Step Inside a Floral World

Wellington boots for guests to borrow at Babington, a retreat in western England where Ashwell spends Christmas with her family.

Yarrow, sage, fennel, verbena, and giant bellflowers spill over a bucket in a potting shed.

A floral creation from the garden of one of Ashwell’s friends outside Paris, France.

Ashwell’s vintage dinnerware pieces. “These mismatched beauties may have had a more glamourous life, but now they are put to use for humble as well as decadent meals,” she says.

Vintage silk flowers Ashwell collects.

Lush peonies and roses from Ashwell’s garden.

Blue Bonnet Barn at The Prairie, Ashwell’s bed and breakfast in Round Top, Texas.

Floral linens blow in the breeze at The Prairie.

In Texas, wisteria blooms briefly in May, and Ashwell babies her cut flowers with plenty of water in jars and vases. “Wisteria is a gem, but it’s so fleeting,” she says. “For those moments we have it, it’s lovely.”

Ashwell often mixes flowers from her garden with plants she picks up at markets—such as these hydrangeas in a guest bedroom.

A salvaged lace tablecloth shades the sun at the bed and breakfast.

Ashwell collects floral vases and bowls from the flea markets in Round Top, Texas.

A secret to survival in Texas: “My signature Prairie barrel of flowers is proudly mostly fake,” Ashwell says, “so it can sit outside and withstand the blazing sun and heat.”

My Floral Affair was published in February 2018.