The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is here, and honestly,  I think it's my favourite time of year. The wispy morning mists that rise from the Cotswold valleys and the brightness of September skies giving way to golden late afternoons and fresh evenings are so welcome after our scorching summer. 

The first smells of wood smoke in the air, combining with the rich ripeness of autumn leaves and fruit for me are some of the most evocative scents of the year. It takes me back to blackberry picking and conker collecting as a child. 

  • A triptych-style outdoor scene collage with three vertical panels: a sunlit garden bed of white Anemone flowers on the left, a soft-focus close-up of pink Anemone flowers in the center, and a stone house with flowerbeds in the background on the right.

The long heatwave took all the enthusiasm out of our poor English Gardens. Our lawns were parched and our flower beds dispirited. But ever forgiving nature has sprung back thanks to some welcome rain.

The roses in the garden have got a new lease of life and somehow smell all the sweeter for it. White hydrangeas are out in force and, thankfully, the dry weather has not damaged my absolute favourites, the Japanese anemones. 

I fell in love with these beauties when we moved to Grove farm three years ago. As if conjured up by magic they appeared in early September, hundreds and hundreds of tight little round buds that burst into open cheerful faces, pink and white petals dancing and catching the sunlight. 

Generous in how plentifully they flower and for their longevity of season I felt they had to be celebrated. They were of course my inspiration for our signature fragrance, Anemone. 

Three years after first dreaming up Anemone, on a golden afternoon in my garden, the scent of this range, for me, characterises completely this magical time of year. 

Customers in our Stow on the Wold store have been instinctively drawn through the front door by the candle burning on our front table. Candles have  been jumping off the shelves since September sprung. Perhaps  because we're into bath season again?. The hot summer was all about refreshing showers, but the longer cooler evenings invite candlelit baths. 

Our sumptuous Anemone Bath Oil has also seen a surge. Full of natural oils, beautifully scented with camomile, jasmine and neroli it is so comforting, a few drops in the bath are the ultimate treat. 

Rich as velvet in aroma yet light as silk on the skin the scent stays with you until the following morning and your bath and bedroom smell divine.

  • Three-panel collage showing food ingredients: a white pot filled with red cherries on the left, a wooden crate stacked with red and green apples in the centre, and a metal pot filled with yellow crab apples on the right, all set in a kitchen.

When not lingering in long baths, the Grove Farm home team (Patrick, Lily and I) have been busy harvesting from our heavily laden fruit trees. We have amassed heaving baskets of apples, plums, red currants, and blackberries, ready for chutney and jam making. 

Our chickens are feasting merrily too, pecking amongst the fallen fruit. They too have a new lease of life since their lazy languorous days of summer. 

Pistachio the cockerel is full of the joys of autumn, puffing up his chest and crowing at the top of his voice. Cashmere, Cadbury and Whiskers, his lady friends, don't pay him the blindest bit of notice, but our Maltese puppy Honey is driven crazy by him. 

She loves to chase him we often have to rescue him from the top of an apple tree where he takes refuge.  Poor Lily worries about him and all his ladies and goes on a twilight chicken round-up each day to check they are all present and correct.

There's something so timeless and comforting about these innocent days of fresh air, harvest and sunshine, days spent outside and then evenings scented by roaring fires and candlelight. A golden time of year.

  • Three vertical panels show white chickens foraging on the ground among scattered red apples in an outdoor setting with trees and warm sunlight in the background.

In other news, we were absolutely delighted to hear that our Snowdrop Eau de Parfum has been named Best Fragrance in the Best of British category at the Tatler Beauty Awards 2026.

by the magazine as “fresh air in a bottle – a seasonal scent that will endure all year round" -  to have it recognised in this way is a wonderful honour for such a young British fragrance house. 

Customers in our Stow-on-the-Wold store have loved discovering Snowdrop, and it seems Tatler did too.

  • A styled product collage showing GROVE brand items on draped peach fabric: a black handbag with a gold chain, a small clear bottle, a white tube, a gold ring, a tall glass vase with white flowers, a candle jar, and a small perfume bottle. The right panel shows the products arranged together with a lit candle and decorative beads.

And there’s more to come from Snowdrop soon - we have a beautiful new selection of products arriving soon both online and in store, bringing this uplifting fragrance into more of your everyday rituals.  

The new collection launches Thursday 8th October 2026 so make a note in your diaries!

  • A three-panel collage showing garden produce: an orange and white pumpkin growing on a vine, a wheelbarrow filled with apples in a grassy orchard, and leeks growing in a vegetable bed.

In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the fruit, flowers and fragrances of autumn and I look forward to seeing you in store or online soon. 

with love,
Laura x

    LAURA'S AUTUMN FAVOURITE

    anemone candle

    "I'm loving this candle as we move into Autumn. The scent fills each room beautifully and it lasts for the longest time. "

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