“Bare root roses, which often look very brown and seem to offer little promise, don’t excite everyone – but I love them”, says our founder and flower farmer Rosebie Morton. “If you are wondering what to plant, then I’d recommend Chandos Beauty from Harkness, which I think of as my perfect child. From the same family, I also adore Margaret Merril, the rose that inspired me to start The Real Flower Company, as well as newcomer Mary Berry.”
“Anyone who has attended one of my roses days will have heard me saying ‘don’t take short cuts’ when it comes to planting roses,” says Rosebie. “Soak your rose for an hour or so before placing it in a deep hole with a good spadeful of well-rotted manure and some slow-release fertiliser incorporated into the soil. Plant the rose’s bud union (the bumpy bit) at least 5cm below the ground and firm it in. Follow with a good layer of mulch around the base but avoid the stem. You can then put your feet up and wait until February.”
The presents have been unwrapped, the decorations taken down and the chocolates polished off – but there’s still the job of thanking everyone who has made your festive season special. Head over to our blog now to find our quick guide to who to thank after Christmas and how.
If you want to buy beautiful flowers in winter then we think the best option is our sustainable sister farm in Kenya. Its location on the Equator means it can grow all year round without the need for greenhouse heating or lighting. It also employs more than 600 people who would otherwise struggle to find work in a rural area. And what’s more, wherever possible blooms are flown to the UK using excess space on passenger planes, which means the transport carbon footprint can be far less than for Dutch imports.