Francine Raymond’s autumnal displays are gloriously unexpected at this time of year. She talks toKatie Pikeabout her love of bringing the outside in
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FACING PAGE, FROM LEFT The scullery window has been decorated by florist James Horner using seaside plants; the giant wreath, made by Francine, features dried ferns and fig leaves interspersed with Panicum grass seedheads.
I’ve decorated my house with natural materials, brought in from outside, since I first became interested in gardening. This was in the 1970s, when I got my first garden. My family were all keen gardeners, too. As an early adopter of organic gardening it made sense to respect the soil by eschewing chemicals to ensure that the garden inhabitants are taken care of. Bringing cuttings inside shows off the seasonal beauty of nature.
At Christmas, evergreens are lovely, but rather heavy looking. I prefer the lightness, colour and elegance of my more unusual choices – they provide a way for me to express myself. Every year, the decorations are different – I even had a year of adding glitter: my Barbie period!
To create my wreaths, I start by collecting leaves from my garden. I dry them by placing them between sheets of newspaper that I then tuck underneath mats and rugs around the house. When they’re dry, I sometimes arrange them on the table to make sure that I’m happy with the design. I then mount them on wire wreath frames, which are available online. To do this, I add a zigzag of sticky tape across the whole wreath and then add th
