XLWeekly. Already as a child, she sold her mother the lettuce and tomatoes that you planted in a small garden.
Leticia Rodríguez de la Fuente. Yeah [ríe]I always had a very Phoenician vein.
I am a sewer rat, very artistic and creative, but also very businesslike; If not, I don’t have fun.
XL. Ten years ago he set up a flower stall in the Antón Martín market, in an old fish shop whose owner turned out to be called Félix Rodríguez.
LRF Yes, and I’m sure that was a sign my father sent me. [Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente]. Before, I went to study in England with the best florists: what was done in Spain seemed very retrograde to me.
«I had a lover who looked like the King of England and we called him Charles de la Alcarria»
XL. He says the cut flowers sold here smell like a graveyard.
LRF Because I work with organic flower from sustainable cultivation, which has nothing to do with flower from the industrial market. Mine have a soul, they are imperfect, their colors are not flat, nor are their stems straight.
XL. Later he bought a clayey stony ground in the valley of the Ungría river (Guadalajara) and made a flowery garden out of it with his hands.
LRF I did it, in principle, to supply myself; but as my involvement with the farm grew, I closed the market stall and chose to forget about the business part.
XL. Hey, don’t be ruined this year because the drought is wreaking havoc.
LRF I live from a temporary rental company that I founded 25 years ago (Lets Room) and that is now on its own. My flower sales are very limited and I only aspire to cover expenses. And I am very lucky that I have plenty of water, which I channel in free fall.
XL. And he tells all this in his book: he gives a thousand keys to creating a sustainable garden.
LRF Yes, on my farm there are no non-organic pesticides or fertilizers. I teach you how to defend yourself against pests, how to prepare the soil, how to make your own compost…
XL. Do they give you flowers?
LRF Don’t dare, I’m a stickler: there’s nothing that scares me more than the typical baroque bouquet and stuffed with perfect flowers from Holland… It’s an insult that they give me that. Phew! I’m going to seem like an insufferable snob [risas].
XL. Hey, as British as you claim to be, you’ll like King Charles III’s gardening vein.
LRF It captivates me! I don’t want to die without knowing him. Besides, I find him charming and very attractive.
XL. Very attractive? swear it! [risas].
LRF I find it super attractive, yes [ríe]. I had a lover who looked like him and we called him Charles de la Alcarria, hahaha! Look how big I am!
intermittent fasting
«In the morning I only have a coffee, lying on my wrought iron bed to watch the sun rise in the area of the fruit trees. I don’t take anything else until noon.”
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.