Hi, I'm Rhi
The short version
I'm a photographer, a teacher and a herbalist in training, and Ichor & Bloom is where all the plant stuff lives.
It started as one shelf of jars and a windowsill full of cuttings. Now it's two shelves. And a drying tray. And a banjo in the corner, but that's another story.
Training to be a herbalist
I'm studying a four-year, accredited medical herbalist diploma. It's proper study ~ botany, plant medicine, clinical hours, the lot.
Until I qualify I don't diagnose or prescribe, and I'll always tell you when something's a job for your GP. My own research is on the forgotten herbs and trees of old Britain, the ones that fell out of the books.
The studio
When I'm not elbow-deep in herbs, I'm behind a camera. I've been a documentary photographer for six years, and I run a natural-light studio in an old cotton mill.
It's neurodivergent-led and built on one idea: you shouldn't have to perform to be seen. My walks work the same way ~ come as you are, and we'll go at your pace.
Where the gentle bit comes from
Before all this I worked in social services and trained in counselling. That's never really left me. It's why my walks are private and slow, and quiet if you want them to be.
Ethically grown
Plants I sell are grown here from my own mother plants or bought from UK growers I trust. Anything I forage is for my own shelf, never for sale.
And nothing leaves the house until the paperwork's done properly ~ which is why some of my favourite things are still sitting on the Coming Soon shelf.
Off the clock
You'll find me in old graveyards with a camera, wild camping somewhere with no signal, or learning the banjo next to my houseplants.
My mantra
Take only what you need. Leave the rest to bloom.
It started as a foraging rule. Never take more than a third of a patch, leave the best flowers for the bees, and leave enough for the plant to come back next year.
Somewhere along the way it turned into how I try to live too. Take the rest you need, the help you need, the space you need ~ and trust the rest of you to grow back.
Around the bench
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, on medication or living with a health condition, please check with your GP or pharmacist before using herbs ~ I'd always rather you asked.