 'Where are you?' is one of the most asked questions when we're at the Farmers Markets in Kirkcudbright & Castle Douglas.
So,let me tell you... We're on the 'Hidden Road', off the A713, North of Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland. At the moment we're closed for our winter break as the flowers are out of season just now. It didn't look quite like this today! This is our essential quiet time to plan this years growing season, prepare the beds & lots of wedding talk with this years couples. From April to October, flowers can be pre-ordered for local delivery, collection from the Flower Farm or at the regular Farmers Markets in Kirkcudbright & Castle Douglas. In season, flowers can be ordered by phone (01644 420407), the Contact page on our website or the Online Order page. I add pictures on this blog, Instagram & Facebook of the flowers as they come in to season, so this gives an idea of the flowers we grow & when they bloom. There are so many varieties here, changing through the months, it would be impossibe to list. Each season some flowers are dropped to make way for new varieties. Perhaps the colour was less popular with Customers or it didn't perform that well here. This year, I'm running a trial of some of the new Sunflower varieties. (And quite a few new Dahlias...) Hoping to discover new favourites! We're open occasionally in the Summer for Garden tours & workshops - to know when these open for booking, be sure to sign up to the monthly newsletter on the website. Roll on the lengthening days - I'm looking forward to the flowers blooming again!
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 We're back into the routine after a longer than usual break after the New Year.
To be honest we needed it as we were flat out all last 2021 & 2020. Sometimes we all need to stop, think, breath... I've been catching up on wedding enquiries & planning our planting for months of colour. Lots of ideas for 2022 (a holiday break didn't include a no seed buying rule!) & looking forward to getting the flowers underway. Our Galloway-grown flowers will be limited until mid-March when they begin blooming again. Until then I'll bring in limited supplies of flowers from British growers in the South each week for our Regular Flower Subscription customers & Funeral flowers. If you would like to order a bouquet of British-grown flowers delivered locally or for collection on a Friday, please order by previous Friday am. It'll not be long until I can include Hyacinths in bouquets but for now, these scented beauties are cheering up my kitchen windowsill in a pot!  For me it's a long list - I love working with others who share my lifelong enthusiasm for our beautiful British flowers, who appreciate their variety, colours, scent, their seasonality.
You have to catch British-grown flowers while you can - every season brings it's own special treats, even winter. Many of these flowers are available for just a few short weeks each year. You know how the very best British-grown Strawberries, Elderflower, Gooseberries or Asparagus burst with flavour? And how the equivalents flown from around the globe all year round, simply don't taste the same? Well, our flowers aren't the same either. The delicate scent of a Narcissi, a Tulip (many are scented), a Rose or a Sweet Pea - I could go on... Each has it's own personality, adding something unique to a bouquet or arrangement. I can tell you the week of the year when most of my bouquets were made when I look through the photo's as the combination of flowers will tell me which flowers were just starting it's season, & which were coming to an end. A strange floral quiz game... So I love sharing this enthusiasm with others who grow them in their gardens (or Grandad/ma did perhaps), or who want them in their homes, wedding bouquets or at the funeral of a loved one, with those Florists & Flower Arrangers who create stunning designs with my flowers, other flower growers & those who simply want to learn more about British flowers at a workshop or garden visit. I always find the learning is two-way & I've met so many wonderful friends through my flowers. Looking forward to meeting with even more in 2022!  Well, it might not be very original, but it's true!
The greatest compliment ever given to me is when a Customer trusts me to deliver flowers on their behalf, to decorate their homes or for those important family occasions. Flowers are there for the sad times & the glad times, & I know seeking out our locally grown blooms takes a little more thought than simply clicking on the top Google ad. And when those Customers return for more, it's such a boost to me. It keeps me going on the days when my back aches, my fingers are cold, the midges are eating me alive or I have to get up ridiculously early. So a special thank you to the Bridesmaids & Sisters who become Brides themselves & choose to hold my flowers again on their special day. To the Regular Customers who have enjoyed my flowers often for years, either delivered, collected or bought at the Farmers Market. A lady I met me our very first Farmers Market asked me to take flowers to her mother each month - I'm still doing it all these years later! All our Customers have been so important in the last few years, enabling us to keep going when our usual sales outlets disappeared overnight. Many have become flower friends along the way & spur me to try new plants, new ways to make the most of the flowers. What better compliment or encouragement could there ever be?  I'm often asked what prompted me to start the Flower Farm here near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway.
Well, it was a bit of a long & winding road to be honest. I've always adored flowers, ever since I was a toddler really & especially our beautiful British Cottage Garden Flowers. Flowers were always in my life (I grew up next to a Peony Farm) but unable to see a career in horticulture, I kept it strictly outside work. But I grew flowers always, loved arranging them in a natural way to please me & slowly over time, they started to be noticed. The village flower arrangers wanted them, a few local florists too & so I started selling flowers on a very small scale when I lived in Wiltshire. A health scare gave me the jolt I needed to step it up. Nothing quite like a couple of MRI scans to get you thinking... Slowly a plan formed, we moved to Scotland nearer my partners parents & spent the past 7 years making those plans happen. Growing Cottage Garden flowers in a sustainable way, & sharing their beauty & scent with others is such a special experience. And I'm always trying something new to grow each season, hoping to delight my Customers with them. It's physically tough at times, a huge learning curve & totally worth it. Whatever took me so long?  As any Flower Farmer will tell you, there's no such thing as a typical day.
It depends on the season, the day of the week & especially the weather! Sometimes I know EXACTLY what I should be doing but it's too wet, too frozen, too hot, too dry... And yet somehow there's a rhythm to the year. Winter is quieter after Christmas busyness. Unseen by Customers the work goes on behind the scenes. Planning what to grow, where, when so I have plenty of blooms throughout the season. Prepping beds, turning compost, today I washed a polytunnel. Sowing 1st seeds. Talking to wedding couples & getting plans underway. Spring - activity goes up a notch. Seed sowing, growing on, planting out. Dahlias are potted up. Weeding. Cutting begins for Farmers Markets & weddings flowers. Summer - LOTS of cutting, early mornings & late evenings. Plus sowing seed, taking cuttings, planting out to keep the colour coming. Arranging & delivering. Drying flowers for the winter season. Workshops & garden tours. Autumn - More cutting if the weather is kind, planting bulbs, sowing seeds, planting out... Christmas prep. Somehow like any business there's time to talk with Customers & do the admin - accounts, invoicing, website, taking photo's, social media. Usually after dark before I ever get to this though. So no two days are the same - & that's just how I like it!  I'm using these short days to sort through photos from 2021 & came across this one from September at Auchen Castle.
Around 150 gorgeous double Lilies from Lincolnshire were used to decorate the function rooms. The perfume was amazing! As always, all British-grown flowers & foliage to keep carbon footprint low. All containers were fully reusable after the event too. The long stemmed lilies even went home with wedding guests to be enjoyed, everything else was composted. Beautiful weddings don't have to cost the earth... looking forward to styling more special & environmentally sensitive flowers for 2022 weddings.  Because on these short, dark days I'm missing my Dahlias... This is Dahlia 'Darkarin'.
 A LOT of Wreaths left the workshop in December to brighten up Front Doors. Many were delivered locally, & others were sent by post across the UK. All were handmade on either a mossed or willow base, then decorated with foliage, berries, mistleoe, cones & a touch of bright ribbon. All our wreaths are made from 100% reusable or compostable materials, all grown in the British Isles.      So four wreath workshops in Kirkcudbright & Castle Douglas took place in December 2021. At times I thought it might not happen due to the pandemic, but we managed to enjoy some creative crafting fun together! A HUGE 'well done' to everybody who came along & created STUNNING wreaths - that's 37 very well dressed doors welcoming your guests this Christmas! The mixed conifers & other foliage gave the room a special 'Christmassy' scent as soon as we started cuttng it up to make the wreaths. But best of all was the gentle buzz of conversation & laughter as the groups worked together - that's the thing that made the atmosphere 'normal' & for me, very special. Thank you so much for coming along & getting the Festive season started.         |
AuthorRosie Gray of Galloway Flowers. Artisan Florist & Cut Flower Farmer near Castle Douglas, in South West Scotland. Using 100% Flowers & Foliage grown in British Isles, all year round. 
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Growing Gorgeous Seasonal Cut Flowers & Foliage in Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
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Artisan Flower Farmer Florist Castle Douglas, Flower Farm Scotland, Wedding Flowers Castle Douglas, Florist Castle Douglas, Funeral Flowers Castle Douglas, Sympathy flowers Castle Douglas, wedding florist Dumfries & Galloway, Wedding florist Kirkcudbright, wedding florist Gatehouse of Fleet, natural funeral flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wild wedding flowers Dumfries & Galloway