SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY// LIZZIE: THE ROSE PRESS GARDEN

This week we caught up with the wonderful Lizzie from The Rose Press Garden who has been helping thousands of new gardeners to create their own gorgeous gardens easily.

 It all started for Lizzie when she was turning her new build garden from a pile of mud and rubble to a beautiful flower-filled garden. She loved absolutely every moment of the process and learnt so much along the way. After the compliments started to roll in from family and friends when they visited, Lizzie set out to help people to start their own gardens, even if it is just one or two of them! Lizzie has been learning along the way and absolutely loves gardening, flowers and creating beautiful spaces. 

Lizzie was inspired to start The Rose Press Garden during the 2020 lockdown when she suddenly had to start working from home. During this uncertain time, Lizzie found solace and peace in her garden, she would often sit in the garden and watch all the bees and other pollinators visit her flowers to balance the hours she spent on her laptop. After ordering her first package of seeds and receiving advertisements that were more suitable for an older demographic Lizzie decide to put her marketing experience and a new passion for all things gardening to good use and set out to start her own brand that appealed to the younger gardeners out there.

So without further ado, let's find out more about Lizzie and The Rose Press Garden 

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hello, I'm Lizzie and run The Rose Press Garden which is a new brand all about making gardening modern, fun and showing how easy it can be creating a beautiful garden. I have grown up in South Norfolk and absolutely love the county. If I'm not in the garden then you might find me along the North Norfolk coast having a picnic on the beach, or visiting the incredible gardens we have here across the county. 

Tell us a little bit about The Rose Press Garden

The Rose Press Garden is a new modern gardening brand which I started in the 2020 lockdown. I sell flower seeds, bulbs and have a gardening monthly flower seed and bulb subscription with deliveries of gardening goodies that arrive at your door each month. My business is all about making gardening modern and sharing how easy it can be to create a beautiful flower-filled garden.

What inspired you to start The Rose Press Garden? 

It all started in lockdown in my new build garden. I was staring out the windows of my new home into a pile of mud and rubble and didn't have a clue where to start. I ordered a packet of flower seeds but it arrived in a boring white bashed envelope and came along with lots of frumpy adverts for reclining chairs and elasticated trousers! Hardly inspiring for a new young gardener....! I had this moment where I wanted to scream 'young people garden too!' and realised there was no gardening brand out there that appealed to me... so I created my own. With experience in marketing and a new love passion for all things gardening, I got started on creating The Rose Press garden... and since then me and my gardening subscription haven't looked back!

What do you love most about your job?

My favourite thing about running The Rose Press Garden is when customers send in pictures of their gardens 'before' and 'after' signing up the gardening subscription. I am always so blessed that I have wonderful customers who always share all the highs and lows in their gardens- we feel like a little community of flower lovers.

If you could learn anything new, what would it be? 

I'd absolute love to learn more about topiary! Having conquered a new build, there were absolutely no plants in my garden so I'd love to learn more about how to look after mature shrubs and create shapes out of topiary too! I have visions of giant topiary animals in my dream garden! 

I'd also love to learn more about garden design, I've recently been on a garden design course and will be launching online garden design consultations, but there is still so much to learn and so many gardens to see and take inspiration from!

Do you have any specific goals you want to achieve this year?

My goals this year are to grow my business and to hit a magic number of monthly subscribers for my gardening subscription. I'm well on track so far this year, but it was a bold number so I'm doing everything I can to achieve this. I really want to help more people create a beautiful garden easily! I'm big on goal setting and have tonnes of goals but if I can grow my business and help more people then that would be fantastic!

What's the best piece of advice you were ever given? 

From a gardening perspective, it's that 'plants can do either of two things... live or die'... it always makes me giggle and reminds me that it's ok to fail and for everything in gardening to not be perfect. 

From a business perspective, someone once told me to value customer data and to grow email newsletters etc as once you have someone engaged and interested in your brand then their data is invaluable.

What advice would you give someone new to gardening?

Don't be afraid to get stuck in, don't be afraid of a few failures along the way- nothing in gardening is perfect- you're best to give it a go!

Which gardeners inspire you and why?

There are so many celebrity gardeners and garden designers which inspire me, but recently it has been the instagram gardening community. It's been wonderful to see real people in real gardens showing how they have managed to adapt and improve their gardens over time. 

What is your favourite thing to grow?

Well, this is almost impossible to answer as it can change depending on what is in flower- I absolutely love growing sweet peas as these have an amazing scent, add height to borders and I sow these in January on my birthday every year so they always make me smile in the summer, knowing I was planting them in the freezing cold months of January. I really love growing all sorts of flowers and creating the gardening monthly subscription has meant I have tried lots of new flower seeds and bulbs that I might not have tried before! I absolutely love gardening and I think it's a pastime that never leaves you once you get the bug!

Do you have a favourite gardening TV programme?

I used to LOVE watching Gardeners World but recently have stopped watching so many gardening shows- I think sometimes the budgets and timescales can be a bit unrealistic for new gardeners. I do love watching the RHS Chelsea Flower Show coverage for inspiration and to see the new trends.

We first came across your stall at The Norfolk Garden Show, Can we expect to see you at any shows or fairs this year? 

I'm not at any shows this summer as I'm investing all my marketing spend online digitally as this is where my audience seems to be. People are looking for gardening inspiration online so I will be working with gardening accounts online to show before and after shots of their borders to encourage as many new gardeners to give it a go too

Lizzie’s Gardening Tips and Tricks for May and June

1) Tulip flowers will start to 'go over' in May. Ensure you deadhead the tips to stop them from going to seed and leave the leaves to die back so that the energy goes back into the bulb for a stronger display the following year.

2) Direct sow seeds directly into borders to fill any gaps. I particularly love gypsophila, nemophila and godetia to add colour and style to your summer garden.

3) Don't be tempted to plant out tender plants until the risk of frost has passed. Make sure you look this up online or ask local gardeners or allotmenteers, but usually this is in Mid May.

4) Continue to tie in climbing plants. If you have clematis, roses or honeysuckle then tie them to their supports throughout the season.

5) Sow a wildflower pot or area in your garden. Even if you don't have a huge garden, one pot of wildflowers can offer nectar to lots of insects. If you're tight on space, sow the seeds into a pot!