Made for a very special wedding guest - the Bride's Dog!⁠
Orange Floral Dog Collar made for a May wedding in Dumfries & Galloway, South West Scotland by Rosie Gray of Galloway Flowers, Wedding Florist, Castle Douglas.

   As I sat down to write this morning, I thought; What are the highlights of a July Flower Farm?
I sum it up as 'abundant chaos'. Growth is rapid this month as flowers enjoy long days, warmth & a touch of rain. Scents of the Roses, Sweet Peas & Garden Pinks. Bird song. And so much colour!

  And what a year for the Roses! The settled heat in the last few weeks has brought blooms on fast - & they're loving it! I don't grow many Roses here (they take too much space for the amount of stems I use) but oh boy, those few are flowering their socks off. The heady fragrance is in the air as I walk by throughout the day.
 
  But as I walk around, I see tasks to do - flowers to deadhead, noticing what's ready to cut, wayward stems to tie in, grass to mow & oh, my goodness - that needs a drink urgently! Some days I'm so critical of my failings I could forget to enjoy the beauty, to smell the Roses myself  if you like. The picture above was early this morning in the soft light after rain. And yes, those Geums need a tidy but hey, what a colour!

  And so much is flowering now - the Sweet Peas & Garden pinks are right on plan for a wedding this coming weekend. The first few Dahlias, Cornflowers & Achillea are flowering.. Far too many varieties to mention - I tend to grow 'a little of a lot' so I've flowers throughout the season. Every week the bouquets can be a different mixture.

  And as well as cutting for Friday Flowers, Weddings & Funerals, I'm drying more than ever before. Dried flowers are enjoying a fashion revival so I'm filling the airing cupboard with flowers, grasses & petals for confetti. Last year I made dried flower wreaths with them & I plan to do the same this year.

  I didn't manage to begin driving again last month - stupid things every now & again (like lifting heavy casseroles...) make me realise my strength still isn't there. But I'm planning to bring flowers to Loch Arthur Farm Shop & Cafe on Friday July 16th for the first time this year. The Castle Douglas Farmers Market is on Sunday 18th July &  Kirkcudbright Farmers Market is on Sunday 25th July. I'll be bringing flowers to both. If you would like to pre-order flowers to collect at the market, send an email.

  Because of the broken arm, I know so many plans here haven't been implemented. There's a large pile of trellis panels & paving slabs lyng on the ground since March. These are part of the plan to transform the old Nursery beds area. Thank goodness I hadn't ordered the planned climbing plants - they would be unplanted & dead in their pots by now! Needless to say, that project will not be completed by the mid-August open weekend. 

  But it is what it is & I'm going to cut myself some slack. I don't suppose I'm the only person who spends far too much time fretting about things that aren't perfect, incomplete, even the weeds in their gardens. Instead I'm trying to focus on things we've done since we were last open in 2019 - actually quite a lot!

  So Pandemic situation permitting, we'll be open over the weekend of Friday 13th - Sunday 15th August. All visits will be pre-booked & booking is open online NOW. Further details & booking link here . Just 15 tickets each afternoon so everyone can keep a safe distance & enjoy walking comfortably among the flowers. https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/flowerfarmtours-499880.html

  'Friday Flowers' are being delivered on Fridays (what a surprise!) plus 'Click & Collect' on Fridays & Saturdays.  Order online or by telephone 01644 420407. 

  So now I'm off to smell my Roses while they last, snip a few Sweet Peas for my kitchen & enjoy afternoons of Wimbledon Tennis this week. Why don't you too?

Jobs for the Cutting Garden in July;

• Keep deadheading faded flowers to keep your display going. Of course, if you're cutting lots of flowers to arrange, you'll be deadheading at the same time, minimising the work. What better excuse to get snipping?
• Keep an eye open for seed pods forming with ripe seed of plants you would like more of. Many come true from seed (anything F1 Hybrid doesn't). Either gather carefully & sow in a pot or sprinkle with abandon if you want lots. But I warn you - some flowers such as Forget Me Nots & Aquilegia can quickly become weeds if you do that... 
• By mid-month some of the early flowering perennials might look a bit tired after flowering their hearts out for you. If so, it's time for some drastic hacking back. Cut the flowered stems down low & remove any dying or mildewy foliage. Give a sprinkle of goodness such as seaweed meal & if the weather is dry, a watering can full of water. Within weeks, the plant will produce new fresh leaves & sometimes another, small flush of flower. This is good for Delphinium,Alchemilla, Centaurea, Lupin & hardy Geranium.

Until next time, 
Rosie 
Galloway Flowers 

Your Flower Links for July;

• Open Weekend at Galloway Flowers Book Online Here   https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/flowerfarmtours-499880.html
• Regular Flower Subscriptions - Changing with the seasons, every delivery is different & 100% grown in the British Isles, all year round Bouquets delivered to your home or simply collect a bunch from the Flower Farm.
• A micro-wedding last October in the Pentland Hills https://www.wefellinlove.co.uk/blog/2021/05/20/pentland-hills-secret-herb-garden-micro-wedding-2/

​A light & airy bouquet for Oriel on her ​wedding day in late May. ⁠
​All grown here in Galloway except a few deliciously scented Stocks from Lincolnshire.

​Sweet Peas - there've been a long time coming this year but the heat this week is suiting them just fine.⁠
One of my favourite flower farming jobs is cutting them - I never tire of their delicious perfume!⁠ Now I know it must be Summer at last...

Fresh seed always gives the best results - Always. ⁠
Given the right conditions, seed wants to grow & germination rates are higher. ⁠
This is particularly true of some of the trickier to germinate seeds such as Orlaya, Molucella (Bells of Ireland) & Bupleurum.
These seem to self-sow where they like happily but can be difficult when started from a seed packet!⁠ So I keep an eye open for seed pods on my favourite plants as they begin to mature, ready to catch seed in an old envelope. I sow where I want them later.⁠
This morning I spotted these seedpods on the Snakeshead Frittilaries (Fritillaria Meleagris) & couldn't resist harvesting some.⁠ I'll scatter them across a new area & fingers crossed, in a few years they'll have grown into new plants, flowering happily in Springtime.⁠
In the coming months many plants will develop seed - I'll be gathering plenty to increase my stock.⁠ What could be better than lots of plants for free?⁠ ​

With love to remember a very special lady who enjoyed gardening.
Made in early May from Spring flowers.⁠
​As always, no floral foam, no plastic & all grown in here in Galloway. ​

The British Peony season is in full swing after the recent heat wave.
I've been enjoying these luscious Leicestershire-grown beauties over the weekend.
Such huge frilly Pom Poms!⁠
I grow some Peonies but they're way behind these with the cold Spring weather - my Corals have only started to flower this week...⁠
You can pre-order a Peony bouquet (5, 10 or 15 stems with a touch of our own grown Alchemilla) for this weekend.
Collection from the Flower Farm DG7 3QR on Friday/Saturday or Kirkcudbright Farmers Market on Sunday 27th. ⁠ Order Online via website or message me.⁠ ​