Ask: Sarah Winward from Honey of a Thousand Flowers

That's the beautiful Sarah Winward and her floral studio above (don't you just want to be in there?) Sarah styles events and comes up with the most amazing floral arrangements! Her brilliantly named blog, Honey of a Thousand Flowers (also the name of her shop,) documents all the beauty she whips up and is so stunning to behold that you'll find yourself trying to view the entire thing in one sitting. 

A giant thank you to Sarah Winward of Honey of a Thousand flowers for giving us an interview today for Ask!

Sarah is also a contributor at Kinfolk magazine and journal, which I've raved about before, because it's one of my most absolute favorite new things. See this interview with Sarah in the first issue of Kinfolk magazine, and check out this yummy photo she took for the online journal:

Another thing I find so lovely in Sarah's blog and interview is the ways she really comes through in her writing. She's someone you just want to sit down to dinner with and pepper with questions. We'll settle for an online interview, though maybe we should grab a simple home made snack while we read.

Let's talk to Sarah!


1. Both your blog and shop are called Honey of a Thousand Flowers. This is so beautiful and such a testament to what words can do to conjure reactions from each of the other senses. Is there a story behind this name that you can share?


I keep bees at home, in my back yard. I was traveling in Morocco and was at another bee keeper's home, tasting his honey. He has several varieties because he moves his bees around the atlas mountains when different things are blooming. He has orange honey, cactus honey, thyme honey. He asked what kind of honey I make. I live in the city and my bees collect honey from everything that is in a three mile radium around them. So I said to him that our bees just make "wild honey." He thought for a few minutes with a perplexed look on his face, and then he said, "oh, in arabic we call that 'honey of a thousand flowers.'." I fell in love with the phrase immediately and when I started my business, I felt it was perfect. My arrangements are a product of all that is made around me.

(Oh man, Sarah. I'm speechless.)

2. A few of your favorite flowers lately?

I love the wildflowers in the mountains right now, indian paintbrush is really getting to me. I also love garden roses, and whatever weedy vine I can get my hands on.

3. I know you are also an appreciator of names; do you have any current name loves that you care to share? Are there any botanical words that you'd love to see used more often as names?

It seems that all the names I love for girls are from nature, and all the names I love for boys were popular in the WW2 era.

Other girls names that I love: Ivy, Vine, Violet, Cedar, Cypress, Tangerine, Olive, and Autumn. My cousins named their baby Autumn Bell and I think it is a perfect name.
(these are divine.)


4. Name Game! Today I'd like to create TWO names using the following:
For the first names: because you're a floral designer, please select the names of two flowers
For the middle names: please select a grandparent's name (male or female; first, middle or last; grand, great, great great, great great great, great-adinfinitum)

(I switched the first and middle)
Amber Vine
Amber was my grandmother's name. It is really common, but I think paired with the right thing, it sounds really fresh and interesting
Ivy Fern
Maybe it is redundant because it is two flowers, but I love it. Fern was my grandmother's middle name.

Amber Vine and Ivy Fern! I love it, too, Sarah!  And if your blog and business don't have the most inspired name and fascinating accompanying story, then I'll be a monkey's dang hat!

Thank you so much, Sarah! This was so fun and it was just such a pleasure to talk to you!

Names from today's post:
Sarah
Winward
Garden
Rose
Ivy (my mother wanted us to use this one on our second. it is so lovely.)
Vine (love)
Violet (forever a favorite)
Cedar (love.)
Cypress (this is so perfect a name, I can't understand why it's not already popular.)
Tangerine (and she'd have a song)
Olive
Autumn
Atlas
Autumn Bell
Ivy Fern
Amber Vine

I tell you, every time I sit down to write an Ask segment, I come away better! I just love all the inspiration it brings!

Aren't the names lovely? Do you all have any Fall trips planned? I'd love to hear about them!

Visit Sarah's beautiful floral blog, business, and see her work at Kinfolk, too!



(all images from  Sarah's blog, Honey of a Thousand Flowers, and Kinfolk magazine: images 1, 2, 3 by Diana Palmer of Yan photography; 9 by Erin Kate; 6 and 7 by Alixan Loosle; 4, 5, 8, 10 by Sarah Winward)