I often say that I owe my name, my height and a lot of who I am to being - very proudly - a Guernsey girl.  Coming from Guernsey has shaped who I am, and I'm so grateful for the love of being outside, the coast, community, family, culture, and shared history that growing up on the island gives. It's not a surprise that my love of Cumbria - where I'm based - reflects lots of those aspects though with more mountains, lakes and rivers than beaches near me!  Much of my creative work is based on that identity.  My visits back are often to see wonderful family and friends and the sights and smells of home, but there's so much creative inspiration there too and that's what drew me to making work inspired by both of my homes.

So this project ... When the opportunity to be involved with the new Guernsey banknotes was first published, the ideas and inspiration started flowing.  I've grown up collecting Bailiwick notes, coins, and postage stamps (a habit I haven't grown out of!) and was very excited about the possibility of being a part of that rich history.  During that time, Hayley Mallett contacted me about using one of my photographs for her submission and the idea of a collaboration came into being. Having gone to Hautes Capelles Primary and St. Sampsons' Secondary SchooI with Hayley, we reconnected in 2022 when Sula Gallery featured an exhibition of my photographs.  Whilst we hadn't seen each other properly in almost 20 years before the exhibition, both Hayley and I have such a complimentary love of Guernsey's nature and flora - especially in detail - and I've been following her beautiful interpretations of the natural world for years - it's been such a natural collaboration and our shared ​love and focus on nature has informed the concepts behind our designs.  We've worked together - with photos by me that have then been beautifully worked by Hayley in thread and bead - to create designs for the bank notes that are examples of the islands’ nature that we hope bring a sense of pride and joy in our Bailiwick, something we feel strongly!

I can't wait to reveal the designs (that won't be for a while yet though!), but you can hear a little more in the States of Guernsey film above or on their website: The new bailiwick banknotes - States of Guernsey.  On the reverse of the notes, work by the talented Natasha K. He will be featured. 

You can see Hayley's beautiful work on her website: Hayley Mallett Art - Mixed Media Textile Artist.

What a wonderful privilege to be part of the Guernsey banknotes!

A recent trip to the wonderful Holehird Gardens.  Here's the Winter/Spring border... a sea of spring! Another fantastic plant from Holehird coming up on the blog soon! If you live locally or visit the lakes, do go ans visit Holehird.

Which of these should be cards? I love to send and receive cards in the post, and I've loved having some of my photos on Hospice at Home cards (you can pick some of those up in the Carlisle and North Lakeland shops!)  I'm in the process of adding six greetings cards to my shop but I'm great difficulty choosing and so I'm calling on you all to help me! 

The vote is now closed and the winner of the chocolate bar will be announced soon!  You can still vote for your favourites or leave me a comment but I'm afraid the chance for chocolate is now gone!!

A couple of years ago, Liz Newport of Buzy Lizzie Garden Design, introduced me to the work of Piet Oudolf and the idea of multi-seasonal gardening.  It's something I'm slowly trying to achieve in my own garden and am so eager to capture in others.  Having shot some of Liz' gardens in winter, I know how effective the structural shapes and differing colour palette of the colder months can be.  With this in mind, last month I headed to Holehird Gardens near Windermere for my first trip of 2024.  I'd had the pleasure of a guided walk around the gardens in Spring 2023 and revisited with some areas in mind.  I honed in on a few plants and here are the results! 

MAGNOLIA Stellata - I love magnolia blooms but this was the first time photographing their catkins.  What a stunning winter display.

MORINA Afghanica - When I saw the architectural structure of this plant, I thought I recognised it as the Chelsea favourite from a couple of years ago, Phlomis.  I'd shot a couple of Phlomis in a beautiful Bea Ray designed garden in summer-time and thought I'd correctly identified this plant.  When I came to look at the designation on the helpful signs at Holehird I was surprised to see that it was a completely different family (though both Asterids) and not what I was expecting.  Another example of how interesting it can be to leave your plants as winter homes for wildlife and a visual feast for you!  The position of the Morina at Holehird is especially lovely with either the waters of Windermere or the winding paths of the gardens behind. 

ASTILBE - Holehird is home to the National Collection of Astilbes.  I've yet to visit when they are in full bloom but I can't say how much I loved watching their forms sway in the wind with a great depth and breadth of russet tones.   

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES - On my way out as the light was properly beginning to disappear, I spent a moment looking out towards Windermere through these beauties.  I couldn't find a black label for all of them but there's definitely some Miscanthus sinensis 'Yaku-jima' in the mix there!

I didn't get the best of light this year, however they look gorgeous no matter the weather.  You can see from the film above though that I was battling the wind, not an easy thing for photographer nor camera!  Enjoy these beauties.

It's Opening Night at 'The Bailiwick In Bloom' Exhibition at Sula Framing & Gallery in Guernsey tonight! Great to have Hotspur (a particularly flamboyant Nerine!) in the Exhibition as one of the sixty pieces on show.  ‘The Bailiwick in Bloom' has work from artists of all ages and is being held from 4th - 20th May 2023 with opening night tonight! See a little glimpse of the Exhibition here on Facebook.

Hotspur is for sale in my Art Print Shop, as well as a variety of Nerine Fine Art Prints.  You can see a selection of similar work on the Nerine section of my blog. 

​It is part of a Guernsey childhood to grow up with tales of shipwreck and salvage.  The story, potentially apocryphal, is that nerines arrived on the beaches of my home island in this very manner.   Along with their South African sister the Agapanthus, they have thrived in Guernsey and it was a thrill to photograph The Guernsey National Collection of Nerines care for by Plant Heritage Guernsey.

They say that Guernsey folk are always on a rubber-band pulling them back; in a stolen moment before the November Covid-19 lockdown, a flight to Guernsey was possible to be amongst the people and places of home.  In this time of crisis and unknown trajectories, there seems to be a great need for that feeling of home and belonging.  For me, these nerines – and their greenhouse - are a representation of that very thing and I was keen to capture a moment of their beauty at the end of the season.  Fittingly, they were on the cusp of their winter fade with some in full splendour and some submitting to the change of the seasons.  The Collection beamed with timeless beauty whilst giving a reassuring nod to the cycle of their growing year and the year to come. 

It was a joyful thing to walk amongst the plants with my camera, being drawn in by the Collection as a whole and at a more intimate, individual level; photographing the character of these plants, both delicate and flamboyant, and the peace and beauty of what they represent. 

It's with great pleasure that we can say that de la Mare Creative is featured in this month's edition of Cumbria Life alongside the wonderful Liz Newport from Buzy Lizzie Garden Design as well as coverage on In-Cumbria, Cumbria Crack and the Cumberland and Westmorland Gazette.  It's been one of the highlights of the year to work with Liz to capture a few of her gardens.  I can't recommend her work enough - do contact her to have her work her magic on your outdoor space!  You can read the full article below, written by Sally Seed, and if you are interested in recording the seasons of your garden, please do get in touch. 

A shared love of gardens is picture perfect
When garden designer, Liz Newport, and photographer, Rachael de la Mare, met at a Dacre yoga class, they didn’t expect to have gardens in common. Today, Liz is supporting Rachael in a new business venture to capture and record the glory of Cumbrian gardens through the seasons.

Liz, who trades as Buzy Lizzie Garden Design, loves the challenge of creating planting schemes and gardens that look good throughout the year. Rachael, who recently worked with Penrith Town Council and the Penrith in Bloom team on a celebratory film, has always enjoyed capturing the personality and life of plants and gardens on camera. Together, they’ve developing Rachael’s concept of creating very special photographic keepsake journals of clients’ gardens.

Rachael, who is originally from Guernsey but now lives near Penrith, has been a professional photographer for over 15 years. “I love to capture stories in my images and gardens have that element of narrative and continual change. They’re also very personal to the gardeners who’ve worked so hard to create them and there are often special memories, particular plants and other nostalgic elements that give the garden character. I want to preserve those memories and moments and reflect the life and personality of the gardeners and their gardens in a way that can be kept and shared. A book is ideal but I’m also aware that some people may prefer a keepsake box of prints or a framed selection instead.”

To make the concept a reality, Rachael was looking for gardens that she could photograph and capture in this way. She wanted to test and hone her ideas and get feedback from the owners and gardeners before launching the idea as a commercial option.

“That’s where I could help,” says Liz, “as I’ve designed and developed over 500 gardens in and around Cumbria during my 15 years in business in a variety of styles, each one fitting a particular client’s brief and the specific location. I was pretty sure that some of my clients would be happy to let Rachael and her camera in through the coming year to capture the different seasons. So far, the response has been really encouraging and it’s definitely looking like something that could develop into a new strand of work for Rachael.”

The pilot project for the new venture covers five different Buzy Lizzie gardens, including a couple at Manor Park in Penrith. “I’m thoroughly enjoying visiting the gardens,” says Rachael, “and I can see that, over the course of a year, I’ll get to know the owners and their gardens really well and learn a lot about how this idea could work out. I am sure there are proud gardeners out there who will see the value and appreciate the pleasure of having a photographic record of their garden through the seasons. I’m already getting interest in commissions to do this sort of work elsewhere so working with Liz to fine tune the ideas has been invaluable.”

Liz is also very conscious of the challenge to design a garden that has something special to enjoy right through the year: “Spring bulbs and June flowering are quite easy but having the evergreen structure in place for the winter frosts and planting for the late summer into the autumn need careful thought. Seeing Rachael capture one of my gardens on camera is giving me new ideas too!”
“For instance, later flowering clematis species are worth including on any trellis or pergola so that there’s flowering later in the year once the roses and honeysuckle are fading,” she says, “and I also love the daisy family (Asteraceae). Rudbeckia, Echinacea and others are at their best in the autumn and bring vivid colour to a garden at this time of year.”

A shared love of gardens and mutual support is definitely creating a flowering business relationship.

For further information about both businesses, please see www.buzylizzie.co.uk and www.delamare-creative.co.uk