Have you noticed? There's a quiet but ever growing revolution happening . . . British grown cut flowers are back in fashion!
When I was small, my world was filled with buckets of flowers – my grand-parents grew flowers commercially, my Grandma dis-budded carnations for other growers and grew Sweet-Williams on her allotment, the whole village seemed to be surrounded by fields of flowers! During the 1980s and 90s the flower fields disappeared and British cut flower growers almost disappeared.
So when I discovered (via Twitter) more and more cut-flower growers popping up across the country, my cut-flower genes woke-up – I felt the need to grow flowers to fill a bucket!
Some of you already know flower grower and seed peddlar Ben aka Mr Higgledy Garden – his first flower patch was a short distance from our garden, one day he and his talented assistant visited me shortly before Ben relocated to flower fields new in Cornwall; and I can tell you that Ben is as
You don't have to wait until next spring to start sowing your flower seeds, there are flowers that do best if sown the previous autumn.
In the Flowery Revolution there aren't any rules – annuals, biennials, perennials, weeds and vegetables gone to seed – if the flowers are pretty enough for a posy then use them!
My bucket of flowers includes:
Sweet Peas: 'King's High Scent' and 'Beaujolais' - seeds from King's Seeds)
Ammi Majus and Cornflower 'Black Ball' - seeds from Higgledy Garden
Astrantia major, Alchemilla Mollis, Lychnis chalcedonica, Anthemis 'E C Buxton' – all perennials growing in our garden
Ox-Eye Daisies, Linaria (self-seeded 'weeds') and Scorzonera (a root veg that keeps resurrecting!) all flowering in the vegetable garden
If you buy flowers from a florist, ask for British Grown flowers.
Look out for a local flower farmer near you (many of them or on Twitter #britishflowers).
Or grow you own.
And be happy!
Celia
xx
Very inspiring Celia!! I hope to be up to speed with gardening one day, but mine suffers for all the other things going on in my life, but if I keep coming back to your blog I'm sure to pick up the right hints and eventually too your enthusiasm will rub off on me! :-) BB
ReplyDeleteI've realised that gardening is the one thing that always floats to the top of my priority list - I think I am more of a gardener than an artist.
DeleteGood morning Ceilia, what a beautiful bouquet of flowers! Flowers make life happy and they always make me smile. When I saw your first photo that's what it did, it made me grin from ear to ear on this very grey New England day!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I pleased to have sent you a little of our glorious summer days.
DeleteA lovely post, Celia, so pretty and inspiring. But - I can't bring myself to cut anything other than my very floriferous Roses.
ReplyDeleteLots of flowers thrive if you cut a little and often. I leave plenty in the garden for the insects to enjoy.
DeleteI too love cut garden flowers, and also grow them for that purpose. Have you discovered a way to shake the bees off of the flowers so that the blooms are safe to cut and bring indoors? Without shaking the bees onto bare feet and getting stung? (Does this sound like I'm speaking from experience?
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet had that experience, but I usually cut flowers early in the morning before it gets warm so there are very few bees about.
DeleteI grew flowers for several years for my son's greengrocer shop. I have to say, the picking and bunching took ages and it was a daily commitment as summer flowers don't last long. They were lovely, though.
ReplyDeleteSome are short lived, that's true, but others will last 5-7 days. I have great respect for my grandparents bunching and packing flowers day after day all through the summer.
DeleteNow Celia, this is such an interesting post. I've realized from my varied reading of UK posts, that cut flowers are beautiful and varied, but until reading what you've written here, I never realized that history is sort of now reinventing itself.
ReplyDeleteThank you for again opening my eyes. xo
I wish I could send a bunch over to NY for you, I sure you would enjoy the scent of the sweet peas.
DeleteAs always a lovely post. After reading I wandered over to Higgledy Garden and was so inspired by you both I ordered 'The Complete Cut Flower Garden Seed Collection 2014!'
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait for them to arrive. So thank you for putting the link on your blog.
Aha! You've been snared by Mr Higgledy and his flowery trap! Enjoy growing them, even just a few plants can give endless pleasure and lots and lots of flowers.
DeleteI loved reading this post Celia and one of your responses saying you think you are more of a gardener than an artist. Not true! You are so patently both at the same time, each skill complementing the other. We have a Spring and a late summer garden here so you have more blooms than us at the moment but I will scout around tomorrow and see what I can come up with. Sadly I don't have a handy bucket but I'll make up a jug full!
ReplyDeleteLovely flowers Celia, you're obviously a talented gardener and artist, the two go well together. I have a jug of flowers and herbs on the table in my studio and am met in the morning by the gorgeous smells.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful that home grown flowers are fashionable ... long may it continue!
ReplyDeleteThese are just glorious, the flower show looks fantastic, I'd love to go one day! :) x
ReplyDelete