Well it’s certainly blooming now isn’t it. This week we have reached peak rose season I think and I find myself wandering out whenever there is a tiny moment to be with them. The birds are still waking me at the crack of dawn and although I’m feeling so tired I can’t resist their call to get up and get outside.
Last year we had the pleasure of fattening up 3 juvenile hedgehogs which had been taken into the local hedgehog rescue in Ludlow. Pricklebums is run by the most wonderful lady; Ayley. She runs her hedgehog hospital from her home, literally dedicating her life to the flourishing of these wonderful creatures. Last year she was running at more than full capacity hence we were able to take three off her hands and once they were sufficiently fattened we were able to release them into our garden. A hedgehog needs to weigh at least 600g before it can be released back into the wild, this is because it needs a certain amount of body fat to make it through the long winter of hibernation. They all did amazing and when they had all reached their target weight we popped them in their little houses which Simon had built for them and just crossed our fingers that they would choose to stay in our garden…We did see them a couple more times after that, and then they seemed to have gone walking; this wasn’t really surprising, as we learnt that hedgehogs will travel between two to three kilometres in just one night!
Anyway, all this to say, as I stood in the garden still and quiet before my morning of flower picking at dawn this week and listened for that very distinctive sound of the shuffling of leaves in the hedges, I was rewarded for my early start! Out he came from the undergrowth! Lovely! Now, of course I can’t be sure that it was one of the ones we rehomed here but he definitely wasn’t bothered or startled by my presence in fact he lifted his little head up to greet me and carried on with his business.
If you feel called by the birds to get up and out this week don’t say no to their call. You might get a most wonderful surprise too. This coming Wednesday marks the summer solstice and what better way to celebrate than getting straight out into nature at the call of the dawn?
I wish you a wonderful week ahead, blessings from this patch to yours, until next time, Rebecca.
It’s been a wonderful week in the garden with so much to pick and finally this evening a torrential downpour of rain just what everything has been waiting for. The days have been really warm which has meant a few very early starts, we always pick really early, just as it gets light which at this time of year is about 4.30, this is because flowers are at their most sturdy after a good nights rest and after the morning dew has rehydrated them, as the day gets warmer they dehydrate and won’t last well if picked. We pick them straight into big buckets of water and take them straight into a cool dark place to condition over night. During this process the stems fill with water and they become nice and strong for working with.
We picked for a beautiful marquee wedding this week, set in the Shropshire country side. The bride wanted a soft colour palette of whites and creams, the palest pinks and peaches with a little orange and just a touch of blue.
All our planning for this special wedding payed off as everything came into flower just in time we picked apricot and white foxgloves, lovely romantic creamy roses- one of my favourite David Austin ones called Desdemona, pink and white lupins, white and blue Nigella (love in a mist), soft orange calendula, pineapple mint- a lovely variegated cream and soft green variety with so much scent, the last of the blue and white forget me nots which for their age looked all the more whimsical, being nice and tall and seedy, heavenly scented white lilac blooms and pink honey suckle, orange geums, white peonies, bunny tail grasses, the sweet little pin cushion flowers of the Astrantia- great for boutonnières, the most pretty pale blue delphiniums, and the first of the sweet peas just for their scent. The bride dressed huge hoops suspended in the marque with Lots of draping foliage picked during the week from her family’s woodlands and the whole scene had a real sense of personality and magic.
With the ever increasing price of weddings. DIY wedding flowers or partial DIY flowers are a great choice if you are looking to save some money but certainly not for the easily overwhelmed. My lovely bride Olivia was super organised and had the help of a small group of friends with her flowers the day before her wedding, which made it a really special experience for her. I was also on hand to make sure she had everything she needed and make her bridal bouquet. Her bridesmaid even made her own bouquet which I thought was such a lovely touch!
I hope you enjoy seeing the few snaps I look below and I wish you a wonderful week ahead.
Blessings from this patch to yours, until next time, Rebecca.
LupinsDesdemona rose.Diy wedding buckets.Nigella and pink lupinsRoses and pineapple mintCalendula The brides bouquet coming together. And the bride having fun with her flowers in the background.
I thought I’d give you an update from the field this week as my last one was way back on 21st March!
At the moment I’ve been managing to find about 8 hours a week to spend on the field which isn’t a lot but is enough to manage the watering of the new plants I’ve put in and keep on top of the weeds as they pop up. The grass sprung up at a rate of knots after all the rain we had over the past few weeks and the warm spell which followed it this week. Our lawn mower wasn’t up to the task of mowing it so I am on the hunt for a suitable strimmer to keep it in check.
I doubled up the fenced off area over the past couple of weeks. So I now have a rabbit proof fenced off area of about 40 metres by 7 meters. I’m still working on getting the second area card-boarded and covered with the wood chips and the horse manure. My biggest lesson this week has been to plan ahead with making new beds…I lost a good day of labour laying out beds only to realise the orientation wasn’t going to be time efficient for planting and harvesting from them, so I am now in the process of scraping off the wood chip and manure and moving it all into the line of the new bands I’ve marked out. All of this could have been avoided if I’d have put pen to paper first.
In the first area of the plot. Daucus , ammi and achillea coming along very nicely. (Bottom right)Looking onto the second fenced off area with the new orientation of the beds marked out and slowly taking shape. Also my new compost heap! Very exciting.Looking out onto the two areas in progress. My very first flower to bloom in my new field.
In other news there has been plenty to pick in the garden this week including aquilegia also called granny’s bonnets, they have really come into their stride over the last few days. Also geum, lilac and geraniums. Mixed with the last handful of tulips, the seedy hellebores, the forget me nots that are just getting better and better each day, add to this some hedgerow gatherings of red campion and grasses and you have a delightfully wild and wonderful mix.
Mid May bouquet.
Blessings from this patch to yours, until next time, Rebecca.
Over the last couple of years I have been experimenting with drying flowers and creating everlasting wreaths and bouquets. It’s a great way to save and use flowers before they go over to use and sell at a later date. I also love having them during the festive season when there are very few fresh flowers to pick to use in my Christmas wreaths.
Christmas wreath with dried ingredients including: billy buttons, statice, wrinkled cress, Nigella seed pods, panicum sparkling fountain, bunny tail grasses, and pine cones.
My method of drying is really simple. I pick my flowers on a dry evening, after a warm day but not too hot. I remove most of the leaves and bundle with elastic bands in small bunches of about 10 stems. Elastic bands work better for bunching than string as the stems shrink a lot as they dry but the elastic keeps them tightly bunched together. it’s important to keep the bunches small so that air can circulate to prevent them from going mouldy before they dry out. I hang them in the living room for 2-3 weeks to completely dry. Our living room is perfect for drying flowers as it’s an old stone cottage so it’s fairly dark and cool in the summer. But the main aim is to dry them somewhere out of direct sunlight and somewhere cool but nice and dry with good air flow.
Dried wreath with ingredients including: hedgerow gathered grasses, white statice, yellow and orange strawflowers, achillea the pearl, Nigella seed pods, heathers and a lovely big pale peony.
I have tried drying daffodils for the first time this spring with very satisfying results and I can’t wait to use them once I’ve gathered more ingredients to complement them, I’m thinking lots of feathery grasses and pale coloured statice. In early June I will begin gathering my grasses from the hedgerows, there are some really lovely ones to pick and it’s incredible the variety’s that you can find on just one walk, have a go and see for yourself! I am also growing some perennial grasses in the garden along with some annual ones too- bunny tails and red millet, two of my favourites.
Lovely spring looking everlasting wreath with lemon and cream straw flowers and lots of pretty grasses white statice, achillea and scabious seed heads.
My favourite flowers to grow from seed for drying are limmonium (statice), ammi visnaga, billy buttons, bunny tail grasses (which have gone into the ground this weekend) and of course Helichrysum (straw flowers) which are really easy to dry and come in a huge range of colours! It’s best to pick flowers for drying when they are at their best- fully open but not too long after, with straw flowers pick them just as they are beginning to open and they will continue to open as they dry out.
My favourite perennials for drying are peonies, sea holly, lavender, heather, achillea and echinops. Please do comment if you’ve tried drying anything unusual and been surprised by the results, I’d love to know.
The Sarah Bernhardt peony, with the rat tail statice, heather, the pink straw flowers and the grasses giving this one a bit of sparkle.
In the garden this week, the geums are just beginning to flower, the roses have tiny buds showing, the broome bush is just coming into flower, forget me nots are at their best and also perfect for picking for drying and the peonies have suddenly shot up- surprisingly the one that’s in the shade has grown with the greatest vigor!
The rose garden, last day of April 2023.
The weather has been very changeable and very rainy- but April showers bring May flowers, so I’m hopeful for a very flowery month ahead. My everlastings will be ready to order again around June time- I can’t wait to get making them again for 2023!
The soil has certainly warmed up this week, planting out seedlings in bear feet the earth was warm on my feet and despite a short hail storm today it felt like the time was right to begin moving the baby annuals out into the warmer ground. Two beds of Limonium went in; pale blue, apricot, and the pink poker variety, all to be used in my dried work later in the summer. Cosmos went in amongst the daffodils to take their place with the Ammi and Daucus. I don’t know what it is about this time of year but the soil feels almost magnetic, I try and begin a job indoors and without my realising it, I find myself back out in the garden- the house work can wait.
Fresh flowers are finally adoring the cottage again. I keep my little snips in my pocket to snip what ever takes my fancy as I go about my jobs, things that I’m trialing for their vase life for bouquet orders and old favourites too. Posy’s of tulips, honesty, forget me nots and the first of the beautifully scented wall flowers get dotted in handblown glasses all over the house.
A tiny bunch of the scented wall flowers and narcissus early cheerfulness I place by the bed so I can enjoy the scent as I go to sleep.
The roses and the peonies are putting on a lot of growth and it won’t be long until we see the first buds appear. We have had beautiful misty mornings this week which make the blackthorn blossoms look so magical. In the evenings as the sun goes down they glow pink! As I enjoy the glowing blossoms I pick the rhubarb to make a crumble, the blackbird sings his merry tune- there is so much beauty to take in just being in the garden, enjoying and participating in a simple life.
The lambs are jumping around in the evening sunshine, it’s about 7pm, the same time every evening and every spring they seem to form a crèche, the ewes exhausted from their day of parenting flake out and the lambs play together, jumping from piles of old pallets and logs…Robert pulls up for the last check up of the day, he has finished lambing, he declares it triumphantly- that’s it for another year, he is tired out- he must be coming up to 80 years old! But what would I do if I didn’t do this he says! Very wise I think!
Rhubarb for Sunday pudding.The last variety of my daffodils to flower ‘night cap’ and worth the wait.The humble wall flower, maybe not much to write home about in appearance but the scent is heavenly.Early cheerfulness.Beautiful foliage on the Desdemona and Boscobel roses. Blackthorn blossom in the evening.
The gardens at Hergest Croft are a little slice of heaven on earth. A mature garden packed with hundreds of rare and unusual trees, shrubs and perennials. It was a perfect time to see the structure of the garden, with the trees still only just beginning to burst into leaf and their fresh shoots showing all shades of yellow and green through to rusty tones. The underplanting of daffodils and snakes head Fritillaries, abundantly naturalising throughout the gardens and woodland area and the smell of blossom filling the air as it soaked up the warm spring sunshine was absolutely perfect and offered so much inspiration.
Snakes head Fritillaries in amongst the trees and shrubs.
They also had a great range of plants for sale, many were young cuttings of trees and shrubs and so offered at really good prices. I came away with a good haul of goodies including a very pretty lilac and white Clematis named Macropetala Wesselton, flowering now, a lovely one, though slow growing I think but which hopefully I will be able to cut for early spring floristry once it’s established. A small Daphne Mezereum, two Pittosporum- Silver Queen and Wendell Channon, although Pittosporum are small shrubs, I find that it’s foliage is really pretty and very useful in floristry, its glossy variegated leaves are nice and small and last very well out of water- great for flower crowns and button holes and useful in more delicate looking bouquets. I also got a Cornus Kousa which flowers in June with graceful simple white flowers and a bobbly looking button centre. I think it will look great with the pale roses for wedding work. I also got another Witch Hazel that I’m not sure where to plant just yet- maybe near the mound, for winter colour. I also got a good haul of ‘new to me’ herbaceous perennials to try out down at the field such as Campanula, Symphyotrichum, Dicentra (alba), Verbascum Carabean Crush, Thalictrum Flavum Glacum and a few others too!
For me the highlight of Hergest Croft on this visit had to be the spring boarder of the kitchen garden. With old fruit trees lining the boarder, beautifully pruned to frame the flowers below. Hardly a spot of soil was visible with all manner of tulips large and small. Pink, yellow and black primulas, pink and black hellebores, blue musscari, small headed yellow and pale daffodils, pink white and blue hyacinths and even dandelions looking just like they were supposed to be there! It looked like a living toy shop, all miniature flowers, in the brightest colours and simple shapes. It appeared that no colour was left off the planting list yet they all worked together absolutely perfectly creating the most playful garden planting Ive ever seen.
A view of the spring boarder in the kitchen garden at Hergest Croft.Another view of the spring boarder in the kitchen garden at Hergest Croft.What a riot of joyous colour.
In the garden here on the hill everything is waking up, the perennials such as the lupins and peonies are putting on good strong growth. Self seeded forget me nots are scattered all over the garden and look just lovely. The blackthorn blossom is providing a most magical backdrop. Achillea (the pearl) is one perennial which I sowed last year, it has bulked out really well and is looking to be really useful for my bride in June with its small white flowers in clusters on tall stems. The daffodils have been lovely to have this past few weeks and my plan is to add lots more to the collection for next year- perhaps even create some beds under the fruit trees and plant them in an ‘inspired by Hergest Croft’ style. In the green house the seedlings are coming along well despite the slow start and I think I’m pretty much done for spring sowings this year.
Tulips with forget-me-nots and honesty.The last of the daffodils making their way into gift bunches.
There is such a feeling of eager anticipation at this time of year, a feeling of not wanting to miss any of these newly emerging signs of life. I often find myself wandering around almost aimlessly just checking on things, seeing what’s new. I could easily loose many hours in my greenhouse, just watching, wondering, over thinking and worrying over seedlings, I’m grateful this time of year that I can get stuck into my glass jobs too and switch off from thoughts of flowers for a while on those workshop days. I remind myself that this is only the beginning and there is so much beauty to come.
Well, it was as useful a thing as any I suppose, in that April 2020 when we all found ourselves stuck at home. We had a lot of soil at the bottom of the garden which was hogging the space which we wanted to begin planting trees in. And so in those unbelievably warm spring days in that lockdown year I moved the soil from the bottom of the garden, and put it right, smack bang into the middle of the lawn… and until now it’s looked kind of ridiculous except in our imagination. Well, it’s still a work in progress, so please bare with me and use your imagination too on this one.
I thought I’d share it on this weeks post with a little before and after picture.
Making the mound April 2020
We have very slowly been planting it up over the last 3 years, we have planted woody shrubs and trees at the base on the west facing side; a magnolia tree, a lime green flowering quince, a tree peony, and roses in garish reds and candy stipe reds- why not go for the outrageously clashing colours if you’ve built such a mound? In the mid layer we have planted grasses and autumn flowering nerines. The east side is covered in forget me nots and tulips dotted throughout.
This weekend Simon added the steps up and two small cone shaped yew topiary, so now it’s starting to feel like its settling into its place in the garden and becoming less of a random pile of soil in the middle of the lawn and more an actual mound!
How the mound is coming along now. April 2023
Mounds in gardens are an old tradition usually in formal gardens built by the very wealthy for the purpose of viewing the grounds or the surrounding landscape, often these gardens are extensive with lakes, large trees and knot gardens and topiary’s. So our mound is kind of funny in the garden of what some have once described as ‘that poor poor cottage’ and it makes us chuckle.
The cool thing about making a mound, not only for the fact it used up all the soil we wouldn’t otherwise have know what to do with, is that it also significantly increases your growing space. I’d say if the mound was flatted, it would be around double it’s foot print. It’s also a great way to add height if your garden is one level like ours… last year I planted sunflowers at the base of it and loved being able to clamber up and be looking down on the sunflowers. We also have a lovely view from the mound over the hedge and out into the landscape which we otherwise can’t see now that the hedges are mature from inside the garden- so it’s a treat to go up the mound and see the view out as well as see the garden from a different perspective. It would also be really good for planting plants which require really good drainage too if that was required.
I’d love to know what you think of the mound, do you have a mound in your garden, how did it come about and what do you grow on it?
The clocks sprang forward last Sunday meaning that Monday was the first after work evening we sat out on the patio and enjoyed a drink, when, as if in honour of this moment, the cuckoo announced his arrival. Monday 27th March- 24 days earlier than he arrived home last year!
Narcissi picked in bud to enjoy over the week ahead in our handblown twisted cane jug.
This weekend I picked the first of my narcissi still in bud, we garden at 1029 feet above sea level and so most things tend to be about 2 weeks behind that which we find off the hill. Its nice to get a heads up on what’s coming next. The Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) is at its best this week, I find it’s scent lovely out in the garden when in full sun, it’s sweet and fruity, just a couple of stems in a bouquet is enough to fill a room with scent, but more than a couple of stems is sickly! The hellebores are now starting to go to seed, which is in fact the perfect time to pick them for best vase life. Grape hyacinths (Muscari) are now at their best too, we only have a little clump of them which I dug from my nans garden a couple of years ago and so I make a mental note to add more to the garden, we are on the look out for the pretty pink variety called pink sunrise. Forget-me-nots are coming into their stride, the first few little flowers have emerged and soon they will grow taller and be perfect for picking, their vase life is brilliant and they grow abundantly here in the garden, self seeding everywhere.
Hellebores in the evening sun.tête-à-tête’s catching the evening light.
In the field next door the first lambs arrived on Sunday morning; twins! Followed by another one in the afternoon, looking too small for their baggy skin but they’ll grow into it so fast! Spring is picking up momentum and there aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with its pace.
Roberts sheep.
We created two more 6 meter no dig beds down at the field, it was great this week to find a good source of wood chip from the local tree surgeon and manure from a local horse keeper. I figured that even if these beds don’t get planted this spring it’s a good step in the right direction just to get the ground prepared for planting when I have the stock. It’s probably even beneficial to allow the cardboard layer time to decompose and the worms to get to work before planting- I might plant some chrysanthemums later in the season if I can decide on varieties!
I’ve also been reading a really great book ‘The cut flower sourcebook’ by Rachel Siegfried. Rachel is a flower farmer florist who uses perennials and woody plants as the backbone for her floristry. Part of the book includes a plant directory which Rachel has put together in such a useful way, a brief description of each plant with tips on spacing, specifically when growing for cutting, on when to harvest, on conditioning, and some potential uses, for example what is flowering at the same time as the specified plant which it would work well with in floristy. And a tip on propagation for each plant too. Really useful and enjoyable to read. In fact the whole of the book is written in such a way that the read is enjoyable and all the information is logically presented and easy to follow- all the pictures are annotated too which I really love. I would 100% recommend this book!
Anyway, that’s all for now. Happy spring! And I hope you have a lovely week.
‘I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.’
No dig is a simple way of gardening or farming which mimics what is found in the natural environment. Take a walk through a woods and notice layers upon layers of organic matter deposited year on year by the shedding of leaves onto the surface of the soil and see how the trees and the plants in the wood thrive. They are completely self sustained. The design in nature is perfect, so why no dig? Look to nature and it will teach you.
What is meant by sustainable? Quite simply, to conserve an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.
Soil is a living organism, full of living microbes which are beneficial to plants and to us. Digging and rotervating the soil disturbs all the wonderful microbes and destroys the structure of the soil with has developed over many many years.
Because soil is a living organism it makes so much sense that it be covered. Take every other living organism in nature. Trees – covered with bark, mammals – covered in fur, fish- covered in scales, birds covered in feathers. We cover ourselves also to protect from the elements. In the same way the soil should be covered, to protect it and to maintain it from erosion by wind and rain and depletion of its nutrients from baking it in the sun.
Covering the soil in organic matter locks in nutrients and protects the soil, it also improves the soil year on year, it’s not a one stop fix but an investment. When we garden or farm on a small scale by practicing no dig methods what we are actually doing is restoring the land and making it healthy for future generations. It’s good to do the work early on, to provide the soil with what it needs to sustain you in the future. ‘Do not despise the day of small beginnings’ I remind myself.
No dig is an investment that cannot be compared to planting straight into the soil and using quick fix short term chemical fertilisers, yes the plants might do well the first year by using these fertilisers but every year they will require more and more of these fertilisers to grow the same amount.
I’ve learnt that there are many issues facing the large scale farming industry which include soil preparation, irrigation, weed control, ph problems, pest control, crop rotation, fertilisation and much more. I believe all of theses issues can be solved by following the principles of nature, that is by adding organic matter to the surface of the soil and letting nature to the rest.
The method I have chosen for the field is the method which is credited to Charles Dowding simply called ‘no dig’. By using this method you can turn a lawn or weedy patch of your garden into an area ready to plant in just one day! Lay cardboard down onto the ground, making sure there are no gaps and overlapping the cardboard as you go. This suppresses the weeds from the light and they will slowly die, and as they do they are putting all the goodness back into the soil. Then add your organic matter straight on top of the cardboard, I used Mr mucks organic manure compost and grow-sure peat free manure compost. These products were quite expensive, but I wanted to get on with the project quickly so that I have flowers to harvest this summer, i will be looking for more cost effective ways to gather my organic matter in the future. I also used bags of wood chip for the paths in the same way, straight on top of the cardboard, should my paths ever become beds they too are getting extra nourishment now to build up healthy soil for the future.
If you are interested in no dig gardening have a look at the wealth of generous information put out on YouTube by British market gardener Charles Dowding. And Paul Gautschi in Washington has a great video also on YouTube called Back to Eden, which champions a very similar approach to feeding the soil as Charles does but with wood chip instead of compost.
And finally as promised my report as to whether or not my sweet peas survived that snow – no they didn’t. Thankfully I can replace them with my January sown ones and still enjoy a slightly later crop and another lesson in patience learnt.
Anyway, thanks for checking back. As always I’d love to know your thoughts, do you follow the practice of no dig in your garden? How’s it working for you?
As I jot down this blog entry it’s evening on Thursday 9th March, this morning we woke up to a garden full of snow, enough to keep us home, at least for the morning until the rain came in and began to turn it all into sludge on the roads and we could carry on with our busy routines.
Snow day 1. 2023
By the evening, a new book I’d ordered only last night had arrived (thanks amazon) and as the rain poured outside I jumped right into the story of another florist, flower grower and gatherer, living in the here and now, working with the seasons and creating joy with all that nature has to offer- in the moment. Beautiful, simple, childlike joy. So, I recommend this book – Flower Philosophy by Anna Potter of Swallows and Damsons.
You may remember from last weeks post that just four days ago my baby sweet peas got planted out into the beds in the garden now they are sleeping under a blanket of snow with temperatures forecast to reach as low and minus 7 tomorrow night, I’ll be sure to let you know how they hold up, or not as the case may be…..
The sweet peas in the snow. Thursday 9th March 2023
Friday 10th March, more snow had arrived overnight. I always get excited to see snow when I open the curtains in the morning, I don’t know why, but I never expect it, even if it has been forecast and the excitement I feel now, is still the same as when I was little. I rush to get ready and run out, to just be in it. So I rushed out this morning to make the first footprints in the garden and then the first foot prints down the lane and then after another cuppa, the first foot prints into the woods. Some people love being in the woods, they find comfort, almost cosiness in the woods, in the same way some people find comfort on the coast. I prefer being in open spaces and on the hills, I don’t love being in woods, I find them eerie, but in the snow, for some reason, the woods are where I love to be.
Snow day 2. Woodland wandering. Friday 10th March.
Back in the garden, the branches of the pine trees were so heavy, completely encapsulated in ice. As the sun came out by mid morning icy casings of tree branches began falling to the ground like glass. By dusk the sweet peas were still under the blanket of snow, maybe it will protect them from the now updated forecast of minus 9 overnight low for tonight? I’ve covered the seedlings in the greenhouse over with fleece just to be on the safe side. Germination is really slow this year, I don’t think it’s been quite warm enough to get everything going. I’m learning that it really wouldn’t hurt to wait a little longer.
Pine trees encased in icy snow.
Saturday 11th March, still snow on the ground, the sweet peas are still hidden under it. The yew hedging for the boarders that Simon had prepped last week arrived on Thursday and we couldn’t wait any longer to get them in the ground. So we ventured out today and in the sleet and snow we got them in. Hooray!
Snow day 3. Yew hedging in. The neighbours must think we are crazy!
Im eager to get going on the field but I’m still waiting for compost to be delivered for the new no dig beds, so there is no update on that at the moment, probably next week.So while things are a little quiet because of the weather I thought it would be a good idea to give my thoughts on sustainability in floristry- particularly about floral foam as I have been asked quite a few times – did you use flower foam to make that? And the answer is no and so I feel the need to share my thoughts…
I really strongly believe that the flowers we consume, that we gift to our loved ones and that we use to mark milestones in our lives shouldn’t contribute to the harm of the planet and needn’t. I see despair in a bunch of roses in March filling the entrances of our supermarkets, roses, which have travelled halfway across the planet, that are sprayed in pesticides and treated with silver nitrate to preserve them for their very long journey. If you’ve stuck your nose into them whilst you stood in the queue to pay you know there is no scent in them, there is no movement to their stems, and then theres the plastic wrapping, does the buyer even really see their beauty I wonder?
If you are a florist or flower grower and on social media, I’m sure you’ll resonate with me on this one- we don’t need to see another post on why we shouldn’t be using single use plastic especially floral foam, right!? And it’s true, I think the industry is preaching to itself and I also wonder is the message getting out to the customer?.. So, if your a florist or flower grower that loves working with what the seasons offer and like me, you despair at the sight of roses jabbed into a block of floral foam or wrapped in swathes of plastic in March, you really don’t need to read this post! But if you are wondering how I arrange my flowers and why I don’t use single use plastic for them (including floral foam) then this post is for you.
Thankfully, there is a huge shift in the floral industry that has been happening in Britain over the last decade, in both floral design and in flower farming. Networks such as flowers from the farm have led the way- championing, locally grown, seasonal flowers all over the country, connecting local growers with each other and their customers and sharing ideas on how to make the floral industry more sustainable and seasonal. Social media has certainly also helped, because of social media the amateur and professional can share design ideas and practical methods, information is freely available and generously shared. I don’t have any formal floristry training or horticulture qualifications, yet I, and many like me feel equipped to grow flowers for cutting and arranging in a sustainable way. The sustainable way of working with flowers is simple. In fact, I wonder if this lack of training helps the ‘florist’ feel freer in their work, where the trained florist who learnt their methods using floral foam may now find it more of a challenge to design without it? Unfortunately floral foam methods are still taught in colleges today. I believe that floristry should be available to anyone who wants to have a go, it can, of course be elaborate, and if you desire it should be – flowers are for beauty and your pleasure after all, but it should also be quite possible, for a stroll with some snips around your garden to result in the most enchanting of floral arrangements fitting for any life event!
I also think it’s really important to acknowledge at this point that so much emphasis (especially in the case of plastic floral foam) is put on what happens at the end life of a product, it’s also important to consider what are the methods that go into producing the product not just what happens to it after it’s been used. It could be that the production of floral foam for instance is less resource draining than say a reusable plastic vessel? Food for thought…
It’s also worth reminding ourselves that sustainability isn’t the only consideration in any business it’s just one small part. It’s the florists job to create something beautiful for their client and something that realises their clients vision not just their own- of course they can, and should explain why they would prefer not to use plastic foam in their work if that is their intention. However there might be an instance when the thing the client would like cannot be achieved in any other way than to use foam and even after having a discussion with the client they still want to go ahead with that particular design! So that being said, for the florist who relies on the job to pay the bills and put food on the table, it would certainly be wrong to shame them for their use of floral foam in that instance- this is sadly the kind of mantra currently on social media.
For me right now at this early stage in my business I’m in a privileged position where I don’t rely on the income from my flowers to pay my bills so I can strictly say I don’t use floral foam in any of my work, this may mean turning down some jobs in the future but for other florists this may be more tricky.
So with all that said, I want to share with you how I made this arrangement that is on my homepage; the church arch. I used flowers grown in my garden such as delphinium, corn flowers, roses and ammi. And foliage such as Himalayan nutmeg, ivy and jasmine. It was my first attempt at a large installation and so there is of course much to improve upon but I just wanted to have a little record to show it is completely possible to do without the use of single use plastics or floral foam. Of course this is just one small way of using less plastic in our designs but I think worth sharing because I don’t think anything is compromised in the overall finished result by not using foam. The whole structure can be used many many times and adapted if needed for many events. I hope you find something useful from it.
Wedding arch with foam free mechanics.
Here’s how I made it:
First I chose a branch, it needs to be pretty chunky, straight at the bottom with a nice arching shape at the top. My branch was hazel but you could use what ever you have an abundance of. I then set my branch in an old flower pot using cement.
Next I wrapped my branch in a couple of layers of chicken wire using string and cable ties, to secure it.
Next I nestled plastic grave vases into the chicken wire, these hold water for the flowers in the design that wouldn’t cope well being out of water. By using these vases in the design, it would also be possible to make the flowers that go in them as little hand tied bouquets, which guests could take home and enjoy after the event.
Then I packed moss into the chicken wire to begin to cover it over. The moss can be watered when in situ to help keep any greenery fresh.
chicken wire, moss and grave vases added. Also see how the whole thing goes into a water bucket and then the decorative basket.
Once in situ, the whole structure was put into a larger bucket of water into which flowers and greenery can be added to give the effect that the piece is growing up from the basket. The bucket of water was then put into a basket to make it pretty. You will then need to secure the structure to some thing stable or tie it down somehow-for this particular job I was able to use some sturdy wire to attach it to the wall from some hooks which were already in place.
Now the mechanics are in place you can start adding your greenery, it’s a good idea to have a helping had at this point. Someone prepping the foliage and passing it to you so you don’t have to keep hopping up and down from the hop up.
Once you’re happy that there is a good base of green and most of the mechanics are covered you can begin to add your flowers. And then finally add any smaller buckets of flowers around the main installation and soften any edges with moss to finish. Ta da!
Building up the greenery Focal flowers going in.The finished result.
If you are interested in finding out more about foam free mechanics in floral design, there are a few great books I can recommend:
The flower hunter by Lucy hunter
Flower philosophy as mentioned above, by Anna Potter
A guide to floral mechanics by Sarah Diligent
Floral evolution by Catherine Foxwell
On Instagram you could also follow @sustainablechurchflowers for foam free ideas and @greenwashtheflowers to learn more about sustainable floristry.
On podcasts Vic and Jess of The flower girl podcast, do a brilliant interview with Stephanie Gillespie of Smithers Oasis (episode 61) all about the ins and outs of floral foam and their newer more environmentally conscious alternatives.
And on YouTube and Instagram Georgie Newbury of Common Farm flowers provides all round advice on working in step with what nature has to offer and creates the most beautiful, honest floristry straight from her garden.
Thank you for checking in this week, it’s been a bit of a long rambling one in the end but please do leave your comments, I’d love to chat with you and learn what you want me to be posting about in my little corner of the web!
