2026 Finalists - Foxglove Tree
We’re delighted to shine a spotlight on The Foxglove Tree, created by Clare Towers, who is a finalist in this year’s Gift of the Year Awards – Made in UK category. Clare’s beautifully tactile Botanical Cast Fragrance Diffusers, including her enchanting Dragonfly Range, are hand-cast from real British botanicals grown in her Lincolnshire garden, celebrating craft, nature and truly thoughtful gifting.
Company Name: The Foxglove Tree
Product(s) in the Finalist: Botanical Cast Fragrance Diffuser - Dragonfly Range
Congratulations on being a finalist! How does it feel to be recognised in this year’s Gift of the Year awards? The Gift of the Year feels like a really important part of The Foxglove Tree's journey providing recognition from the industry. This year, making the Made in UK final feels really special — everything I make is about capturing British botanicals by hand, casting real plants from my own garden into each piece, so being recognised specifically in the Made in UK category feels like a perfect fit.
Can you tell us a little about your brand and the inspiration behind your successful product? The Foxglove Tree started five years ago and has grown entirely from my love of botanicals and fragrance. I cast real plants — many grown in my own garden in rural Lincolnshire — into plaster to create fragrance diffusers that capture the beauty of British nature in a really permanent, tactile way. Each piece is a raised relief of the actual botanical, so you can see every detail of the leaf or flower. Everything is made and hand-finished by me.
The Dragonfly Range came from that same place — I wanted to celebrate the quiet magic of a British summer garden. Dragonflies feel really special to me, fleeting and beautiful, and the four designs in the range capture that perfectly.
What makes your product special, and why do you think it stood out to the judges? Each design starts with me creating an original master cast from real British botanicals, which I then make moulds from. Every piece is individually poured and hand-finished by me, so while the designs are consistent, each one still has that handmade quality — no two are ever completely identical. It's genuinely made by hand, in small batches, in rural Lincolnshire.
I think what stood out is that combination of real craft and giftability. They're not just decorative — they're functional, beautifully scented, and made here in the UK from real British botanicals. In a market full of mass-produced home fragrance, something genuinely handmade still makes people stop and look twice.
Who is your product designed for, and what kind of reaction have you had from customers so far? My products tend to appeal to people who love nature, appreciate craft, and want to give something that feels really considered rather than just grabbed off a shelf. We stock in over 180 independent retailers across the UK, including National Trust locations, and the response has always been really warm.
The Dragonfly Range in particular seems to make people smile the moment they pick one up — dragonflies seem to add a little touch of magic and whimsy that connects people to the English garden. Customers love that they're holding something made by hand from real British botanicals
What trends or themes do you think are shaping the gifting industry right now? People really want to know the story behind what they're buying — where it came from, who made it, whether it was made with care. The appetite for genuinely handmade, Made in UK products feels stronger than ever, and I think that's only going in one direction.
There's also a real connection happening between gifting and the natural world — botanicals, slow living, things that feel grounded and real. People are moving away from novelty towards meaning, and a gift that's been hand-cast from real British plants and made by one person in a Lincolnshire garden tells a story that resonates with that.
How has being shortlisted, and nowbeing a finalist impacted your brand so far, and what do you hope to achieve from the awards? Three years of finals in Home Fragrance has definitely helped — it's something I mention when I'm talking to new stockists, and it carries real weight with independent retailers who know the awards. Making the Made in UK final this year feels like a lovely new direction too — capturing UK botanicals by hand is really at the core of everything I do, so having that recognised feels very fitting.
What exciting plans do you have for the future? I'm back at Home & Gift in Harrogate in July, which I always love, and I'm also doing Top Drawer this autumn for the first time — it feels like a really exciting new direction. Beyond that, I'll keep doing what I love — developing new designs, casting new botanicals, and growing the range of fragrances. There's always something new coming out of the garden!
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received (or given), and why? Seeds and cuttings from friends and neighbours, without a doubt. There's something really generous about sharing something living from your own garden — and those plants have ended up growing in mine, and some of them have ended up cast into my diffusers. That feels like a really lovely full circle.
Find out more at https://thefoxglovetree.co.uk/
