Everybody loves a freebie...
And I was delighted to be given this Eryngium seed head. It's from the garden of one of my regular subscription customers (a skilled & knowledgeable gardener). She gave it to me when I was delivering her flowers. It might look a bit scruffy - but It's full of lovely fresh seed! It's a good time of year to sow seed of perennial flowers - after all, that's exactly what Mother Nature is doing. I've sown the seed in a tray. (Simply scattered on compost mixed with vermiculite, popped into a quiet corner of the cold frame. No heat needed, just need patience.) I'm not sure which variety it is - possibly Eryngium 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'. Those spikes are vicious! Fingers crossed they germinate well & I'll have a nice patch of plants on the way. Hopefully soon I'll be cutting plenty of stems of it.
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Late September Bridal Bouquet for Cosmo, to carry on her elopement wedding day in Galloway last year...
Rich, moody coloured Dahlias & Rudbeckia combined with dark,plummy grasses & foliage. Plus a dash of fresh scent from late Roses, Honeysuckle & Marjoram. All grown here at the Flower Farm for lowest possible flower miles. And finally, I added dark, mossy green ribbons to finish the Autumnal look. The colours of the Hydrangeas seem to be particularly lovely this year.
These run from deep plum through bright pinks, to teal, soft blues & lighter greens. Two flower heads joined linked on one stem, on the same bush. I've no idea what variety it is. It grows unnoticed for most of the year in a shady, weedy corner, & to be honest it's a rather shabby little bush. And then it does this colour change! Like Cinderella going to the ball, several stems have appeared in wedding bouquets this month. Such a useful flower to link other colour flowers together in a bouquet, vase or wreath. It's roots are deep under paving so it would be difficult to move without damage. But I'm going to have a go at rooting some cuttings. A row of these growing in a better spot would be a thing of beauty & a Florists delight in Autumn... I need more Hydrangeas in my life. Last weeks Frosts have finished the tender flowers such as the Dahlias & Cosmos outside. There are still flowers, but a much reduced selection. It brings our 9th growing season here to a close. To be honest, it's not the prettiest sight just now!
So it's time to pull those plants out, refresh the beds with lovely home-made compost & replant ready for next years flowers. For a Flower Farmer, this is one of the busiest seasons & a dry day like this precious. All the debris (such as the Cosmos in the barrow) will be shredded, added to the heaps & form the basis of the next batch of Compost. And of course, that means the nutrients are retained in the soil to make future flowers. Round it goes again... In the May sunshine, here's Faye with her Bridesmaids.
An exceptionally pretty wedding at Parton, on the shore of Loch Ken, Dumfries & Galloway. The bouquets were full of our locally grown Spring flowers - our speciality Tulips, Sweet Rocket, Aquilegia, Ranunculus & Cornish Alstroemeria. Thank you, Faye for allowing me to share the photo here. And of course thank you to Photographer Duncan Ireland for capturing the moment so beautifully. As large boxes of bulbs begin arriving here this month, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Where & when will I plant them all? Have I invested in the 'right' colours for next years weddings? I'm finding it motivating to remember the special occasions where they went this year! The Calendar for arranging our locally grown flowers at weddings in Wedding Flowers2025 & 2026 is open now. More information can be found by following the links from the wedding pages Cut earlier in the day, & ready for the 'Friday Flowers' bouquets...
Acidanthera Murielae are among the easiest flowers to grow for cutting in September, unbothered by frosts & among my Autumn favourites. A sweet scent to stop you in your tracks as it wafts around the garden or as you walk into a room. They last well in a vase too as a succession of buds opens up the stem. The bulbs are inexpensive & I plant them in batches from late May to early July to give a succession of blooms. They're a 'one hit wonder' though & don't flower again the following year. Join me for the 'Cut Flowers From Your Garden' workshop at the Flower Farm to discover how to grow more blooms in your own Cutting Patch. Details can be found here Scanning my recent posts, it looks as if I grew only 'Autumn coloured' flowers this year!
The rusty coppers, peaches & golds have dominated flowers posted - probably because I've felt so cold & Autumnal since early August... In reality, the flowers I actually grew, cut & arranged for weddings has been very different. It's time to catch up on photo's from this Summers weddings. So to begin, here's Deborah's bouquet for her wedding at Gretna Green from early September. This quick snap was taken before making final tweaks & adding the ribbons. (Flowers in bouquets always seem to move a bit overnight as they settle so I find this check helpful) No Autumn shades in sight here - just plenty of soft pinky-purples, lavender & lashings of white froth. I included Dahlias, Daisies, Phlox, Cosmos, Scabious & Nigella. 100% grown in Scotland, for a low carbon footprint. More information on our wedding packages can be found here Giant Dahlias are rather a divisive topic, aren't they? And they're especially huge this year as heavy August rain has produced whoppers like this!
I don't grow many as to be honest, they aren't as easy to use in an arrangement. They produce fewer flowers each season, albeit huge ones. Vase life is shorter then many varieties too. But this variety is rather fun (imho) & always makes my list. I love the subtle tones that develop from tawny gold to deep raspberry as the flower matures. I use almost every stem as it blends so well with Autumn themes & they always get a second look at events. These went to an Auchen Castle wedding this week & most were included in the main ceremony area arrangement. These few remained in the bucket when I had finished. Too special to throw on the compost heap yet though. The resourceful staff found an extra large vase & arranged them so they could be enjoyed in the entrance hall. Maybe I should have put the classic baked bean tin by the side to give a scale of their huge size! Farewell flowers as individual as the person remembered...
I made this colourful wreath for an August Funeral. Asked to make it 'Gentlemanly', for a creator of a beautiful garden over many years. Knowing his garden was his passion, I chose foliage, late Summer flowers & seedheads all grown here in Galloway for the lowest possible carbon footprint. No plastic, no floral foam (made from oil), just natural materials. When you need to find a florist in the UK who will make individual, natural & plastic-free farewell flowers for the special people you love, visit www.FarewellFlowers.co.uk Saturday leftovers...
After arranging wedding flowers in bright sunshine (such luxury!) these few stems were last in the bucket, looking a bit tired & floppy. Back home, I recut the stems & popped them into cool water. Magically, they soon revived. A quick burst of mindful flower plonking into a favourite old jug revived me too after an early start. (A quantity of strong coffee helped too...) Not good enough for the party, but good enough to grace my kitchen this weekend. Possibly my new favourite Dahlia this year...'Negroni Sunset'
First few blooms opened last week & now being tested for vase life in the kitchen. What do you think? A keeper to grow more of? You'll not often catch a photo of me on here - I prefer my flowers to take the limelight.
Super-talented Photographer Duncan Ireland captured this moment in May when I delivered the bridal bouquet on Faye's special day. (Thank you Duncan for permission to share your photo) Now let me tell you about the flowers... 100% grown by myself at the Flower Farm, about 4 miles as the crow flies from the venue on Loch Ken. Early May loveliness including flouncy Peony Tulips, Ranunculus, scented Hesperis & dainty Aquilegia dancing above the rest. A Summers day at Urr Parish Church, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway - a lovely setting for a country wedding.
The dainty, meadowy flowers of late Summer including sweetly scented Sweet Peas, Honeysuckle & Acidanthera. Every single stem grown & cut by us at the Flower Farm a few miles away. Then arranged naturally in a reusable glass vase with water for a low carbon footprint. When the flowers fade, they can safely be added to the compost heap. The vase will be washed & stored ready for next time. What could be simpler & more sustainable than that? Emma LOVES pink...
The brief for her May wedding bouquet was 'pink, pink & more pink!' So I selected a mix of deep pink Peonies, pink Aquilegia, pinky hued acer leaves & some lacy Orlaya as the key flowers in her bouquet. Emma brought her own choice of velvet ribbon to add & it turned out to be just the perfect colour. Couples come from all over the World to marry at Gretna Green. Emma, Dan & their young family made a road trip out of the occasion. Travelling all the way to me in their camper van to collect flowers, & then on to Gretna for their special ceremony. Thank you Emma & Dan for sharing the lovely photo - it was a pleasure to work with a real flower enthusiast! Photo credit www.roseandjulien.com Some of my favourite flowers are in this romantic wedding bouquet from last September. Peachy Dahlias, Soft pink Roses, Daisies & a few stems of beautifully scented Honeysuckle. A few stems of Gypsophila from Lincolnshire (by September I had cut all mine), every other stem grown here in Galloway by myself.
As our flowers are grown naturally, availability of specific varieties changes as we move through the flower season. No two weddings are ever exactly the same as I cut the best flowers available to your wedding colour theme. And our Bride Megan told me; 'thank you - the flowers just made the day and all the photos so perfect! They were really beautiful and just the right colours for the late summers day we had. Thanks so much for all the thought you put into creating the perfect bouquets!' If you're looking for memorable flowers for your wedding in Dumfries & Galloway, let's talk soon. The scent of Garden Roses... What could be more Summery than that?
This is a favourite 'Ispahan' - recommended to me years ago by a Lady who bought my Flowers when I took them to Loch Arthur Farm Shop on Fridays. So grateful for the recommendation. It's a good 'un. Prolific flowers for a few weeks, the true Rose scent is one of the best. It earns it's spot in any garden I create from now on... Country flowers for a Country wedding...
In early July, Fergus & Myumi married at Balmaghie Kirk, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway. This is such a pretty Kirk, surrounded by stunning views across Loch Ken & surrounding countryside. A beautiful backdrop for wedding photo's. The Bridal bouquet was possibly the most scented I can remember making. Soft peachy pink Garden Roses & Sweet Peas, with delicate Daisies & Nigella. Just very light & airy as Myumi is petite. At the door, two large flower arrangements stood tall & inside the Kirk, boxes of Summer flowers welcomed guests to their seats. Again, deliciously scented Garden Roses & Sweet Peas plus plenty of Daisies & 'froth' from the Flower Farm in Summer. And of course, all grown sustainably here in Scotland for minimal 'flower miles'. Arranged without floral foam or plastics. It wasn't a long commute to work for me - just to the other side of Loch Ken! Balmaghie Kirk is available for hire for weddings,funerals, christenings/naming ceremonies of any denomination. For more information, visit the Balmaghie Kirk website Here's a gorgeous confetti shot of Rosie & Gregor at their wedding at Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries in early July. The bright bouquet flowers (all grown here at the Flower Farm) really pop in the sunshine. It included our garden Roses, Honeysuckle & Sweet Peas for scent. Congratulations to both & thank you for sharing the photo. Photo credit Nicola Hunter. Rosie ordered a 'Bloom Bucket' of our mixed Summer flowers, collected the day before the wedding. Family members arranged the flowers to decorate the wedding venue.
Natural Farewell Flowers... Close up detail of a handmade Heart Wreath made in early July from lichen-covered twigs. Simply trimmed with Lavender from a family garden, plus Thistles, Rambling Roses & foliage grown here in Galloway. As individual as the Gentleman remembered, a lover of the wildlife who shared his world. This design is suitable for natural burial sites as it's 100% compostable, without any plastic, floral foam or wire. Below are photo's of 2 small Posies made for other Family members to lay on the coffin. The cream Posy included the garden Lavender also. Both are completely compostable except for the small length of blue ribbon. After the Funeral, the Family sent this kind message; The arrangements and designs using the wicker frameworks, the posies with the hessian and simple, but so in keeping, luggage labels were just perfect and all reflected his personality of keeping things as natural and kind to the environment as possible. It was also so lovely to know the flowers were grown near where he used to live. I just wanted to say how very pleased we all were with them. Sometimes small IS beautiful.
Petite Posy of late June flowers grown here at the Flower Farm. Tiny yet packed with the heady scents of the season. This year I grew this lovely Sweet Pea 'Kings Ransom' again but in the warmer end of the Tunnel. They seem to like that little bit of extra mollycoddling, especially given the cold night temperatures this week.
A gorgeous soft shade but sadly, no scent that I can detect. Maybe my sense of smell is being bamboozled by all the other varieties in the tunnel? It still makes my growing list though, I just mix it in with more scented ones in a bouquet. After the funeral, this pretty basket of Spring flowers was easily divided into 8 individual Posies for Friends to take home to enjoy,
The little Viola plugs were taken away too, to plant out in the family garden. A lovely way to remember & celebrate the life of a Lady who enjoyed gardening. She loved the 'Flower Fairy' books by Cicely Mary Barker & reading them to her Children. Her Family asked me to include some of the 'Flower Fairy' stars in season that week among her funeral flowers. So with this as inspiration, I included flowers for the Heather, Stitchwort, Bluebell, Daffodil, Lady's Smock, Heart's Ease, Cowslip, Snowdrop, Willow Catkin & Forget Me Not Fairies. One or two were garden varieties (6 types of mini Daffodil for example & a fancy Snowdrop) so I used artistic licence a little... Still surprising how many 'Fairies' could be found once I began to look around the flower field & garden. Everything grown here in Galloway. And of course, the basket could be reused & no plastic, cellophane or floral foam was used to make the design. Phlomis Russeliana.
Or as it's better known here 'Poodle Tails'. It just reminds me of those fancy groomed French Poodles. I need easy to remember names for flowers as sometimes latin names can be tricky... Whatever you call it, it's still a cracking cut flower.
Just because they're common, doesn't mean they're a weed...
These Purple Foxgloves are perfect for a splash of bold colour & height to a big arrangement, such as a milk churn outside a church. Perfect for a wild, country look. At their best here in June & then shoot short stems in coming months. Self seeded along the bed edges, they love the improved soil & sunshine, growing tall, full flowered & strong. The bees adore them too. The white & apricot varieties do well here too but most of them have been cut now (though shorter stems will appear on them in coming weeks). But seriously, how many layers am I wearing? This picture taken in early June shows me wrapped up in thermals & thick socks as the wind had such a cold edge. Says everything about the Summer of 2024 in Scotland! |
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. Archives
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