March News from Galloway Flowers

  It's March, birds are singing & the flower season is kicking off! Spring is springinghere & every morning I’m delighted by something new popping up outside to greet the world. The tiniest bulb, shoots on a perennial or the new leaves on some of the shrubs, it’s good to know they’ve made it through another winter. The March gardenis an exciting place to be!

  The fabulous weather of the last few weeks was probably a ‘false spring’, as it couldn’t be more to different to last year. When I sat down to write last March, we were in the grip of the ‘beast from the east’. Deep snow blanketed the ground & I feared we would lose plants. It did damage some hedges but a year on, they’re mostly bouncing back. I estimate we’re running 3-4 weeks ahead of last year as Daffodils, Primroses & Forsythia are blooming already.

  This month we had the tree surgeons in to take out a row of tall Leylandii treesalong the bottom field. Put in 30 years ago, the trees were an effective wind break(& I’ll miss that) but shading a large area. I knew too that growing at a metre a year, if we didn’t deal with them now, it would become worse. I hate taking out healthy trees as they’ve taken so long to grow. At the moment the area is a bit of a mess with logs & wood chip to move but already the light is making a huge difference in the large polytunnel.

  This change gives us a whole new growing area – space to put in another polytunnel, erect the three small greenhouses we’ve been given & more foliage shrubs. I want space to grow more vegetables again as I’ve cut back on this while we’ve been getting the flower farm up & running. Ken’s been planting new, (more manageable) trees along the field boundary so in a few years, the environment will be richer than before.

  Much is going on indoors this month. Dahlias are sprouting, hardy annuals sown & first flowers cut. While most of our March bouquets are filled with beautiful Tulips, Narcissi & Ranunculus from growers in the south, we’re adding our own Anemones, double Daffodils & Hyacinths now. Soon I’ll be cutting Hellebores & Fritillaries too & aim to have our ‘Galloway grown’ bouquets later in the month. Just a reminder – Mother’s Day is Sunday March 31st! We’ll be delivering a limited number of pre-ordered bouquets on Saturday 30th.

  Outside, it’s time for rose pruning – anyone who looks closely at my hands will think I have a small tiger as a pet! Some jobs are just easier without gardening gloves, even though I end up being snagged on the thorns.

  We’re going to be at the new Producers Market in Castle Douglas this year & return to Kirkcudbright Farmers Market too. The CD date is Sunday 17th March, Kirkcudbright on Sunday 24th March.

  Another diary date for you is 15th – 18th August. On this weekend, members of the ‘Flowers From The Farm’ group of flower growers will be hosting the ‘Big Flower Weekend’. Over 100 UK growers (including us) will be opening their doors for flower farm tours, flowery themed workshops & more! I’m not sure what we’ll be doing yet but it’ll be ‘something’. Details of our events will be in this newsletter soon.

  I’m sure they’ll be cold weather yet but Spring really is just around the corner. Soon we’ll all be filling our vases with gorgeous British grown blooms…
 
Jobs for your Cutting Garden in March

• Sow Hardy Annual seedlings this month, either under cover or later in the month, outside. Nigella, Cornflowers, Calendula & Larkspur are tried & tested favourites to supply you with masses of stems to cut
• As the Snowdrop & Aconite flowers fade, it’s a good time to dig up & divide the clumps if they’re becoming large. Replant in small bundles. This is a good time to buy them ‘in the green’ if you want to create a new beautiful carpet of flowers every February.
• Perennial plants such as Astrantia, Phlox & Lupins benefit from being divided every few years – it keeps them healthy & flowering well. Cut the original plant into pieces. Replant what you need & give away any spares to friends. It’s a great way to boost the variety in your garden with swaps!
• Pot up your dahlia tubers & place in a space protected from frost. Some of the large flowered varieties need an early start or they only begin blooming in September. Dahlia are great value plants – prolific stems to cut in a wide range of colours & shapes. They grow surprisingly well in pots too
• It’s a good time to plant summer bulbs from mid-month onwards. Plant a few each month to keep a succession of these deliciously perfumed blooms coming. Gladioli, Freesia & Acidanthera are my favourites.
• Plant out in the garden any forced bulbs from indoors after flowering finishes such as Hyacinths & Narcissi.    
• Trim back Hydrangeas before new growth appears – as a guide trim to about a third of last seasons growth
• And for some flowery inspiration, here's a couple of links to beautiful weddings linked by the red/burgundy colour themes. First to a stunning early Summer wedding. The Second is a winter wedding in peaches/burgundy - these colours would translate beautifully for a late UK Summer wedding using Dahlias (IMHO).

Until next time, 
Rosie Gray
Galloway Flowers