Keep ‘mum

pics from Woolmans

The flowery folk of Twitter have been getting into a lather this week about chysanthemums. If you have relegated them to the compost heap as being cheap garage forecourt flowers in nasty shades of yellow and pink, you are not alone. Worse still, my limited market research (carried out next to a bucket of sad looking specimens near the door in Budgens) revealed that they conjure up an image of dead graveyard flowers. Chysanthemums are so ‘last year’. #britishflowers this week aimed to explore the subject, dispel the myths and rebrand ‘mums ready for next year when they will burst onto the British flower growing scene.

If you want to see chysanthemums in a new light check out Floret Flower Farm. To flower growers and florists on Twitter, Erin seems to be floral royalty and plenty of tweeps got over excited when a visit was mooted. (I just like looking at the pics.) Even more exciting for me was the challenge of finding a variety acceptible to my Welsh chum Rachel, a self-confessed chrysanthemum hater. I found a chink in her armour when she said the green ones were okay. I like Anastasia Green (pictured above) but I’m going to have to grow ‘Froggy’. We have a tradition of planting things which remind us of milestones in the lives of our children. When they were little Mr Countrygate and I spent hours reading ‘Froggy gets Dressed’ to all three of them. They were obsessively attached to it and we quite like the silly voices we developed to make it a highly entertaining read for all concerned. So ‘Froggy’ gets a place in our garden next year and in the school flower patch.

Here’s the write up from Sara Davison. Go on, grow some ‘mums next year or at least buy some from those of us who do.

This week’s subject, the chrysanthemum and why they no longer appear to be a flower of choice, was inspired by a blog post by Erin Benzakein of Floret Flower Farm (@FloretFlwrFarm). Once the link appeared on Twitter and was read and re-tweeted a few times by #britishflowers growers my co-conspirator Sara W(@myflowerpatch) and I decided it would make a great discussion topic.  But uncertain that we’d fill a whole hour with chrysanthemum chat we opted to split the topic and cover two subjects in the session.  How wrong we were – but in a very very good way!

We opened the chat and earlier in the day B J Richards Flowers (@UkFreshFlowers) had Tweeted that they were destroying their plants because they were unable to sell the flowers, that had me worried then, thinking we’d chosen a subject that would not get the chat going.  However then Erin joined us which for #britishflower growers, in fact flower growers anywhere, was a bit like Royalty stopping by for a cup of tea!  It was fantastic and the hour buzzed by even faster than usual, and we filled 60 minutes+ with chrysanthemum focused chat, and a side order of potential travel plans!

So before I start on the notes proper, a huge thanks again to Erin for taking the time to join #britishflowers hour (I haven’t worked out what time of day it was for her, but I hope it was not too anti-social), and well done Sara for inviting her in the first place.

Chrysanthemums – warnings against…

Cheap imports from Holland and supermarkets have taken their toll on #britishflowers.  Too often chrysanthemums form a staple part of the petrol station forecourt ‘bunch’ or are sold in single colour sprays wrapped in cellophane; no imagination used at the supermarket.  Horror of horrors, people have seen them dyed outlandish colours; blue flowers anyone?

Chrysanthemums – reasons to try…

The brilliant range of colours that are so perfect for autumn and winter days.

The way that with care and attention you can cultivate single specimen blooms of a size and form to knock a florist’s socks off – if you think how dahlias give oompf to a later summer bouquet, chrysanths do the same this time of year.

They last for ages as a cut flower, which is critical now that the central heating is going on.

Chrysanthemums – things you should know/consider if planning to grow next season…

They require work – bought as young cuttings from specialist growers in early Spring they need potting up and bringing on in a greenhouse/polytunnel/porch or other sheltered  and frost free spot. 

They can be planted out in larger pots in the Summer – but take care against slug and snail attack.  They are also susceptible to damp, aphids, caterpillars, white rust…

You need to pinch them out, disbud and generally take loads of care to cultivate single blooms if you want specimen flowers.  I have no experience to share but if you read the guides available from the growers’ websites (Chrysanthemums Direct, Woolmans  etc) you should find all you need there.

After growing outdoors all summer and making majestic plants they need bringing under cover again for the winter – and this is where a poly tunnel/greenhouse becomes more essential.  It’s one thing protecting little cuttings in the spare bedroom at the beginning of the growing season, but another matter trying to find house room for 4’ (and taller) specimens once the days start turning chilly.  So do think carefully about this aspect.

An important tip – don’t try keeping a plant going beyond one flowering season; this is too much of a disease risk. (Although I’m sure you would be able to use it to propagate from…but look and see what advice the growers give on their websites).

Chrysanthemums – once you’ve grown your blooms…

Using them in arrangements and bouquets – for the best inspiration and ideas look on Instagram at photos posted by Erin, Claire (PlantPassion) Georgie and Garden Gate Flowers to name but a few.

Selling them to florists – several well chosen blooms of contrasting/clashing colours and mixed flower forms should have them biting your arm off to get at them!  Claire (PlantPassion) told the story of a florist who’d initially said ‘no chrysanths’ but now snaps them up – very satisfying.

Perhaps therefore, we need to see a ‘less is more’ approach?  If the large scale wholesalers are cutting back on chrysanthemum production to concentrate on something else that generates a better return might that not leave a little window open for us ‘indie’ growers who can experiment with a wider selection of the more unusual varieties?

UK Suppliers:

Chrysanthemums Direct

Woolmans

Sarah Raven

Halls of Heddon

Trainview Farm

And the travel bit?  Well we’re either planning a mass exodus of #britishflowers growers to visit Erin in the US or she is planning a #britishflowers roadtrip to see as many of us as she can fit in – either way there are some exciting times ahead!

I do hope I’ve not missed anyone or anything – join us on Twitter next Monday 8-9pm for the full experience.

Sara

The Handpicked Flower Company

(@HandpickedFlwrs, @inoutofmygarden)

Workshops – they’re not just for Christmas. Sawdust optional.

pic from Saffy at Bath Flowers  

It’s that time of year when most folk are thinking of prepping for Christmas – unless you’re my lovely mate Sally, in which case your gifts have been bought and wrapped since June, the baubles are twinkling brightly on the tree and the turkey has had its place booked on the kitchen table since last year. Prepping for Christmas may well include consideration of a ‘workshop’ or two – either as an ‘experience’ gift for a loved one or a pre-Christmas treat for yourself.

For years I firmly believed that all workshops resembled my set designer chum Phil’s sawdust-encrusted barn. Apparently this is not the case. In fact, workshops are opportunities for ladies to eat cake, drink coffee, make friends and learn new skills! I say ‘ladies’, though gentlemen are by no means excluded. It’s just in my experience they tend to call them ‘courses’ – like the hedge-laying ‘course’ my husband has been wanting to do for ages. Courses are more likely to involve a lunchtime trip to the pub.

Whatever your gender, workshops/courses are “hopeful things, sold on so much promise”. I know. I run them with the most critical audience of all – children. Witness the faces full of expectation at The Paragon School in Bath some weeks ago when I arrived dressed as a Viking to lead activities in the woods, or my daughter’s face when I surprised her with a Christmas wreath- making workshop with Grace at Young Blooms a couple of years ago. Sadly sometimes that promise is dashed as the discovery is made that the workshop leader is pants at teaching and is just on a self-promotion exercise. I attended one of these once – a gift from a good friend. It got worse when I discovered that some of the other people at the workshop were mates of the leader there to make up the numbers and say nice things about her. I should say, at this point, that we thoroughly enjoyed our wreath-making workshop with Grace and my daughter came away with the knowledge and confidence to tackle the job entirely unaided last Christmas. Result!

#britishflowers hour this week afforded an opportunity for flowery tweeps to chat about workshops and ask questions, recommend courses they’d been on and tell all about courses they run. Poor Sara Davison was beseiged for an hour whilst Sara Willman bunked off to a recording of BBC Gardeners’ Question Time with me. She has redeemed herself somewhat by trawling through tweetdeck and compiling the summary of recommended or self-recommended workshops which I have included below for any interested parties.
Christmas workshops

• Angela Coulton @AngelaCoulton mentioned upcoming workshops @lovecedarfarm 29 Nov and 1 Dec getting creative with dried materials.

• Cherry @kilcoanGardens runs festive workshops in the barn, wreath making & table arrangements. Mulled wine, Christmassy Music, & good craic. Cherry also operates a pick & mix bar at her Christmas wreath courses so each one is unique! http://kilcoangardens.com
• Carole @Tuckshopflowers runs wreath making workshops http://www.tuckshopflowers.com There will be lots of mulled wine and mince pies, maybe even Frank Sinatra’s Christmas CD!
• Sharon Davis @interiorsflower has festive workshops beginning on 28th November http://www.interiorsandflowers.com Wreath making, winter garland, & table decoration. Also holding a couple at Cothay Manor foraging in the beautiful gardens & with a fabulous lunch included.

Floristry and flower farming workshops
• FlowersFromTheFarm @cutflowergrower is running Floristry for British Flowers. Sat 1st Sun 2ND Feb in Harrogate at the Majestic Hotel.
• Garden Gate Flowers @GGFlowerCo organizes courses for Italian holiday groups and is looking at doing workshops focusing on different eras which proved a popular idea amongst the #britishflower folk. They also run a one to one course for industry folk to snoop around Garden Gate Flower farm with help & advice on setting up a patch.
• Sussex Flower School @TheSussexFlower has loads of floristry courses which include all materials and lunch. One of the most popular courses is One to One intensive setting up as wedding florist week which covers business side as well as growing. There is a 20% discount available on courses in Dec in Period Living Magazine. Valid for a year.
• Andrea Jones @MayfieldFlowers has cutting & arranging garden flowers workshops May+July 2014 with a discount for booking now. http://www.mayfieldflowers.co.uk
• Sara Venn @Saralimback will be running courses on growing in 2014 in Bristol http://www.thephysicgarden.co.uk
• Green and Gorgeous @GandGorgeous now have ‘masterclasses’ to take your flower growing to the next level, & consultations for growers http://www.greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk
• Gill Hodgson@thepatientmole says the next ‘Start Growing Flowers For Market’ course will be in March, in EastRiding (which comes recommended by Paula Baxter @flowerpotpolly http://www.newmainsfarm.co.uk)
• Wild & Wondrous@WildAndWondrous do summer vase workshops using all British flowers http://www.wildandwondrousflowers.co.uk
• Marie McLeish@MyGardenCoachUK is happy to run ‘Plan to succeed workshops’ and collaborate with flower schools. DM Marie on Twitter or email for info Marietmcleish@gmail.com
• Flowers by Shamini @FlowersShamini recommends Jane Packer Hand-tied course, which gave her the flower bug!
• Yvonne Ramsay @ollieroseandblu attended http://www.fusionflowers.com summer school this year in Scotland with http://www.bjoernkroner.deabfab @Alisonsuper(Alison Bradley) let us cut from her garden
• Gillie Wilkinson @plantsandposies has posted step by step instructions on willow wreaths, Russian vine, solanum, dogwood, ribbon bow http://etonavenuegrowersassociation.wordpress.com

• Also mentioned in despatches were courses run by Clare at Plant Passion and Georgie at Common Farm
Snippets of information were exchanged and questions asked about whether there were courses specifically for wedding flowers, how to attract men and children to courses, whether there were any courses in Birmingham and whether you need extra insurance to run courses. The answer to the latter is inform your insurer but it should be covered in your public liability insurance.
I have not been on any of these workshops and have no drum to bang but I think I know a thing or two about what makes a good ’un.

• Look for a leader who is engaging, really knowledgeable, adaptable and able to facilitate an environment where people can take risks, experiment, grow in confidence and learn. If someone comes away feeling discouraged, that’s not good.
• Great workshops get the balance right with a third of the time spent on demonstration and the rest being very hands on and student focused with opportunities for feedback, discussion and exchanging ideas with the other students. All materials/tools should be provided.
• 6-10 people is deemed a good number to attend a workshop and 10-3 with a lovely lunch a good timescale
• Students should leave feeling like they’ve done work, and have some work they can take home with them if they choose and an idea of how to move onto the next stage.
•  The best advertisement is the unsolicited praise of someone who’s been on a previous course. A good friend of mine went on a Green and Gorgeous Workshop and said it gave her confidence and knowledge where other workshops had failed. Praise indeed.
• Whatever you arrange to show or teach people at your workshop, they’ll enjoy talking to other attendees best. Build in space for this.

By the way, BBC Gardeners’ Question Time is to be broadcast on Nov 29 at 3pm and, by the magic of radio we will also be present at a recording for broadcast on Jan 10th.On the panel was Christine Walkden, who could certainly run a fantastic workshop.

Sweet inspiration

When the weather and my personal work Everest has allowed,  I’ve been out on the allotment tidying up for Winter. I fear the cutting patch has yielded the last of this year’s blooms and seeds – always a sad time. One of my most pressing  jobs is whacking down the frost -blackened dahlias and mulching. I know this is contrary to all the advice about lifting and storing your dahlia tubers. But, let’s face it, what ordinary grower has room for industrial quantities of tubers packed in buckets of sand or spent compost? In Wiltshire a few good inches of leafmould or compost will keep them warm over the Winter. No fuss gardening at its best.

Of course, there are always positives about the cold, wet, dark days of Winter for the grower. One of those is time to reflect, plan, take stock and look for inspiration for next year’s growing season. Having covered inspirational books recently, last week’s #britishflowers hour on Twitter highlighted inspirational flowery garden blogs. The list was extensive and will fill many a damp wintery afternoon with no problem at all and it will be Spring before we know it. Thanks to Sara Davison as always for the summary. You’ll find it in full on the Flowers from the Farm website.

I’ve picked my personal favourites – blogs which have a great story to tell, useful advice and are lovely to look at. In truth, I’m not big on blogs which exist merely to sell sell sell. I buy from real people telling real stories. Start with these and you won’t regret it.

higgledygarden.com  Ben grows flowers on a field in Cornwall. His blog is a quirky mix of laid back organic gardening and easy to follow advice about growing flowers ‘to impress girls’.

CountToTwenty.co.uk  Karen gardens at Trinity College in Cambridge and has spent the last season, in addition to her regular gardening work, growing cut flowers in an experimental way for the good folk who work there. Her blog is an honest account of of the less well known flowers to grow in your patch, what works in the ground and in the vase and what doesn’t. She knows oodles.

wellywoman.wordpress.com  Lou knows all about allotment cut flower growing. So much so that she’s been commissioned to write a book which is out in March. Her blog is full of observational advice about growing all sorts of things and what to do with it.

thegardengatecompany.co.uk    Inspirational, aspirational and very pretty to look at. Maz and Becca’s blog tells the story of their flower field and their flower business in Cornwall.

Peternyssen.com  Hardworking Karen at Peter Nyssen is a mine of information on bulbs, how to grow them and which varieties are best for your needs. She is also incredibly generous in her time and advice to all comers. Service efficient, quality superb.

mytinyplot.com  This was the first blog I ever read. Tells the story of being a novice, acquiring an allotment and learning to grow right through to redesigning your home growing space, having a family and moving to another country as a skilled grower.

Once you’ve immersed yourself in these there are loads of others on the full list, recommended (or self-recommended) by the good #britishflower tweeps.

Happy reading.

pic courtesy of Sara Willman (@myflowerpatch), another inspirational and generous flowery friend. She seems to be reading a blog I recognise. 🙂

This year’s cake

Sometime’s life moves on apace and I find myself running to catch up. What I needed yesterday was a relaxing day in the kitchen assembling the ingredients for the Christmas cake and watching the world go by whilst it baked and filled the kitchen with the heady scents of a Christmas to come. What actually happened was a lightening bake to the strains of Barwick Green neatly sandwiched between washing rugby kit and answering emails. And yes, I did have to get out of bed at near midnight to take it out of the oven. I’m sure Mary Berry is far more relaxed and organised.

You can read here about how Christmas cake is a bit of a moveable feast in this house. But here, as promised is this year’s recipe and method if you fancy trying it. It comes courtesy of local cake baker  Sandra Monger with the inevitable tweaking I simply cannot resist.

• 250g currants

• 250g raisins

• 250g sultanas

• 90g glacé cherries

• 50g chopped candied citrus peel

• 60g Dried cranberries and blueberries mixed

• finely grated zest of  ½  a lemon and ½ an orange

• 275g plain flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¾ teaspoon ground mixed spice

• 225g butter

• 225g dark brown sugar

• 4 medium free range eggs

• 2 tablespoons each sherry and dark rum

Method

Preheat oven to gas mark 2  or 150 °C  (130 °C for a fan assisted oven).Grease and double line a deep 8 inch/20cmcake tin using non-stick baking paper. Fold a 27 inch/69cmlength of  brown paper to form a strip that stands 5cm above the depth of your baking tin. Place the paper around the outside of the tin and  tie it in place with string. This extra brown paper will protect the cake edges while baking.

Gather, weigh and  prepare the dried ingredients.  Sort through the currents,  raisins and sultanas and remove any stalks.  Wash and dry the cherries and chop them in half.

Place the dried fruit, cherries, candied citrus peel and grated zest in a large bowl and mix well.  Add 1 tablespoon each of sherry and rum and leave to stand.  Mine stood for over a week!

Sift the flour and spices into a separate bowl.

Break the eggs into a jug, and whisk lightly with a fork.

In another big bowl cream the sugar and butter until light,  fluffy and pale in colour.  If you are using treacle add it now.

Add the whisked egg to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time, along with a  tablespoon of the sifted flour. .

Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the remaining flour. Then stir in the dried fruits. Combine well.

Spoon the cake mixture into the pre-lined cake tin. Use a wet spoon to ensure that the mixture is flat, level and smooth and that all the fruit is covered, to prevent it catching when baking.

Place a 9 or 10 inchsquare piece of non-stick baking paper over the rim of the cake tin to protect the top of the cake whilst baking.

Fold a piece of brown paper several times to make a nine or ten inch square, put it onto onto a baking sheet and place the full cake tin on top. The paper will protect the bottom of the cake from burning, and the baking tray will make the cake easier to remove from the oven.  Place the tray and cake on a shelf in the center of the oven.

Bake for two hours then turn the oven down gas mark 1 or 140 °C (120 °C  for a fan assisted oven).  Bake for a further two hours.

After four hours, remove the cake from the oven and test with a metal skewer as baking times can vary.  If the skewer comes out clean the cake is done.  If not return to the oven and retest every 10 minutes until done.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin, with a clean tea towel placed over the top to keep the moisture in. Once the cake is completely cold, turn it out of the tin. Prick the top of the cake with a sterile skewer.  Pour on the remaining sherry and rum, allowing the alcohol to soak into the holes before wrapping in greaseproof paper and an outer layer of  foil.

Happy Christmas baking.

It’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas.

Half Term is over and the fruit for this year’s Christmas cake is doing the booze infusion thing in the kitchen before I make it this weekend, when we’ll all have a wish and a stir. This means that it’s time to think about preparing the flowery treats that will make the house beautiful and festive come December.

Bowls of white hyacinths are carefully planted up and stowed under our bed at the moment. There are pots of paperwhite daffs at various stages of growth in the greenhouse. Some of these are for us and some are presents. Incidentally any well-prepared school holding a Christmas Fair could use this as a fundraising idea. Buy a job lot of bulbs; look out for pretty pots (Freecycle, donations from parents, charity shop finds) and get the children to plant them up in the Autumn.
There’s a bucket of pine cones and a few other foraged goodies in the shed already. Now I’m looking for inspiration for home makes with the children and school makes with my gardening class.
Happily #britishflowers hour on Twitter this week (Mondays 8pm) was a positive cornucopia of hints, tips and all round good advice for garlanding a Christmas home.Thanks as ever to Sara Davison for absorbing it all and putting it into order. Here’s her summary with a few added comments of my own.

Door wreaths and what to use to make them   Whilst we collect and prepare lots of ‘kit’ to make our door wreath now,I wouldn’t bother to make it up until the last minute. In our house it’s a weekend job towards the end of the Christmas term. If you make or buy your wreath too early you’ll be regarlanding it before Christmas.

So what is the ‘kit’ as recommended by the Twitter flower gang?

Lots of foraged things – rose hips, pine cones, bendy stems which can be wired to frames so as not to waste them, Alder and larch stems, with cones still attached can be woven together as a lovely base to start from – as can weeping birch, beech sticks and grape vines. Plait stems together to give body. Look for attractive coloured stems, Salix daphnoides got a special mention for its purple stems

Beautiful berries – Callicarpa (purple), Spindle, and of course let’s not forget how beautiful holly berries look in a festive wreath.

No-one appeared to be using Oasis/floral foam. Instead we are going for the biodegradable options such as woven willow and moss (ideally raked out of the lawn and stored in a cool damp spot to keep it fresh) attached to a wire frame.

Wire bases can be  wrapped with Virginia creeper stems – but you can also use clematis stems, dogwood, willow. NB Clematis seedheads respond well to glycerine treatment. (See below)

Dried seed heads/pods and everlasting/dried flowers (yarrow, astrantia, corncockle, astilbe, honesty – and grasses) look lovely wired onto wreaths – but need to be protected by a porch for best effect otherwise dried items are  likely to mildew.

We discussed the possibility of using chicken wire as a holder for moss – but this needs protective gloves, at least until all the spiky bits of the wire have been safely tucked away. Not a child-friendly option.

A recommended base for garlands is a length of thin rope that you can then wire foliage and flowers to.

Other things to add – pomegranates, chrysanths, fruit (and nuts) feathers (chat up your local game dealer) baubles, cinnamon sticks, ribbons.

Using glycerine to preserve stems      The recipe is one part glycerine to two parts very hot water – stir well until thoroughly mixed. Fill a tall container with 5cm of the solution and stand your chosen stems in it. Place in a cool dark place, check regularly and do not allow the glycerine solution to dry out; top up as necessary. Leave for 1-10 weeks depending on the type of leaves selected (therefore it would make sense if preserving more than one variety to use separate container for each one). The process is complete when all the leaves have turned colour and before beads of glycerine have begun to appear on them. Remove from the solution, wash and rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a cloth or kitchen paper. (Taken from The Flower Arranger’s Garden by Rosemary Verey – one of the recommended books from #britishflowers hour last month!)

For inspiration there were some beautiful examples of wreaths from @TuckshopFlowers, @GGF @emywish @TheFlowerFarmer. I’ve added a couple of pics of wreaths I’ve made with children and one from Sara Willman aka @myflowerpatch

@KilcoanGardens supplied a YouTube link to wreath making:

And if you are in the process of compiling a Christmas (or in my case birthday and Christmas) wishlist here’s what’s hip in gardening circles at the moment.

• ‘flower farmer’ aprons are much in demand – a stockist mentioned was premierworkwear.com . Fortunately I have a secret supplier, which I may be persuaded to reveal in due course. In the meantime I’m sure those nice girls @GGFlowerCo know a thing or two about stylish aprons. Check out their blog. @TheFlowerFarmer mentioned plans to sell some too. The choice is yours.
• Carbon bladed florists scissors – remember to dry and oil with a veg oil after use to prevent from rusting
• Flower snips – @niwakijake (niwaki.com) was mentioned as a good supplier to check out
• Felco secateurs – a ‘must’ for any forager’s pocket – ideally with a holster to store them in for those ‘quick draw’ moments). Felco also make florists scissors – worth checking out
• Luxury mulches and composts – see @Strulchmulch (strulch.co.uk) and @ViridorUK (viridor.co.uk)
• @Higgledygarden seeds – excellent stocking fillers
• Scented peonies from Kelways
• Knee pads
• Stylish overtrousers (do such a thing exist?). http://www.genus.gs has been recommended, but I’ve not yet checked out the link
• Any book from the list created on #britishflowers hour a couple of weeks ago
• Places on the wide and wonderful variety of floral workshops available

Other ‘wishlist’ items that might require a lottery win, a very generous maiden aunt or the ability to time travel and will, in no way, fit in a stocking are

• Workshop
• Polytunnel
• Cart for holding buckets, blooms etc
• A ‘Sherpa’ garden trolley (mine came from Freecycle and has a slightly dodgy wheel; @myflowerpatch has a nifty little number)
• An extra day in the week just for you
• Luxury/Vintage cars to make deliveries that bit more special
• Elves – as in ‘and the Shoemaker’ or a Harry Potter type house-elf (preferably not of the destructive moody sort ;))
• Guttering and water butts
• Petrol strimmer
• Time!
• A solar powered Wunda Weeder (see @fleurmania’s timeline for this).

That’s plenty of Christmas planning for now. This year’s cake recipe will follow in due course.

Poppy Days

Several people have asked about the article I wrote for the local press about the Centenary Poppy Campaign. Here it is in full.

pic courtesy of Sara Willman or possibly her mum.

My life revolves around the seasons and always has done. I like it that way. In September you’ll find me in the kitchen chopping apples for chutney with a pot of sunflowers on the window ledge. In October there’s usually some pumpkin soup on the stove whilst paperwhite daffodils are being carefully stowed away in a dark corner ready to pop up and brighten those dark midwinter days. In November I’m baking the Christmas cake whilst wearing a bright red poppy. It’s the one and only time in the year I tolerate unseasonal,artificial flowers.
The wearing of a cornfield poppy to commemorate those who have given their lives serving and defending our country in wartime is popular and widespread. Many of us understand the reasons for the choice of the red,’Flanders’ poppy (papaver rhoeas) as a symbol of remembrance. It seems so right and the sight of a field full of them never fails to kindle thoughts of those who didn’t return to walk in the fields at home. It can move me to tears far more easily than the millions of paper and silk poppies sold at this time of year.
Next year is the centenary of the start of The Great War. Consequently the Royal British Legion is seeking to celebrate the spirit of the fallen by covering the entire country in bright red poppies in August 2014. They want to create swathes of real poppies across fields, along motorways, in gardens, hedgerows and school playing fields and pockets of poppies in pots, planters and window boxes. This is the Centenary Poppy Campaign (formerly the Real Poppy Campaign) for which funding was sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund. (As we go to print this has been rejected.) But the organisers are determined to press ahead. Here’s where members of the public have a part to play. Doubtless many companies will jump on the bandwagon and start selling wildflower seed mixes with ‘commemorative’ poppies for next year but only The Centenary Poppy Campaign guarantees that profits go to benefit Royal British Legion projects.
We’ve heard a lot recently about the decline of wildflower meadows and the resulting difficulties for honey bees and other pollinators. In response to this pockets of wildflowers are beginning to spring up along motorways, on the edges of towns and even in gardens and window boxes. Anyone who visited the Olympic Park during the Summer of 2012 will bear witness to the breathtaking beauty of large swathes of wildflowers. The Olympic Park meadows which were created under the direction of Professor Nigel Dunnett in time for the London 2012 Olympics will continue to develop and delight visitors for many years to come. It’s a legacy of which we can be proud.
Earlier this year sixty ‘Coronation meadows’ were identified across the UK as part of a coronation anniversary campaign to restore threatened wildflower meadows, which have decreased by 97% since the 1930s. The project, led by the HRH the Prince of Wales and three livestock and wildlife organisations, will use seed and green hay from sixty designated ‘outstanding’ wildflower meadows to recreate new local ones, thus preserving the individual characteristics of each meadow.
On a smaller scale we can all create a patch of wildflower heaven and there are a plethora of initiatives, companies, charities and individuals to help. Many seed companies have started to sell special meadow mixes; social enterprises like Project Maya, which aims to promote sustainable agriculture are creating seed balls to encourage quick and easy planting of small areas of wildflowers by individuals, schools and community groups. I’ve even spent a couple of days working for the National Trust with children making balls of wildflower seeds to sow to encourage bees and butterflies. There have been moves seeking to increase the biodiversity of roadside verges countrywide by not mowing until the wildflowers have set seed. Now it’s the turn of the Royal British Legion to harness this awareness of the importance of pollinator friendly wild areas and promote their cause at the same time.
I like the joined-up thinking which has lead to this initiative. It’s a creative way of commemorating the fallen of The Great War, whilst at the same time enhancing the environment in a cost-effective, ‘green’ and sustainable way and increasing the biodiversity and beauty of small pockets of the land. As a one-off project it requires few resources, little time and no great knowledge of gardening. Moreover if you want to support the initiative but can’t do more than donate to a packet of seeds, the Royal British Legion Riders branch will cast the poppy seeds on your behalf to ensure national coverage.
There are a number of ways to get involved. Early birds who registered for free seeds will receive a pack and all schools will get an education pack to help them on their way. B & Q have agreed to sell packs of poppies and to donate all profits to the fund. Some communities are giving away packs of campaign seeds as part of a wider awareness campaign demonstrating the impact of The Great War on their locality. Or you can get seeds online from http://www.realpoppy.co.uk, where you will also find out further details. You can choose to buy 1000, 5000 or 10000 seeds at a time and, if correctly cast, a flowering rate of 85% is estimated.
Once you have your seeds, here’s how you go about making it all happen.
• First of all don’t be tempted to sow your poppy seeds too soon. Aim to stagger your plantings from late April to July of 2014 and, provided that the soil is tilled or loosened, you should have poppies blooming well into October and have a good show on August 4th, which is the ‘big day’.
• Poppies will grow in most soils but will not reach their full height unless the soil is disturbed or raked over. This is important to remember for consecutive years when they could easily become choked out by competing grasses or struggle in compacted soil.
• Poppies hate to be overcrowded. The easiest way to sow large areas is to mix a pinch of seeds with a handful of sand and broadcast sow them. (Think of honing your discus throwing technique.) For smaller areas a more controlled approach is to sow a couple of seeds every 5 inches or so and rake them in. If you do this in May, you should see shoots within a week. Keep them moist and they should romp away in mid summer, provided that the sun shines.
• Tempting though it is to take part in a spot of guerrilla gardening, it’s best not to sow your poppies near agricultural land to reduce the need for farmers to use herbicides to destroy the poppies should they become prevalent in fields of wheat, oil seed rape or barley. Don’t sow on sites of scientific interest or public access areas without the permission of the landowner. It’s soul-destroying to see your beautiful poppy patch strimmed to the ground before it’s really got going.
For a thing of beauty for one year only, that’s all there is to it. But I like to get my money’s worth out of a packet of seeds. How do you keep your poppies flowering year after year?
If your vision is for beautiful red poppies bobbing away among golden heads of grass put all thought out of your head of happily tossing a few handfuls of seeds on bare ground, freecycling the mower and putting your feet up. Poppies have a penchant for cornfields for good reason. They grow and set seed. The corn is cut and harvested. The field is ploughed and up they spring again in the disturbed soil. It’s labour intensive. These days you’re more likely to see beautiful poppies growing in the midst of road works than anywhere else.
Cultivating cornfield poppies successfully in a garden relies on choosing an area with poor soil and ensuring that it stays that way. If it’s too rich, up come the weeds to squeeze the life out of your beautiful flowers. Our most successful poppy patch at home has emerged as a result of sowing a homemade mix of field poppies, pot marigold (calendula), borage, cornflowers and sunflowers. The first three will self seed quite happily (and prolifically) but you’ll need to re sow the cornflowers and sunflowers annually. And, if you find the weeds and grass taking over, harvest all the seeds and start again next year. On a small patch (or in large pots) this is easy.
I’d like to see Bradford on Avon ‘planting the town red’ in 2014.Elsewhere in Wiltshire a group in Malmesbury has already taken up the baton and given away 1,000 packets of poppy seeds to members of the local community. Members of Malmesbury and Villages Community Area Partnership (MVCAP) have started The Great War Project which will highlight the experiences of local people before, during and after The Great War and build something positive for the future. Their first initiative is to get poppies blooming across the area.

In Bradford we’ve already flexed our community growing muscles with an edible planter in Lamb Yard, a successful community agriculture project and veg box scheme at BOACA on the Bath Road and the transformation of the railway station with creative planting. At Fitzmaurice School, where gardening is now on the curriculum we hope to be sowing a modest poppy meadow in the grounds and also sending each child home with their own poppy pot to nurture. Details of our progress will be published in the local press, on the school gardening website and on here. We are only too happy to share our experiences and offer advice to anyone who would like to join in and sow their own poppy patch. I hope you do.

Bulb ‘festival’ at The Patch

Half term is nearly over and most of our bulbs are in the ground – or in the case of hyacinths, under the bed Just the tulips to go but we wait several weeks until it gets cold to pop those in. My friend Sara had a few more than us to plant in her flower field on the edge of Salisbury Plain so one of our holiday trips has been over there to help out.
I can heartily recommend a family day in the open air digging trenches, popping bulbs in and checking out the wildlife interspersed with soup, homebaked bread (in industrial quantities) and cake. Between us we managed about 700 bulbs in the space of three hours, leaving plenty of time for a bit of seed sowing of hardy annuals in modules to compensate for those munched by ravenous slugs.

Planting bulbs for cropping is very different from beautifying your garden in preparation for Spring. And with keen children involved it pays to prep in advance.Here’s a few tips for bulb planting with kids…

1. Sort your bulbs and write your labels in advance.
2. Mark out the narrow beds beforehand so that it’s clear to everyone which is the bed and which the path.
3. Swap around the jobs regularly so that nobody gets bored or has backache.
4. It’s easy enough for bright kids to work out spacing if you tell them how many bulbs need to go in a marked out space. It’s the most enjoyable Maths lesson some kids will ever have.
5. Get them to check that bulbs are the right way round before back filling the trench.
6. Build in plenty of breaks for snacks, worm watching, puddle jumping, football. Ours were so engrossed that they didn’t take many breaks but it pays to be prepared.

Who says kids spend all their time on computers?

British Flowers on Twitter: lets get seasonal

British flower hour on Twitter last week was all about seasonality. Rather approriate when the year has most definitely turned and darker evenings and colder temperatures seem here to stay. British flower growers, like gardeners everywhere always have a foot in two camps – enjoying the here and now and planning for the future. Such was this week’s Twitter discussion.
Many of us are thrilled that we are still cutting buckets of flowers despite the weekend winds and heavy rain. In terms of what’s looking good well into October the following are favourites….
Asters
Japanese Anemone
Clary sage
Guelder rose and Spindleberry foliage
Hydrangea Limelight/Annabelle
Cotinus Royal Red (looks good with Sage)
Scabious
Dahlias
Physocarpus ‘Diabolo’
Dill, Fennel (bronze particularly good), Hyssop
Amaranthus
Elder (strip all leaves except for those at tip for good vase life)
Leycestaria formosa
Red curly kale & Ruby Chard
Choisya ternata
Chocolate Cosmos
Russian vine/Bindweed/Wild clematis/Virginia creeper – for making into wreaths (add pine cones and feathers)
Seedheads from libertia, crocosmia, phormium, astilbe (sprayed)
Carex ‘frosted curls’, Pampas grass

If you’re not growing many of these beauties this year they should surely be on the ‘to do’ list for next. Frankly my kids were thrilled when I started using chard in vases rather than on their dinner plates. (I’m just biding my time!) And look again at that list! That’s right. You can use bindweed to make a wreath. Who knew? I’ll see if I can find out a bit more about this as there’s plenty up for grabs.

Having enjoyed the fruits of last year’s labours picking buckets of blooms, it’s time to check out the seasonal tasks for your ‘to do now’ list courtesy of #britishflowers Twitterati.

Propagating
Insulating greenhouse
Seed head collecting/preserving for wreaths (Use 1 part glycerine:2 parts hot water – leave until all taken up)
Wreath making (see plant material ideas above)
Feather collecting (ask local game dealer), twig collecting
Bulb planting – including paperwhites at 10-day intervals for longer flower season. Remember wait until frosts before planting out tulips
Cleaning workrooms
Making leaf mould – collect in hessian sacks or black bags or wire bin (stab plastic bags with fork to allow air to circulate)
Pot washing
Path clearing (weeds and moss)
Remove worm casts from lawn (good for potting soil, as are molehills)

For school gardeners everywhere this is oh so useful. At a time when most gardeners are winding down and you’ve just got your class or gardening club for this school year enthusiastic, this provides hours of healthy, outdoor (and indoor) activity. I’ll be trying it post Half Term this week.

So there you have it what to do now to reap a flowery harvest next year.
Good luck, my friends.