 Everything has it's season...
And our season of fresh Galloway-grown flowers is almost at an end. So on the really wet days & longer evenings, I make wreaths & other arrangements to bring colour into homes, using my stash of dried flowers & grasses. All materials were carefully dried by myself on warmer days. To commission a unique, handmade Hoop or other arrangement for your home or as a gift, send a message. For an extra special touch, wreaths can be made in a colour scheme of your choice, while my stocks last. Local delivery, collection or by post across the UK.
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 Looking at my recent posts, it looks a bit like all I grow are Dahlias... And of course, it's not true at all! I do grow a LOT of Dahlias, but it takes much more to make an interesting, botanically-inspired bouquet or arrangement. This Wreath made last week for a funeral contains several varieties of pale pink Dahlias plus Nerines, Sedum, Michaelmas Daisies, the last few stems of Astrantia, wisps of silvery Honesty seedheads. The flowers are slowing down, becoming less predictable from week to week. But still treasures can be found when I walk among the beds. The Wreath was made without any plastics or floral foam, as always here.   Irresistible...
Indulging my 'Inner Child', a bowlful of these silky skinned Conkers. My kitchen window sill looks more like the school nature table by the day!  'Of course I know all their names' I say.
And I do, honestly - it's easy while Dahlias have such an array of flowers. Many colours, shapes & sizes, all easy(ish) to identify. But soon the frost will come & I'll cut the wet, blackened stems down to the ground. Not so easy to be 100% sure which muddy tuber is which when dug up & prepared for storage. I spent a quiet hour yesterday among the Dahlias, checking every plant still has a clearly written label. I replaced any missing ones. A real 'stitch in time' job. If you have a growing collection of Dahlias, you'll be glad you took time for this next Spring.  Bookings are well underway for our 'Make A Christmas Wreath' workshops.
Small, friendly groups, with all the materials necessary to make a natural. floral foam free wreath for your door.
Book online Here  Autumn weddings are among my favourites this year!
All the beautful, varied Dahlias in glowing colours plus such a choice of 'twiddly bits' to make every bridal bouquet unique. 'Twiddly Bits' is, of course a technical Flower Farmers term, referring to all those little details such as grasses, seed heads, pods. I love the way these add texture & a bit of swish to a bouquet. We grow Dahlias in many, many colours not just this glowing selection. The first bloom in late July & they're at their plentiful best from August to early October. 100% of this bouquet (made for Lindsay a couple of weeks ago) was grown by us, here at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas. If you're a Bride-to-Be in 2023, love Dahlias & 'twiddly bits' too, would you like me to create a special bouquet for you? Do get in touch soon about availability on your chosen date.  Autumn is definitely here now, no longed for 'Indian Summer' for us this year. We protected Dahlias on several nights with fleece & they survived light frost. But our 7th (can you believe it?) season of growing flowers here has come to an end, our last wedding scheduled for the year delivered on Friday. So now, we'll stop the protection & let Jack Frost win.
Last year, the mild Autumn allowed the Dahlias to bloom into November.It put us under great pressure to lift them when the soil was cold & wet, not ideal for storage. Also, it left little time to prepare for Christmas wreathing - even the dried flowers were barely used, still in boxes in the spare bedroom! So while always sad to see my much-loved Dahlias go, I've learned the lesson.... There are still flowers of course - plenty of Nerines, Hesperantha, Dahlias, Michaelmas Daisies & grasses. I'll cut & use them in bouquets etc. while I can. Just not enough to fill the 'Bloom Buckets' of flowers we've supplied over the year to those wanting to arrange flowers themselves. 'Friday Flowers' will continue this month - please give as much notice as you can of those upcoming birthdays, anniversaries etc to be sure I can supply. Often we think of Autumn as the end of the gardening year, time for 'putting the garden to bed'. For us though, it's very much the beginning of our 2023 season with so much to do. My desk is littered with post it note reminders... New plants to grow, some to grow more of, others to grow less off (sorry Lupins). And all those catalogues to flip through! So tell me, what are you planning to grow in your cutting patch in 2023 - I would love to know! Anything you love & recommend I try? Seeds sown last month are poppping up nicely & on their way for next years flowers in May & June. An email on Friday warns me the bulbs arrive this week - some to plant immediately, Tulips will wait until November to minimise the risk of 'Tulip Fire' a nasty viral disease. Many of last years Ranunculus & Anemones are popping up in the beds where I left them over Summer, reminding me to get more underway indoors. The big job of the month is dividing perennials to increase stock & maintain vigour. As dry Spring weather becomes a pattern, this is an October priority as they re-establish so much better while the soil is moist & warm. For us, this Autumn & Winter is about getting many of our delayed projects back on track. That means putting up the trellis bought 2 years ago for new climbers, revitalising many of the areas in the old nursery & continuing to plant foliage shrubs. And finishing off my workshop renovation, started in Springtime. I'm promised a new window pane (without a large hole) & we plan to repaint the walls. Woohoo! The workshop needs finishing as we'll be hosting Christmas Wreath Making workshops here at the Flower Farm this year - a deadline always helps doesn't it? Groups will be small so please don't delay if you're planning to book. The dates are;
Enjoy the glorious Autumn colours in the coming weeks & do make the most of any sunshine - it really is a beautiful time of year. KIck up the leaves like a five year old, collect conkers for your 'Nature Table' & fill your vases with glorious golden foliage & berries. Until next time, Rosie Galloway Flowers 'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow' Audrey Hepburn Jobs for the Cutting Garden in October;
 Dodging rainshowers last Wednesday to cut flowers for a wedding & for 'Friday Flowers' bouquets. Not ideal but as they say, 'No rain, No flowers'.
This little lot is drying off in the polytunnel now, ready to arrange tomorrow (the wedding is on Friday) Now just the whites & golden, Autumnal tones to cut. Will it stay dry for that? Unlikely! So if you ever wondered why my hair is so curly - now you know... More information on how to buy our locally grown flowers 'By the Bucket' for Weddings, Parties, Church flower Arranging etc, is here  A Floral Hair Comb for Emma, on her wedding day at Marthrown of Mabie, near Dumfries in July.
The Summer flowers on the comb (all grown here by us at the Flower Farm) echoed some of those in her Bridal Bouquet. I love making these intricate little details, always completely unique & shouting 'Special Occasion', just perfect for a wedding don't you think?  A Natural Funeral Wreath of freshly cut Summer flowers, made for a gentleman who loved his garden.
Flowers are gathered on a handmade willow hoop base & trimmed with natural hessian ribbon. All grown here at our Flower Farm, near Castle Douglas in Dumfries & Galloway. 100% compostable for the lowest possible carbon footprint. Definitely no floral foam or other plastics used to make this. It would be suitable for most Woodland Burial sites. When faced with choosing flowers for funeral or memorial services, it can be difficult to know what is available. Often a catalogue of standard designs (most using floral foam made from plastic) is presented at the Funeral Directors. We're encouraged to make a decision from the catalogue. But you can order flowers from any Florist you wish, or you could even arrange flowers yourself. You know better than anybody the right style for your loved one. If you prefer a natural, plastic-free alternative (such as the Wreath above), take a look at the website 'Flowers From The Farm'. You'll find listings of Flower Farmers thoughout the UK & many (like myself) arrange flowers in this way, locally to you. For natural Funeral Flowers in the Dumfries, Castle Douglas & Kirkcudbright area, there are examples on my website also Here. Flowers can be collected from the Flower Farm if you're further afield. Saying goodbye to a loved one doesn't need to cost the earth...  Dahlia 'Night Butterfly' Dahlia of the Day... 'Night Butterfly'
Deliciously dark, fluttery petals & loved by the bees.  Dahlia 'Babylon Bronze' Dahlia 'Babylon Bronze'
Big & blowsy, like wedding must-have Dahlia 'Cafe Au Lait' - but orange! Absolutely fabulous, in my humble opinion. What do you think?  Dahlia 'Stolz Von Berlin' Meet Dahlia 'Stolz Von Berlin'. This little sweetie measures just 9cms across, just perfect for popping into small posies & informal jugs of country-style flowers.
A very useful lilacy-pink too (if there's such a word). A very old variety (over 100 years since introduced) & still growing strong. |
AuthorRosie Gray of Galloway Flowers. Cut Flower Grower & Florist near Castle Douglas, in South West Scotland. Using 100% Flowers & Foliage grown in British Isles, all year round. 
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Growing Gorgeous Seasonal Cut Flowers & Foliage in Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
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Flower Farmer Florist Castle Douglas, Flower Farm Scotland, Wedding Flowers Castle Douglas, Florist Castle Douglas, Funeral Flowers Castle Douglas, Sympathy flowers Castle Douglas, wedding florist Dumfries & Galloway, Wedding florist Kirkcudbright, wedding florist Gatehouse of Fleet, natural funeral flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wild wedding flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wedding flowers Ayr, wedding flowers Ayrshire