January News & Cut Flower Growing Tips from the Flower Farm

  With Twelfth Night past, my house & door look bare without the wreath, candles & cards so it's time to add New Year flowery inspiration! And whatever might be happening out there in the world, there’s plenty to look forward to in the cutting garden this year.

  It’s already getting that little bit lighter in the evenings, isn’t it? While there’s probably still cold & wet weather to come, I notice changes daily in the garden now. The beds look lifeless – but pull back a few wet leaves & you’ll find stirrings beneath. Here Daffodil & Snowdrops grew several inches this week, the first tiny Cyclamen flowers have opened & Hellebore buds are showing colour already.

 At this time, I particularly appreciate the scented shrubs & vow to plant a couple more this year. The flowers are often tiny such as Sweet Box (Sarcococca  Confusa) or Winter Honeysuckle(Lonicera Fragrantissima) but waft delicious heady perfume around on a gentle breeze. They don’t last long indoors but it’s lovely to pick a few stems just for a bud vase or two. That way you’ll enjoy the fragrance as the buds open, whatever the weather.

  These are the leanest weeks for British cut flowers, making every interesting stem more precious. I bring in boxes of deliciously scented Narcissi from the Scilly Isles each week & love mixing them with evergreens & interesting stems such as coloured Cornus, Twisted Hazel & Willow in the bouquets.
 
  This month has already brought new bookings from couples planning weddings in 2018, so I’m building a picture of the popular colours this year. I’m wondering about the ‘other’ big wedding too - What flowers will Meghan Markel & Prince Harry choose? It would be lovely if they were to choose British Flowers & show more people what’s available on the doorstep, so to speak. If you know anyone planning a wedding in Dumfries & Galloway, more about our wedding flowers can be found on this page.

  Last year our ‘Bloom Buckets’ of mixed flowers & foliage were popular with couples preparing their own wedding flowers, & we’ll be offering them again. They reduce the stress for DIY weddings - I had a few last minute calls from Mothers/Friends of the Bride seeking flowers as the home grown ones weren’t ready for the big day! We had plenty to cut of course & hopefully saved a few sleepless nights.   
  If you would like to grow more cut flowers yourself this year, perhaps for a wedding, family party or simply for yourself, I’ll be sharing how we do this at a practical workshop here at the Flower Farm. It doesn’t need to take much space if you choose the best, most floriferous varieties. Still working on the logistics, so look out for details next month.

Usually I end with a list of jobs for the coming month - this time, ithere are several don't do's instead!  Make the most of the bright days when you can, wrap up warm & enjoy the beautiful frosted garden.
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Jobs for the Cutting Garden in January;

• My fingers are itching to start sowing the lovely fat packets of seed arrived in the post. I’ll hold off until next month though, except for a few Sweet Peas later in January. The later sown seedlings soon catch up the earlier ones & grow more strongly with the better light levels.
• The recent frost & snow makes it difficult to plant. Instead it's an opportunity to make life easier & more productive for when we're busy. For us, that means building more raised beds, yet more compost bins, improving paths & adding water butts. What would make it easier for you to grow your flowers?
• Remove the old leaves from Hellebore plants to reveal the emerging flowers below.
• If you (or someone you know) burns wood on a fire to heat their home, empty the wood ash at the base of roses & clematis for an abundant display this year. It's a treat for raspberries too.
• If it's too cold to work outside, clean up the greenhouse ready for seed sowing next month.
• Traditional advice for gardeners is to dig your beds over the winter. We prefer to follow a 'no dig' regime & it seems to be at least as productive with much less work. You might like to give it a try.
• And for some flowery inspiration, here's a link to a report from New Covent Garden Flower Market on the Hottest Floral Trends for 2018.  And another link to a beautiful wedding photoshoot of an Enchanted Forest wedding with an apricot, burgundy & grey clour palette.

Until next time,
Rosie Gray
Galloway Flowers

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