Meet the team
Jamie
Owner and founder
Jamie founded Gardenia in 1999 alongside his father, Andy. More than 25 years on, he focuses on the long-term direction of the business, supporting the team and making sure Gardenia continues to evolve without losing the values it was built on.
With over 30 years in floristry, Jamie still loves the unpredictability of flowers - his favourite changes almost daily. No two stems are quite the same, and that daily discovery is a large part of what has kept the job interesting.
Alongside Gardenia, Jamie is a Board Director of the British Florist Association, contributing to industry conversations around sustainability, professional standards and the future of British floristry.
What he values most about Gardenia is the people - the team, the customers and the local community that has supported the business since 1999.
Iyata
Senior florist
Iyata joined Gardenia in 2018 and has over 10 years' experience in floristry, having trained and qualified at Plumpton College. Alongside beautiful flowers, she has a remarkable habit of solving whatever needs solving - from installations to printers - usually while chatting to half of Wimbledon Village.
As one of our senior team, Iyata also helps keep the day-to-day shop running smoothly.
Her favourite flower is lilac (Syringa). Its scent reminds her of Lignum Vitae, the national flower of Jamaica, where her dad is from.
Iyata's real strength is people. She loves getting to know our customers and creating flowers that feel personal to them - preferably, if she had her way, in plenty of purple.
Becky
Florist
Becky joined Gardenia as an apprentice and flew through her 21-month course, completing it in just 14 months. She has since become an important part of the day-to-day team, combining a brilliant creative eye with the sort of organisation every flower shop needs.
Becky has also taken on more responsibility in the running of the shop, while remaining one of the warmest faces to meet when you walk through the door.
Ask for a favourite flower and you won't get a short answer - dahlias, scabious, sweet peas and frilly lisianthus are all contenders, particularly when there is plenty of colour and texture.
She is a natural people person - she listens, she cares and she has a knack for making people feel welcome from the moment they arrive.
Tasha
Florist
Tasha joined Gardenia in February 2026, arriving just in time for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. With four years in floristry already behind her, she brought plenty of experience, energy and a natural eye for flowers - as well as being our undisputed first choice for reaching the highest vases.
Her favourites include orange French tulips, butterfly ranunculus, astrantia and wax flower - anything with a wild, garden-grown feel.
Tasha loves creating arrangements around an individual customer's style and occasion, and brings that same creative eye to our shop displays and seasonal windows. For her, the best part of Gardenia is the team - and the dogs, of course.
Dawn
Delivery driver
Dawn has been delighting doorsteps across south west London since Gardenia's early days. She originally worked with us as a florist before moving into deliveries, so she knows the flowers just as well as the roads.
Her favourites are peonies, calla lilies and anything in strong, deep colours.
Dawn loves the variety of the job and being involved in far more than simply driving the van. For her, Gardenia has kept the family roots it started with in 1999 - something she values as much as the flowers themselves.
Lucy (On maternity leave)
Head of Creative, Sales & Operations
Lucy's path to floristry is a little less traditional. Before Gardenia she worked as a digital project manager for large corporates, but wanted a more creative working life and made the move into flowers.
Lucy has been at the helm since 2018 and is central to the way Gardenia runs - leading the team, shaping our creative work and bringing a formidable level of organisation to weddings, events and the day-to-day business. She also makes an excellent cup of tea.
Choosing one favourite flower is impossible, so her shortlist is clematis, anemones, double tulips, ranunculus and nigella. She loves texture and bouquets that look as though they are still growing.
For Lucy, the best part of floristry is the meaning behind the flowers - helping someone show that they care. Her other speciality is organisation: a good list, a proper plan and making sure the team, our customers and our wedding couples are well looked after.
Anna (On maternity leave)
Senior florist
Anna joined Gardenia in April 2024 with more than 10 years' experience in floristry. She quickly became known for beautiful bouquets, homemade focaccia, excellent impressions and making friends with almost every dog in Wimbledon Village.
Her favourite flowers are sweet peas - delicate, beautiful and, most importantly, wonderfully scented.
Anna is a true all-rounder who loves colour and texture, unusual requests and bringing a wedding couple's ideas to life. What she values most is working with a team who care about their craft, each other and doing a lovely job for every customer.
