Sophie Robinson's Garden Inspirations

It’s National Gardening Week, and to celebrate, we’re looking at the ways Sophie Robinson has looked to her own garden for inspiration. From the daisies, primroses to the trees of her woodland beyond: Here’s how the ‘Queen of Colour’ gets her garden inspiration.

For National Gardening Week by the RHS, this year’s theme is all about slowing down and getting curious about what grows within the garden. From looking more closely at the shape of leaves or seeds, or petals - from balcony to back garden - this week is all about getting outdoors and seeing what draws your eye in.

At Harlequin, we’re looking at how the details of plants, trees and flowers in the garden can lead to artistic inspiration. “Many of the designs take their lead from the landscape that surrounds my home,” explains Sophie Robinson, a designer and broadcaster, discussing how her own garden was a plentiful source of inspiration for the Sophie Robinson x Harlequin collection.

Woodland Floral

With Woodland Floral, for example, primroses, peonies and laburnum are beautifully hand drawn, which are “the exact flowers in my garden,” Sophie says. “Within it is a lot of movement and colour. It dances around my kitchen, either side of the curtains, catching glimpses in nooks and corners.”

Dappled Leaf

Sophie’s garden extends further into a woodland — inspiring many other designs in the collection. Perhaps depicting the leaves of a sycamore tree, we have Dappled Leaf, taken from our archives, from 1905, which was originally a block print design. It has a wonderful verdant freshness that makes you think of Spring – still, over a hundred or so years later.

In the Woods

Continuing with the trees, we have a contemporary immersive panel, inspired by Sophie’s woodland, In the Woods, with impressionistic, energetic brush strokes of pinks of lilacs, and rich colours, which was hand-painted in the Harlequin studio.

Daisy Trellis

While this panel takes broad swathes of brush marks in its stride, Daisy Trellis, a more structured design within the collection, goes into the garden’s granular shoots of growth. A hand-painted design from the Harlequin studio, this wonderful latticework of daisy chains feels like a nostalgic ode to childhood games in the garden.

Wonderland Floral

And finally, Wonderland Floral — a swirling, archive design teeming with details and delights. It’s imbued with an invigorating colour palette, which shows that there is never one way to be inspired by the garden. You can always continue to find new shapes, shades, and colours in nature to get yourself thinking creatively this National Gardening Week.