Blue Daisy Blog
Blue Daisy blog written by Nicki Jackson & Jules Clark - for news, views, garden design, gardening and plant observations and thoughts.
Subscribe to this list via RSS
Blog posts tagged in sunflowers
Rachel de Thame - Decline of British Cut Flowers
It’s true that freshly cut flowers bring our homes alive and Rachel explained that we used to take pride in growing and buying our own flowers. The British cut flower industry has declined so much that today we import almost 90% and her aim is that together we can change this.
Rachel visited Kelmarsh Hall in Lincolnshire, a Grade 2 listed garden that is of national significance. Amongst their extensive gardens is a cut flower garden and they believe that freshly cut flowers last longer, and are strong, the stem lengths are all different which makes for a more interesting display rather than being specifically grown all equal lengths for the commercial market.
The New Covent Garden market opened in the 1800s when the British cut flower industry took off and familiar sights around London were the barrow boys carting cut flowers all around the city. In the 1970s the market grew so big and was so successful it was moved down the road to Vauxhall. Today the cut flower industry is worth £2bn and sellers admit to stocking only about 10% of British flowers with the other 90% coming from Ecuador, Holland and other countries. Meanwhile most of our British growers have stopped growing because there is no demand for their products. In addition to this there are diminishing numbers of younger people going in to the cut flower growing industry; a far cry from the days of their parents and grandparents who were able to create good careers in cut flower jobs in their day. To compound this problem there is also a loss of knowledge and skill which is a national problem for all of the horticultural industries today. However, it was back in the 1960s when the government offered subsidies for growers in Holland to import flowers to the UK that contributed to the bottom falling out of the UK market, compounded in the 1990s when the supermarkets joined the fray. They dominated the market, also sourced from abroad and started selling the same flowers all year round rather than concentrating on seasonal varieties.
Wedding flowers are a £120m industry and the majority of them are imported however Doddington Hall have found that there is the rumbling of a new trend afoot - customers are beginning to ask for British grown flowers for their wedding straight from their cutting garden. Also included in the bouquets are herbs which not only look good but smell good too!
Rachel encourages us all to grow cut flowers from seed with the easiest to grow being hardy annuals such as sunflowers, poppies, cornflowers and coreopsis. After a few weeks they are ready to plant out – it is cost effective and addictive. Sweet peas are a favourite for cut flowers because of their scent which has the ability to fill a room, a few plants will be enough to ensure you have flowers all summer long but you must keep picking them, if you don’t they turn to seed pods. You can buy cut sweet peas but most are also imported to us and by the time they hit the shelves the scent has usually gone so why not grow your own and benefit from the heavier scent of freshly cut sweet peas?
There is a skill to cutting and arranging flowers to get the maximum benefit, if you are doing it yourself you should cut them first thing in the morning when they have had all evening to rehydrate themselves. Once cut ensure you put them straight into a bucket of water (which you should carry with you!) and this will help force water back up to the flower to keep it fresher for longer. Rachel also gave us ingredients for making our own cut flower food which was basically: in 2L of water add 2tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of weak bleach and 4tsp of lemon juice – probably best to do some research before you make any first though as there are many recipes out there!
Rachel urges us to celebrate our amazing cultural heritage and buy British next time you want to colour your home or “better still - grow your own"!
Here at Blue Daisy we have been growing our own for the last few years and will continue to do so – there’s nothing lovelier than cutting your own flowers for the house and letting the scent fill the rooms!
Joe Swift - Trees
Trees have so many amazing features and it is astounding that today only 2% of Britain is covered in ancient woodland. We have simply fallen out of love with trees, we think they will get too big, the neighbours won't like them or wonder why bother because we won't live long enough to see it mature! But ensuring you choose the right tree for the right place will help to reduce these problems!
Joe visited the Cambridge Botanical Garden as it has an amazing selection of trees of varying sizes, different forms; some have berries or flowers and the deciduous autumnal leaves can be amazing. A tree is an essential element to any good garden design, it helps set the scene and form the framework for the rest of the planting. It is probably one of the most important plants you will ever buy as they will be with you for many years to come.
In the Victorian era they planted parks and streets with trees that are resistant to pollution to help green up the streets. It is true that trees have had their fair share of problems - in the 70s the Elm was threatened as Dutch Elm Disease wiped out 25m trees, Ash and Horse Chestnut have their own diseases too that we need to try to eliminate. Brighton has the largest and oldest collection of Elm trees in the country; some are over 200 years old, they were planted there originally as they are able to withstand salt laden air. Some of their Elms have been destroyed but they have been luckier than other parts of the country where our landscape was simply changing over night.
Joe says now more than ever it is so important to plant trees but consider ornamental versions rather than native. His top three favourite trees for autumnal colour, berries and bark interest are:
Acer davidii which has a wide canopy and is perfect for a medium size garden, with attractive leaves and decorative bark – it does like to be sheltered from strong winds though.
The many Sorbus varieties are ideal for medium to larger gardens with their autumn leaf colour and various coloured berries this species on their own attract lots of wildlife.
Euonymus sachalinensis can reach up to 3m tall and is perfect for a small garden; it has amazing shaped fruit with vivid colour and also attracts lots of wildlife.
It is essential that we provide habitats for our wildlife and a Birch family tree attracts the widest variety of wildlife having a staggering 334 species feed and live on them. There is a national collection of Birch at Stone Lane Gardens which is set in a 5 acres garden, began in 1971. Birch trees can grow on poor soils and they don’t create deep shade with their canopy so many people find them quite attractive for that reason. They have their own architectural quality in a garden and can look great when planted individually or in groups for a bold statement, they also have a wide range of amazing bark and leaf colours too.
Not only can trees increase wildlife in your garden, provide a focal point, add structural interest they can also help offset your carbon foot print and improve air quality – what are you waiting for? Plant a tree in your garden today! If you want some advice get in touch with us.
Blog Categories
1 post(s)
30 post(s)
33 post(s)
60 post(s)
13 post(s)
Tag Cloud
edible garden show
rosemary
summer garden
Snowdrops
Euphorbia
ha ha
Levens Hall
unity
Perennial
show gardens
Herb
Wisley
topiary
Rachel de Thame
Horticultural
Matt James
Great British Garden Revival
hydroponic
wildlife
Moss Bank Park
bulb display
Absorb pollution
Crocus
James Wong
garden advice at home
National Gardening Week
gravel
garden room
garden design tip
Decking
Seed sowing
Horticulturalist
April garden
NSALG
Cut flowers
HTA
London
poppies
legacy gift
Garden Planning
acer
movement in the garden
Lawrence Johnston
Winter shrubs
Kew Gardens
RHS
career in horticulture
roof gardens
RHS Malvern
water feature
traditional style
Chelsea Physic Garden
water butt
Achillea
pond
rock gardens
Joe Swift
Gardeners World
grey water
garden design trends
National Trust
recycled materials
saving water
Cambridge botanical garden
repetition
Charlie Dimmock
planning your garden
drought
Cloches
Taxus
Berginia
Hidcote
watering
house plants
Capability Brown
February
winter garden
Selfridges Roof Garden
RHS Tatton Park
surfaces
eco-friendly
alpines
roof garden
Birmingham Library
Malvern Spring Show
pollinators
sweat peas
Joanna Lumley
Jekka McVicar
Blue Daisy
Toby Buckland
bulbs
BBC
RHS Chelsea
Carol Klein
twitter
Bamboo
Fleece
Floating Paradise Gardens of London
Prince Harry
rainwater harvesting
Laurel
RHS Hampton Court
herbs
pests
bees
blue
Horticulture
cottage garden
pollinating insects
June garden
garden
Narcissus
vertical garden
snow
GYO
garden design
deer
composting
John Massey
Acuba
women and work award
Chris Beardshaw
reclaimed materials
hosepipe
Lantra
kerb-side appeal
Buxus
Kensington Roof Garden
build
Futurescape
spring bulbs
HNC
plants
kitchen garden
basil
Nicki Jackson
Echinacea
watering can
Alan Titchmarsh
autumn garden
courtyard
form
sound in the garden
timber
sorbus
lawn care
garden focal points
Hosta
heatwave
stonemarket
contemporary
winner
Tom Hart-Dyke
structure
November garden
Geranium
green spaces
colour in your garden
spring garden
cottage gardens
New York Highline
March garden
Joseph Banks
paving
Alys Fowler
Mrs Loudon
hard landscaping
plant pots
herbaceous borders
Spring shrubs
Stone Lane Gardens
Urban Heat Island
water conservation
Wildflowers
Ashwood Nurseries
Malvern Hills
Ilex
August garden
Greenhouse
ash
Berberis
September garden
Cosmos astrosanguineus
elm
July garden
Monty Don
scented shrubs
birch
Herb garden
sunflowers
CorTen
doddington hall
gardening on tv
patio
Urban Heat Island Effect
Daffodils
Stoneleigh
Highgrove
May garden
December garden
Trees
Events & Shows
Shrubs
cyclamen
Briza maxima
Chelsea Flower Show
ornamental grasses
productive garden
water
CorTen steel
Glasshouse
wild flowers
January garden
October garden
rococo
Phyllostachys nigra
terracota
front garden
February garden
Coastal plants
grow your own
Kelmarsh Hall
Sophie Raworth