All photos courtesy of Sam McKnight.
When Sam McKnight is not creating iconic looks during Couture Week or working on a Vogue cover, you can often find beautiful images of his stunning garden on Instagram. Yes, one of the most successful hairstylists of our time also happens to have a passion for flowers.
Below, Sam gives us the scoop on his lovely botanical escape. Enjoy!
IPP:What are your first memories of flowers?
SM: Lupins and sweet peas in my grandmother's garden in Scotland. It was tiny, but I thought it was huge!
IPP: HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A FLOWER GUY OR DID YOUR PASSION "BLOSSOM" AT A SPECIFIC TIME?
SM: I used to live near Regent's Park in London, where there is a beautiful enormous rose garden, where I used to sit and read on a summer evening, longing for a garden of my own.
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IPP: Tell us about your beautiful garden.
SM: I know nothing about gardening, and spent the first couple of years pottering around, googling and reading books. Then I met Jo Thompson, the brilliant garden designer, who came in 2 years ago and revamped the whole thing, with wider curved borders, in 2 "rooms" to accommodate more planting.
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IPP:WHAT ARE THE STANDOUTS THIS SEASON? ANY BLOOMS YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
SM: The tulips were great this year as I covered the bulbs in chicken wire to beat the squirrels. Summer has been wet and late, but I'm hoping for some late sun, to bring out the best in my hundreds of dahlias.
"my garden makes me feel relaxed, calm, joyful."
IPP:how does your work influence your garden?
SM: I would say it's the other way around, with all the colour.
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IPP:THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDEN YOU'VE EVER SEEN...
SM: Great Dixter
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IPP:WHERE DO YOU GET FLORAL INSPIRATION?
SM: I love Great Dixter in Sussex, where the planting is out of this world. And Sissingurst is lovely too, if slightly more formal.
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IPP:what is your spirit plant and why?
SM: I'd say a large dahlia. Big, bold, colourful and in it for the long term!
