By Julia Martin
Have you ever been to Blooming Green or any other cut-flower garden and wondered if you could create something similar at home? Look no further! Over the past 15 years the Blooming Green horticulture team has tried, tested and refined how it plans, grows, plants and maintains the plot so that our customers and our floristry team have an abundance of beautiful flowers and foliage to pick all year round.
Choosing the site of your cutting garden — consider its aspect
It doesn’t matter if you have a small patch of a few square metres, or a couple of acres to play with, you will still have to consider the same things initially when setting up a cut-flower garden. Think of the aspect of the area you have in mind. Where is the sun throughout the day? Is it in full sun, or partial shade at different times? If so, you’ll have no problem growing a wide range of flowers and shrubs. However, if it is in full shade you will need to grow plants that will cope with limited light. Do not despair. There is still an amazing choice of plants that can be grown in a shady garden. More advice on that in future instalments. The aspect will also influence how protected it is from the prevailing wind and frost. With some clever planting, or man-made structures, you can overcome, or at least lessen, these problems. Come and have a stroll at Blooming Green this summer and see how we have divided our plot to help with this.
Come and have a stroll at Blooming Green this summer and see how we have divided our plot to help with this.
Do you know what soil type you have?
Do you know what type of soil you have? You can buy lots of soil-testing kits to determine the pH value (how acidic, or alkaline it is). However, the pH value can vary in different areas of your garden, so this can be time-consuming and expensive. Have a look at the plants in your neighbours’ gardens and the surrounding area — what’s growing well there? It will be a better indication of what will grow well in your cut-flower garden too. Instead, it’s helpful just to have a look at the structure of your soil. Pick it up and feel it. Does it feel moist and stay together when you squash it into a ball? Does it feel light and gritty and reluctant to hold together? Different soils have various pros and cons. The RHS has a good soil checker page on their website here Whatever soil you have it can be improved and needn’t cost you a fortune. At Blooming Green we have a number of ways we enrich our soil at different times throughout the year. Just ask one of the team next time you visit about our home-made composts and liquid feeds.
Just ask one of the team next time you visit about our home-made composts and liquid feeds
Other things to consider when choosing where to have your cut-flower garden
Another consideration is access to your cut-flower garden. You will need to be able to weed and cut your flowers with ease, without stomping on your beds or on your prized blooms. It’s not just you that needs to get in amongst the plants — allow space for yourself, plus a wheelbarrow or trolley and tools. With this in mind, think carefully about the width of gates and paths and create flower beds that are narrow enough to weed or reach plants without stepping on the bed. Lastly, but most importantly — think about water availability. How will you water your new beds? Most likely you will need access to mains water though also think about water-harvesting and alternative irrigation systems. We are lucky enough to have access to spring water, via a reservoir. Next time you visit, ask one of the horticultural team how we water on a large scale. It’s a fascinating subject and something we are always learning more about.
Next time you visit, ask one of the horticultural team how we water on a large scale. It’s a fascinating subject and something we are always learning more about.
For our next installment…
Look out for our next cut-flower growing blog, Part 2, where we discuss creating your flower beds — whether it’s from a patch of existing lawn or a weedy, neglected area… we’ll talk about the no-dig method and growing without chemicals