November News from Galloway Flowers

​   When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, they say... or if wild winds & rain bring down plenty of autumnal twigs & leaves, make a door wreath! And it's been pretty wild already, hasn't it? So I made this for my workshop door this afternoon from the bits & pieces. I'll add more bracken, seed heads etc to fill it out as the leaves on it fall.
 
  And the rain has slowed down our Autumn jobs - still planting & dividing to do, we'll get there. I've invested in many more Agapanthus plants this Autumn as they do so well here & every stem is used. For now, they're potted up & patiently waiting for their place in the polytunnel.

  Taking a wander round this afternoon, I concede it all looks a bit grim just now. Fallen leaves, windblown sticks & rather a lot of drab brown colours. Perhaps your garden is similar? The house though is full of colour - ahead of last Thursday's hard Frost, I picked every last Dahlia stem so they could be enjoyed. Some are drying in the airing cupboard for dried flower bouquets, others in vases in the kitchen.

  There's still beauty to be found outside though - a Crab Apple planted a couple of years ago has fruited well for the first time, the Nerines, Acers & Hesperantha are still bright splashes of colour. And tiny Cyclamen planted by a Gardener whe came before me, peep out from under shrubs - what a bonus!
 
  It's becoming more difficult to create our trademark seasonal bouquets of mixed flowers so we're taking a short break from 'Friday Flowers' deiveries until mid-December. Our Regular Subscription Customers will continue to receive flowers & I'll continue making arrangements for Funerals & Parties etc. using flowers from other British growers. Taking a break now gives us time to prepare for Christmas & next years flowers.

And yes, now Bonfire Night has passed, the 'Christmas' word is unavoidable. The Wreathmaking workshops are almost fully booked so please don't delay if you hope to come. These are the only dates I'm delivering workshops this year. All will be here at the Flower Farm.

• Saturday 26th November - 1 place
• Sunday 27th November FULLY BOOKED
• Saturday 3rd December - 1 place
• Sunday 4th December - 3 places 

Places can be booked online here.
 
  The Christmas Wreath shop is now open for orders online too. Wreaths can be collected, delivered locally or sent by Post across the UK from Wednesday 30th November. I'm waiting for final confirmation from our British growers for availability & pricing, then ordering will open for Christmas flowers too. (And you can, of course, telephone me on 01644 420407 if you prefer talking to a real person rather than ordering online).

  This week, I'll be planting up our big pots with 'Bulb Lasagnes' - these give several months of colour & a great use of space. Indoors, this is the time to plant up Narcissi 'Paperwhite' bulbs in pots if you want them flowering indoors for Christmas. It takes about 6-8 weeks for them to reach maturity. Hyacinths & Amaryllis planted now will be ready to flower indoors from January onwards, when a colour hit is especially welcome.

  Fingers crossed this wet phase of weather will move on. Otherwise I may take root by the side of the wood burner!

Until next time,
Rosie
Galloway Flowers
 
'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow'
Audrey Hepburn