January 2026 News from Galloway Flowers

 January is the time for quiet strolls around the cutting beds with my notebook & a dog, noting actions required. Gaps to fill, plants to divide or move, repairs, plans...
  Still a long time until anything I could call 'Spring', yet I've felt a subtle shift this week. A couple of afternoons working without a jacket, listening to birds singing about territory already & noticeably a little more light in the evenings. Best of all, I can see flowery changes too. Wiggling Catkins on a sunny bank, buds swelling on Roses & Honeysuckle, Daffodils & Snowdrops pushing up from nowhere overnight. 
  And so the promise of a year full of flowers here begin again... I'm re-energised after the long Christmas break, impatient to get my hands in the soil again. And of course, cut even more flowers this year! There are always lessons learned, new ideas to try & new beauty to create.
 
  It's our 11th season growing cut flowers here & it's time for consolidation & a refresh. We use about an acre for flowers (including greenhouses, tunnels, compost corner etc.) That's about capacity for us to manage.The weeds become unmanageable incredibly fast in Galloway rain if we turn our backs! So I'm concentrating on using space better, more productively. It's always better to continue producing quality rather than more quantity.

  Some flowers, while I might love them, produce few stems or are less in demand, compared to others. So my 'Dump, Grow More, Grow the Same' list is probably the most important. For example, Dahlias - some varieties pump out masses of fabulous flowers, others make you grateful for a paltry few delivered late in the season, sneaking in just before the frosts. (Cafe Au Lait I'm looking straight at you, despite your glamour...) The flower business is led by fashion & fickle. Colours & styles change, floral designers are always looking for something new to make their designs stand out. So some of my old favourites are on the move to my private garden to make way for more bestsellers. (But I daresay, many will be back when fashion shifts again!)

  This is the month of imagining, tucked up beneath a patchwork quilt by the wood burner, scrolling plant & seed catalogues. I've declared my Dahlia & seed shopping done a couple of times now, only to find 'just one more'' is indispensable. And then I'm on to the planning. Consultations with wedding couples drive much of my choices. What will flower when, sowing & planting schedules to keep flowers coming, & critically, how do I fit it all in!

   Last year, flowers were typically 2-3 weeks ahead of 2024 blooming dates. It was difficult to predict with certainty exactly what would be in flower when. I knew there would always be something lovely in colour schemes as we grow so many varieties. Climate change is very real & beginning to impact us here faster than we could have predicted 10 years ago.

  I'm itching to rip open the seed packets & get started. Despite the advice of many so called experts on social media, I'll wait until the Equinox when light levels are increased. Seed sown now will likely rot in damp cold soil as germination without heat is slow. Or if it germinates, the results will be straggly thin light starved seedlings quickly overtaken by seed sown next month. Only exceptions to the 'no sow' rule for me are more Sweet Peas, Antirrhinum & Chillies at the end of the month. A couple of Perennials needing freezing weather to get them going will go in too. Unless you have grow lights & a heated greenhouse, I advise patience.

  Tulip bulbs became very expensive last year (wholesale bulbs roughly 30% up) so I reduced the number grown. To fill the gap, I've increased the number of Ranunculus, Anemones & Poppies for the early May - early June period. Mice protection in force as they love them. All are being kept in the cool tunnel, on a table the mice (so far) haven't scaled.
  
  This is a busy month for wedding bookings so if you know a couple planning to tie the knot, feel free to point them at my Wedding Pages  on my website. The most popular Summer dates book quickly & I take on only a few wedding dates each week. We offer options to suit all budgets - from full service, bespoke occasions to 'bloom buckets' of mixed flowers for DIY Weddings. Most popular choices are somewhere in between. Couples choose their package of bouquets & buttonholes to be made up by myself, & order buckets of flowers to decorate the venue tables etc.
 
 What Can I Cut in January?
  This month, we must seek out the treats - often our nose finds them! The scented shrubs are wafting perfume about on calmer days & many are good for a vase. Just a few stems of lemony Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera Frangrantissima) transformed an arrangement I made yesterday. The Customer noticed it immediately.
  I've been cutting colourful Willow, Cornus, Garrya, Hazel & Alder Catkins, even Pussy Willow this week.
  Look under Shrubs too, a few Hellebore, Snowdrops, Cyclamen & Aconites are peeping through. Just a few short weeks & these will carpeting the ground. The easily missed details are precious to cut just now. Perhaps a few Cyclamen or Heuchera leaves, Violas from a pot outside, the gorgeous scented Narcissi from the Isles of Scilly. I've a line of egg cup sized bud vases along the kitchen shelf with these tiny treasures!
  I'm sure garden centres have Hyacinth & Narcissi bulbs to pot up in your own bowls for a deliciously scented  'pick me up' in the house.

Upcoming Events 2026
  We'll be hosting Flower Workshops here at the Flower Farm again this year. As always, there'll be a generous supply of fresh flowers & of course, tea & cake!. Groups will be small (maximum 4 adults) so please don't delay if you're planning to book. (Plan an Escape from the endless World Cup tv coverage perhaps...)
The dates are;

• 'Cut Flowers from Your Garden' Sunday 12th April (3 places left)
• 'Making a Hand Tied Bouquet' Sundays 14th June, 19th July & 16th August
• 'Arrange a Vase' Sundays 21st June, 9th & 30th August

Jobs for January

• Sow Sweet Peas (indoors) in deep pots & protect from Mice!
• Order & plant bare root Roses & trees - still plenty of rain to come to get them established
• Hellebores are coming into bud - trim away any dead, tatty leaves to reveal the flowers. This prevents them marking flowers
• Check your seed supplies - do you have everything you need? 
• On a mild day, wash greenhouse glass & polytunnel covers - the extra light makes a big difference. Wash & sort seed trays. Wash labels & pots so you're ready to begin - looked after these last years & minimise plastic waste
• Remember the birds &  Squirrels in cold weather. They appreciate feeders full of peanuts, sunflower seed & fat balls. Clean fresh water is a great help to them when normal sources are frozen Clean out bird boxes ready for nesting season.

How To Buy Our Flowers;

• Deliveries or collections  Our fresh bouquet season has closed until Mother's Day. Deliveries will be on Friday 13th March. Orders are open now - we will sell out so time to drop hints if necessary!
• We arrange flowers for funerals, parties & events using 100% British-grown flowers all year round - pre-order essential
• Regular Flower Subscriptions. Book for the 2026 season – choose the dates, & we’ll cut fresh for local delivery or collection Order Online
• Florists Wholesale. In 2026, we're opening up the opportunity for more Florists to buy our flowers regularly & increase delivery options Message for details.
• Weddings - the order book is open!

   And you can, of course, telephone me on 01644 420407 or email if you prefer talking to a real person rather than ordering flowers online. Much of my work is 'bespoke' for House flowers, parties & funerals so doesn't really fit the neat boxes necessary for online ordering. 

  There'll be more cold, wet weather to come yet so be sure to make the most of any dry, bright days. Notice whats stirring already, & make the most of the lovely sparse ''bits & bobs' available to fill your vases. There's something very calming about a vase of twiggy catkins, perhaps experiment with adding a few dried flowers too.

  Just day dream about the beautiful flowers to come & do that armchair shopping!

Until next time,
Rosie
Galloway Flowers
 
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Frances Hodgson Burnett Author of 'The Secret Garden'