Geranium Robertianum has an image problem. It is an invasive weed, and its unpleasant odour has caused it to acquire the undignified sobriquet ‘Stinking Bob’.

However I was drawn to the delicate tracery of deeply cut leaves springing up in every crack in the paving of my terrace - and identified it as the ideal solution to a very specific decorative purpose.

I set out to devise an alphabet inspired by the plant based designs of the Arts and Crafts movement: the wallpaper and fabric designs of William Morris, or the Ceramics of William de Morgan, but with a key difference. I set out to create a pattern of leaves, stems and flowers that could extend across the junctions between the letter panels seamlessly, and be different in every instance.

Each Stinking Bob leaf is is made up of five sections of different sizes, but all are structured almost identically.

This characteristic made it the ideal plant for my purpose, as leaves of a range of sizes and orientation could be situated at each point of connection, and any portion of the design could abut any other, creating the illusion of a continuous and organic veil of vegetation.

Thank you Stinking Bob!