Our Story

Swallows & Damsons was born out of a love for play, imagination and art.

A curiosity of wild things and a desire to create with flowers as a means of reconnecting to nature.

Opened in 2008 our Sheffield flower shop is nestled neatly, deep inside the Antiques Quarter of the city.

Every day holds a different story. Tales of kindness, celebrations of life and love, sadness and grief. We almost enjoy hearing your stories more than making the arrangements. It’s been important to us that we remain a local florist in the heart of the community, connected to other small businesses. A people focused shop and a place of slow calm in an increasingly rapid, digital society.

Founded by Anna Potter, who after studying Fine Art at University, with no formal floristry experience, set out to bring an unexpected and uniquely wild feel to her designs. Developing a style that celebrates imperfections, subtlety in colour and form, taking inspiration from the rich darkness of Dutch still life paintings. 

Anna writes: “Influence is all around, not just to be found on a list of predictably expensive ingredients from far-flung places, but from plants in the garden or even those overgrowing and obstructing a path on the daily commute.

The everyday extraordinary that's right in front of us. Whether it be industrial city, rugged moorland or tended garden, petalled peony or wild briar and bramble; everything can have its place.”

Whether we are weaving flower stories throughout events, weddings and gatherings. Creating daily bouquets in our shop or styling for editorials, it’s a privilege to be involved in bringing nature and people together at times that are significant to them.

Our Instagram has grown to over 200k followers which has enabled us to influence and inspire far beyond the confines of our home town.

We have worked with clients including Gucci, Sony Pictures, Ffern, Design Sponge, Agent Provocateur and The Garden Museum. We have been featured in British Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Vice Magazine, Gardens Illustrated, Town & Country Magazine and were named in the Financial Times HTSI “Best Florists in the World” list.

We have been fortunate enough to travel as far as South Korea to teach workshops, and have two hard back books published; ‘The Flower Fix’ and ‘Flower Philosophy.’ 

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Books

Flower Philosophy
A celebration of seasons, arrangements designed to free readers from the pressures of perfection and instead encourage creative freedom, intuition and original results.

Flower Philosophy

The Flower Fix
Wild inspiration and modern arrangements by Swallows and Damsons florist Anna Potter, with beautiful photography by India Hobson.

The Flower Fix