Garden and Flowers

I’m delighted that the 2022 seed to vase course students are about to meet here for the second time this year (pictured below). Two more lovely groups. I’m determined to practise what I preach this year and not get carried away with seed sowing too early.  It’s best to wait until there are at least 10 hours of daylight which I’m pleased to say we're exceeding now. The autumn sown hardy annuals (eg cornflower, nigella, ammi majus, larkspur, corncockle) and the June sown biennials  (eg hesperis, dianthus and digitalis)  are all looking good in the ground and have survived everything the weather has thrown at them including Eunice and Franklin. Let’s hope I’m rewarded with some strong early flowering plants.

To ensure a succession of flowers to supply my weddings and workshops, I’ve been sowing hardy annuals each week for the last few weeks as per my planting plan.  In the next couple of weeks, I’ll start sowing some half hardy annuals.  The stalwarts I wouldn’t be without include cosmos, limonium, helichrysum, helianthus and phlox drumondii.  Suffice to say the new greenhouse is bursting at the seams already. And… my dahlia order has arrived (tubers are in my garage keeping frost free and dry) but I won’t be potting them up until April.

I always treat myself to the first cuts of the season and this week it’s been anemones (from the greenhouse) and the ranunculi are looking good too.  I’ve hedged my bets with the latter, planting half inside and half outside for a longer flowering window.  Tulips are also poking through but I noticed some bite sized chunks out of the leaves so threw over some protective fleece.  I suspect a pair of muntjac -  I must set up the wildlife camera to spy!  

I’ll be including another ample supply of good quality bulbs, anemone and ranunculi corms on the October 2022 growing workshop as well as tips and tricks for success.