March News From The Flower Farm

​As I look out of the window this morning, it doesn’t look much like Spring… Drifts of snow against the walls & the bitter ‘Beast from the East’ wind still roaring across the fields. It’s hard to know whether, or even if, the cold has done any lasting damage to the plants yet. Fingers crossed here...

  I think the new little polytunnel (just 6 metres X 3 metres) bought in January might be the best £120 I spend this year – we put it up last Sunday as a temporary extra propagating space to cover the dahlias & seedlings as they begin to grow. By Tuesday, Ken & I had packed it full of plants (including hardy annuals in pots waiting to be planted). We knew these could be lost by days of a hard freeze so tried to get as much as possible inside.  It remained surprisingly warm & cosy in there.

  But the days are getting longer now & I know by the end of this month the garden will again be giving me plenty of flowers to cut. Yesterday, I cut the first gorgeous, brilliant blue Anemone & there are plenty of buds on the plants now. The Ranunculus are behind but that just means they'll flower for longer!

  By the end of the month, there’ll be Hyacinths, Hellebores, Pussy Willow, Narcissi, Tulips & more to add into our posies & bouquets. Last year, we were able to make our first 100% ‘Galloway Grown’ bouquets by the end of March – hopefully we’ll not be too far behind. Until then the Scented Narcissi from the Scilly Isles are excellent quality & firm favourites in bouquets.

  But despite the weather, there’s plenty to do indoors – maybe the weather has even helped me get around to the jobs I put off like tidying the workshop & cleaning the greenhouse glass. Seed sowing has started – just the Hardy Annuals for now, I’ll begin on the Half-Hardy Annuals like Cosmos later in the month. One of the secrets to growing seedlings well is to resist sowing too many at once. Then I have time & space to prick them out at the right time to keep them growing strongly.

  Unfortunately, the Fairtrade ‘Big Brew’ event scheduled for 3rd March was cancelled because of the snow. It’s been rescheduled for Saturday 17th March in Dunscore & we’’l be taking along some early Spring Flowers. We’ll be at Kirkcudbright Farmers Market on Sunday 25th March too. 

  On a day like today it seems as if Winter will never release its icy grip this year, but Spring really is just around the corner. Soon there’ll be plenty of flowers to fill your vases…

Until next time,
Rosie Gray
Galloway Flowers

​Jobs for the Cutting Garden in March

• Sow Hardy Annual seedlings this month, either under cover or later in the month, outside. Nigella, Cornflowers, Calendula & Clarkia are tried & tested favourites to supply you with masses of stems to cut
• As the Snowdrop & Aconite flowers fade, it’s a good time to dig up & divide the clumps if they’re becoming large. Replant in small bundles. Over the next few years they’ll bulk up to create a lovely carpet of flowers in February
• Perennial plants such as Astrantia, Delphiniums & Lupins benefit from being divided every few years – it keeps them healthy & flowering well. Cut the original plant into pieces. Replant what you need & give away any spares to friends. It’s a great way to boost the variety in your garden with swaps!
• Pot up your dahlia tubers & place in a space protected from frost. Some of the large flowered varieties need an early start or they only begin blooming in September. Dahlia are great value plants – prolific stems to cut in a wide range of colours & shapes. They grow surprisingly well in pots too
• It’s a good time to plant Freesias – they do well in pots. Plant a few each month to keep a succession of these deliciously perfumed blooms coming
• Plant out in the garden any forced bulbs from indoors after flowering finishes such as Hyacinths & Narcissi.    
• Trim back Hydrangeas before new growth appears – as a guide trim to about a third of last seasons growth
• And for some flowery inspiration, here's a Link to a beautiful June Wedding in 2017. The prettiest white, green & touch of pink colour scheme - simply lovely!