FLOWERS
How to be blooming gorgeous!
Charlotte Tombs, an experienced Dorset flower farmer at Northcombe Flowers in Sturminster Marshall, shares her growing year and seasonal thoughts with us.
Autumn gardening is all about planning and protecting plants in order for them to give joy and excitement next year, says Charlotte Tombs It may surprise some people to learn that Autumn is a busy time of year for a flower farmer. One of the most important aspects about growing flowers from seed is that we have to look forward into the following year and this obviously means planning ahead. Like so many other businesses we keep our eyes focused on the latest wedding, fashion and colour trends. It is our job to to see what highly fashionable ‘society’ florists are using in their wedding florals and what the predicted new trends, colours and ideas will be as these will quickly make their way down to us in Dorset. We need to be ready as no one is going to want last year’s fashions! Planting now This week I have been busy planting my biennials which I sowed back in June. Normally around Midsummers’ Day is as good time as any but not if there is a heat wave forecast. You don’t “I’ve also been busy presoaking and planting up my ranunculus and anemones corms. Ranunculus are beautiful flowers with layer upon layer of petals that rather remind me of a ballerina’s tutu. What is fantastic about them is that they have a great vase life, and continue to grow and bloom in the vase. Tulips also continue to grow in the vase - you can find when you arrange tulips that a few days later you’re thinking they’ve put on a few centimetres in the water and grown at a funny angle.” 52
want to fry those seedlings. ‘the mouth’ opens and it looks Right now the soil is still warm just like a dragon). Larkspur is enough so it’s an ideal time another one to sow now. to plant the well-established These can all be over-wintered in biennial seedlings. You won’t see a cold greenhouse, sweet peas much leaf growth throughout can be kept in a cold frame or the winter months but the roots just under the eaves of a house will be growing, working deep or perhaps even under a garden down into the soil. table outside just to keep the Come the spring “...what new worst of the weather when the weather them. These trends, colours off improves and it’s stalwarts of your and ideas warmer they will cutting garden will put already have a head ‘society’ florists down a great network start and will be are using will of roots over the cold much quicker to winter months. Some quickly make reward you with of them such as the their way down cornflowers are quite an explosion of gorgeous blooms. to us in Dorset.” frost-tolerant and you can plant them pretty Pretty petals much at the end of Early autumn is also an February or the beginning of ideal time to get ahead with March. I do this with my sweet sowings of hardy annuals such peas as well but I do have a bit as calendula, cornflowers, of horticultural fleece at the sweet peas and antirrhinum ready just in case they need an (commonly known as extra layer if it’s going to be very snapdragons - those wonderful frosty or windy and, of course, flowers of one’s youth that we must protect against biting you squeeze the flower and rain. Always free - subscribe
