Finally the days (& nights) have reached steady temperatures  encouraging the plants to grow faster. Though flowers may start blooming later, they don't necessarily continue for longer. Many are going to put on a fabulous show in the coming weeks as they race to catch up.

  And they're growing very fast - yesterday afternoon I planted out 30 mini-Gladioli (I plant them in batches as I don't need many at once.) Given a splash of water at bedtime, this morning 4 have popped up shoots already! Lupins are the same - on Thursday I cut every stem ready for Friday Flower deliveries. This morning 25+ stems are passed the ideal cutting point. Never mind, all the more for the bees...

   So many firsts of the year for us this week - the first Sweet Peas, Cornflowers, Iris, Alstroemeria, a couple of Dahlias. Plus the Garden pinks are almost open in the polytunnel too. Most are in small numbers yet but will be going into the mix for this weeks bouquets. I made a strange bouquet in the first week of June - the last of the Tulips, Narcissi & the first Lupins, Alliums, Cornflowers, Geums & more from the field plus a few Leicestershire-grown Peonies. It was like one of those 'Old Master' paintings with an incredible mix of flowers not normally possible to see together ...only possible in 2021.

  We're finally planting out the Annuals - very late for us. Partly because I planned it - there were few weddings booked for June, usually one of the busiest months. It made sense to minimise the volume blooming then. And mostly because I'm behind with weeding, making new beds because of my broken arm. We're catching up & will have plenty of flowers for July, August & September when the number of weddings is high. I'm pretty much back to normal strength & intend to begin driving again this week. Ken will be relieved not to have to do all the deliveries!

  'No Mow May' was a thing this year & hopefully many will have given it a try as this can help pollinators to flourish. We stopped cutting large swathes of lawn 6 years ago & the results are exciting. There's simply too much grass 'lawn' here to mow when there's so much else to do. I use the term 'lawn' loosely - many wild flowers have appeared, including Orchids. We've added to the floral richness by adding small bulbs & seeding additional flowers such as Cowslips. Difficult to measure but I'm sure the populations of Hoverflies & Moths are increasing. I'm seeing Moths new to me so something is changing... Picture at bottom of the page to give you an idea of how it looked this morning.

  It's time to start sowing again for 2022 - the Biennials started this month will be strong plants to face winter. Honesty, Foxgloves & Sweet Williams are on my essentials list & all easy. If you haven't tried them before I recommend them as they're great for filling the floral 'Hungry Gap' in May when the bulbs have just about finished, & before the Hardy Annuals begin to flower.

  Our first cutting Peony of the season is opening this morning (a Coral Charm), way behind the main British crop - a beauty! They take a lot of space & I grow only about 20 plants. Never enough! Instead, I bring boxes of these direct from a grower in Leicestershire to add to our bouquets, weddings etc. this month.

  We're all watching the Pandemic situation closely again, of course. At the moment, we're planning to be take part in the Big Flower Farmers Weekend' again this year. We'll be open over the weekend of Friday 13th - Sunday 15th August. All visits will be pre-booked & booking will open online on 1st July. Further details here - a Booking link will be added when open.

  The Castle Douglas Farmers Market is on Sunday 20th June &  Kirkcudbright Farmers Market is on Sunday 27th June. I'll be bringing flowers to both, including some of those luscious Leicestershire-grown Peonies. If you would like to pre-order flowers to collect at the market, send an email.

  'Friday Flowers' are being delivered on Fridays (what a surprise!) plus 'Click & Collect' on Fridays & Saturdays.  Order online or by telephone 01644 420407. If you tried to order flowers between Thursday 3rd June & Thursday 10th June - our email service was down. No messages were delivered during this time - please resend if you wish to book funeral, wedding or bouquet deliveries.

   Now June is bursting out all over, be sure to take time enjoy these long, long days & remember to smell the Roses (plus the Sweet Peas, Pinks, herbs & more all around...
Jobs for the Cutting Garden in June;

• Plant out the Half Hardy plants (such as Dahlia & Cosmos) now the frosts are over.
• Keep cutting flowers to enjoy in your vases - otherwise you'll have to deadhead anyway. It stimulates many of them to produce more blooms - especially Cornflowers, Sweet Peas & Roses.
• There are gardens open to visitors again this month. It's a great opportunity to relax & to pick up ideas. Perhaps you'll discover a new plant or discover how another experienced gardener grows successfully in a 'difficult' spot in their garden. And of course there are often delicious teas, cake & plants for sale. Look at Scotlands Garden Scheme or  National Garden Scheme  for locations & timings.
• Sow seed of Biennial plants for next May & June - Honesty, Foxgloves, Sweet Williams are easy to grow
• Birds & Bees appreciate a bird bath of clean, fresh water in Summer as regular drinking & washing places dry up. Easy to do & a delight to watch them splash about in it..

   And the last word this month?
 
‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow''
Audrey Hepburn
Actress 1929 - 1993

Until next time, 
Rosie 
Galloway Flowers 

Your Flower Links for June;

• British Flowers Week 14th - 20th June shines a spotlight on British-grown blooms. Virtual events daily from leading florists plus access to last years events https://www.britishflowersweek.com/virtual-schedule-1
• Regular Flower Subscriptions - Changing with the seasons, every delivery is different & 100% grown in the British Isles, all year round

  These zesty coloured Ranunculus are getting into their stride this week, growing outside in the raised beds.
  Rather late to the Spring Garden Party (scheduled for early May) they're still welcome, adding a bold splash of colour amongst the softer June flowers.
  Added a real zing to some of the Friday Flowers bouquets delivered on Friday mixed with blues, whites & fresh greens.
  This little bunch though is destined for the kitchen table - just for me!