name....Hemlock... well, if you didn't know, Hemlock is a deadly wild plant that commonly grows in most parts of the world.Ivy on the other hand is... an irritant at best, but that's not the point. It's still poisonous none the less. Oh, and I'm also quite obsessed with the shape of eggs. It was a dream of mine as a child to rescue a nest of blue speckled eggs and hatch them myself. I adore animals.
As for my love of flowers, well...
Floristry is a huge outlet for my creative forces, and it's forever changing. There's always something to learn and it never gets boring.
I absolutely adore seeing people happy when they get something that I created with my own two hands.
Did you know, flowers in the home reduce stress and can reduce blood pressure and anxiety?
I am a fully qualified florist, trained here, in London.
Before that? Well, I've done a lot of different things but one of those was being an aromatherapist, qualified and trained in London once again- and this is the background that my handmade bath salts come from!
On the side, I've always enjoyed drawing and painting. And creative writing.
Bottom line is, I've have forever loved art.
About the Brand
Hemlock & Ivy is a London based Florist and was made in 2019 here in the UK, although not realised until 2020 when I finally plucked up the courage to do it.
I want my brand to be personal. Not just another cold, faceless business, but a small little company that makes gorgeous designs with lots of love and care for the local community.
It's goal is to provide beautiful, luxury flowers with an eco-friendly heart.
Single use and non-recyclable plastics are rampant in the floristry business. I would love for that to come to end, and that can't be done by dreaming about it. It starts with ourselves; set the example and others will follow! I will be writing various blog posts (which you can find on the main menu above), about topics like this if you wish to learn more about the floristry industry and things you yourself can do to help. I will also post other things like useful hints and tips on how to care for your flowers, or even on growing your own!