Carol's Garden

View from the end of the propagation tunnel. A little wilderness of fennel, Erigeron, lime balm and mixed w**ds from the hedgerow. Mainly self sown and one of my favourite patches of the field. We do cut some stems from it, but never enough to spoil the view from the tunnel or the cover for hedgehogs sheltering in there. It’s a very popular spot for many insects too, trying to hold onto the swaying stems.
There are narcissi underneath too, for cutting in spring, before the airy canopy grows over again. So I can convince myself that it’s a productive as well as beautiful use of space.

Cutting big fluffy hydrangeas this week. Limelight, white and Pink Annabelle, Vanilla Fraise. They have loved all the wet weather this spring and summer and are big and stronger than ever. For two very hard-working florist customers making big fluffy installations for weddings this weekend.
Meanwhile, my world is turning to home - a long weekend of seeing (and meeting!) family and my local community, helping with our village show and bouquets for local delivery this morning.
Have a good weekend, whatever you’re up to.

Just a few dahlias and zinnias off to a fellow grower to top up her orders.
We’ve got a nice quiet week ahead. Only a few small wholesale orders and team holidays means we can get on with spring preparation. I’ve cleared out the cold frames, propagation tunnel and just filled it again, with first sowings of hardy annuals for next year. Then we need to start clearing the beds for them to go into, over the next few weeks.
And the cycle goes around again, with reassuring predictability. 🌱

Bucketfuls of dahlias at last.

Favourite corner of a trolley this morning. Picking lots of buckets for various events this week. And all colours, from whites through pastels to brights. Every bucket or trolley full is different. And there’s always a chance combination which catches my eye. This was today’s. Achillea, Nepeta, Scabiousa ochrolueca, Bidens aurea and a white Echinacea.
This is how I’ve learned about colour. Just by trying endless combinations, intentional and not.

A ‘just before you drive off’ snap of a load of wholesale flowers late yesterday afternoon. Three different briefs for three different events, for the lovely flower magician Emily and .
That’s the last of this week’s wholesale orders gone, so now I can turn my attention and snips to DIY bucket and bouquet orders for the end of the week.
But first, Paul and I have an appointment for a breakfast meeting and some planning for autumn, winter and for next year. We do this around this time every year. Take stock of the year so far, what we want to do differently next year and and big projects to tackle. Then we can start to add in timescales. It helps us to schedule what we need to do when, so we don’t miss key points in the season and to gear up for bigger projects for winter. And, importantly, to decide when we go on holiday ✨

Finally, we’re getting reasonable quantities of dahlias. They’ve really taken their time this year.
Even better, this means I’ve been able to set another Strictly Flowers Workshop date for Sunday 8th September, 10-13. This will probably be the last date for this year, so this is your final chance to come along to pick flowers and make an arrangement or bouquet to take home. It’s £75, book through the website (link in bio).
if you’ve got an outstanding gift voucher, now’s a good time to use it. Just message me with your voucher number to book on.
Looking forward to many more dahlias as well as all the other late summer-autumn beauties. Arguably the best time of the year to come.

A sea of peach, pink, coral and apricot statice. We’ve grown about 100 plants in a 5 sq m bed, and I cut 600 prime stems from it yesterday afternoon. Perfectly timed (for a change), after a few days of warm sunny days and minutes before rain arrived. We will dry this batch, and we’ve already cut some as it first started to flower, to use fresh. Plenty more to come too.
It’s such a good backbone mix of colours for late summer and autumn, and so hardy as a cut flower. Variety is Sunburst Apricot from . We’ve got some other colours too, but these are definitely the best performers and sellers for me.

A few very sunny days off, and there’s a tumble of roses in the polytunnel. Starting with these Koko loco immediately through the door. Lovely to see them fully develop and blow out - instead of picking them in loose bud as we usually do. What beauties ✨

A few days off this week, to be able to enjoy the warm weather and to celebrate my birthday with family and friends.
So here’s a huge mallow, grown from seed and flowering for the first time, wafting about in the breeze. I had no idea it would get quite so tall and I’d actually forgotten about it until it did this. No one has asked for 8 foot stems of pink this week, so it will stay there, for me and the bees to enjoy.

Soft pastels wholesale order. From white to pink, palest yellows and lilac. Including Thalictrum, Erigeron Daisy, oregano, phlox (perennial and annual), Scabious, snaps, zinnias, lavatera, Nepeta, clematis and three types of achillea. Oh and a handful of dahlias. Off to top up a fellow grower/florist for two weddings this week.
Meanwhile, we’ll be doing a quick w**d around the next crops and newly planted perennials, ready for late summer and autumn.
But it’s hot, so we will also be resting up in the shade quite a bit. Lots of things to plan this autumn and winter. 🤔💭📋

Classic blues, white & pinks DIY order for a beautiful summer wedding.
The bride came along to a workshop with her mum, best friend and her mum too, to practice how to ‘do the flowers’ for the wedding at home, just a few miles from here. Lots of helpers, a church as well as marquee to decorate - and bouquets and buttonholes too. They’re going to have such a good time, I’m certain.
Grown here, with extras (including that huuge Ammi) supplied by Rosie . It has been a busy week, with lots of wholesale orders and another smaller buckets & bouquets option still to do. I think we’ve had every colour in the workshop this week.
I’m now channeling vintage pinks and earthy oranges….

I’ve been going through all the zinnia varieties and seed we’ve grown, comparing them so far. Early days yet as some still to produce flowers.
Several varieties tried this year, and quite a bit of saved seed, so lots of variation in flower size, heads and colours, as well@as plant health and form. I do like smaller and single heads as they’re lovely to use in bowls and bouquets, but I might let some open right out later in summer.

Paul, helping pick for a wholesale order at the weekend. Meanwhile, I’ve been off to with Claire and a lovely group of the last intake of Flower Growers. We had a wonderful day, full of flowers, chat & laughter. And food. So much food.
But, back to my very wet field today. We’ll be cutting back and deadheading some early and rain-damaged plants, to get a second flush. And clearing some beds in the polytunnel to make space for later annuals. Full waterproofs required. Again.

6 buckets of lilac and soft pinks. Scruffy, wafty, tall and trailing, with lots of variety and texture. To be mixed with imported roses for mantelpieces, meadow, tables, and bouquets. For the lovely .road
And, funnily enough, I’ve got to pick almost the same again this morning…just a bit less scruffy.

Another bucket from earlier in the week, when there was a short break in the rain. Yesterday was relentless rain here. I don’t mind rain, but it makes our work much harder and slower. It does cause physical damage to some flowers and wet plants are prone to fungal problems. But thank goodness for polytunnels and low tunnels providing protection for softer flowers like these phlox. And grateful for those plants which shrug off all the rain without collapsing in a soggy heap. Like me, yesterday! 😳 🌧️🌧️🌧️

First bucketful of zinnias. A mix of varieties and saved seed. I generally prefer smaller, prettier heads and singles as much as doubles, and find them easier to use than the big doubles.
Quite a lot of plants yet to flower, and I’m always excited to see how they turn out.

Picking Scabious in the polytunnel last night, while the thunder crashes around outside. Unpredictable storms and rain have played havoc with my planned cutting schedule this week. Constantly checking forecasts and trying to cut in the intervals between downpours, judging what will cope best with the rain.
Anyway, I ended up here at the end of the evening, with these beauties. I know you’ll ask me what variety they are, and I can’t remember but will check. But I do know it’s a standard mix of annual Scabious. Several shades, but these are the stars. I’ll be marking the first two especially, and saving seed and taking cuttings….

Always thinking about colour. And fun to pick a few treasures for someone who also loves colour and has taught me so much over the years I’ve known her. Probably not enough, but these are popular colours this year and a shortage of sunshine is slowing things up.

Still picking Astrantia. One of many perennials that have loved the cool, cloudy and wet spring and early summer here. This bucketful actually from a week ago, but we’ll be picking more again this week. Almost all our plants originally grown from seed, some varieties bought as plants and many then divided further to bulk up. They are a reliable and valuable backdrop to many of our orders.
A break from picking today, I’m off to see a different garden. With my phone and notebook. Always looking for new plant ideas.

A good scabious year too! The plants have grown so big this year and hundreds of flowers and even more buds to come. Think everyone will be getting these in their orders this week. White is always earliest, but all colours coming along next. And at least we won’t have to bend down to pick them 😁✂️ 🪜

A good phlox year. We always have good and bad years for particular plants, especially annuals. Both our batches of phlox are looking great - as are the linaria and candytuft tucked in lots of places. Definitely a good year for them. But it’s a bad corncockle year. Too many have come up purple. And a bad larkspur year, thanks to slugs.

Half a bucket of little things, Candytuft and Linaria. They’re not really tall enough for big bouquets or arrangements, but perfect for bud vases, bowls and smaller bouquets. Where the prettiest little shapes can be seen close-up.
This is why, when we supply flowers for home or for florists, we like to know what you’re making with them. Then we can select the best scale and shape of stems. Flowers for bud vases can be very different to flowers for big installations.
But it’s Monday morning and I’m catching up on some admin and then picking again for a florist collection tomorrow. A very spread-out week, picking every day for events from Tuesday through to Tuesday next week. And some planting to do. Once we’ve cleared some beds of finished crops……The cycle never ends.

Simple little wedding bouquet heading off to a small celebration in London this weekend. All eyes were on the party up here next week and no one thought about flowers for the ceremony itself. Until lovely mum ordered this surprise bouquet to take down with her. I chose the colours to work with the bride’s beautiful simple dress and peridot jewellery, and designed it to work as a table centre for lunch in the garden after. It looked like a perfect, intimate wedding.
Now, back to that party….

A bucket of ‘last of’s.
The last of the Polemonium Apricot Delight. The sunny batch started flowering in April and then this bed under our apple trees is still producing a few flowers.
The last of our tunnel-grown sweet peas. Flowering since late May, although we lost a lot of flowers to bud drop with the cold nights through May and June. Clearing the bed this week to make way for chrysanths.
And the last of this beautiful lilac-pink nepeta. I bought one plant as a trial last year and it’s stunning. We’ve cut all the flowers now, but I’m sure we’ll get more through summer. So I need to check its name and grow more of it.
For now, it’s raining. Which I’m happy about.

First small cut of achillea for this year. One of my favourite flowers, not least because it just does so well here. It loves our light, sandy soil and copes with the acidity and dry conditions. Yes, our ground is drying out quickly after months of wet weather.
They are only really productive for 3 years so I have three beds on rotation, removing the oldest and replacing with new plants each year. All raised from seed, though I do divide plants I really like too, to give some blocks of single colours. Otherwise, it’s a mix. We reckon we can always find the perfect colours somewhere. And we cut buckets and buckets every year. And insects love it.

If you want beautiful, locally, outdoor grown roses, sweet peas and phlox for your wedding, get married in the summer! And hope we get warm dry sunny weather at just the right time…
These are a small section of a load of flowers for a wedding this weekend. It’s going to be very flowery and very beautiful, in the hands of the talented and lovely Jenna of

Lovely bed of Calendula, looking glorious in the sunshine this morning. The nearest, Snow Princess is my favourite - pretty lemon heads with darker centres. I grow them close together in light shade under our apple trees, to get longer stems and help keep mildews at bay.
We’ve been picking all morning - for a big wholesale order and for drying. First stems up on the racks now, in ideal conditions for drying.
And a lesson in self care. I always wear work trousers and boots when I’m working in the field. Yesterday, for some reason, I didn’t. And I’ve been stung or bitten by something which I’m reacting to - swollen, hot knee, dosed with antihistamines, anti-inflammatories and now antibiotics too. A lesson I thought I’d already learned…. 🤦‍♀️ Many thanks to my local pharmacist who says she follows me on here 👋 😂

Feverfew. The most obliging plant. I sow double white and yellow pompom types, but these semi-double ones pop up all over the place of their own accord. One of the w**ds/plants we usually leave in so there’s always some to cut. Different places, ages and cutting times mean we can almost always find some from early June right through summer. What a superstar plant. 🤍💛

Today’s favourite corner. Eschscholtzia (Californian poppies), flowering faster than I can pick them now that we’re getting much warmer weather and some glorious sunshine. Everything feels like it’s just poised, ready to burst out in flower. Except for those poor little annuals and dahlias that have fallen victim to the great slugmageddon of 2024.
I’ve been picking for a lovely wedding on Sunday…jars and bottles provided for us to fill with all the wild and garden beauties, plus bouquets and buttonholes. Then we’ll just drop it all off early on Sunday, for the groom, family and friends to put onto the tables. A great cost-effective option if you don’t fancy DIY.