Dahlias are now in bloom on our sustainable English farm and we’ve added an English Dahlia & Wildflower Bouquet and Dahlia, Rose & Wildflower Bouquet to our range. Did you know that Dahlia florets are often mistakenly called petals, even by horticulturists, but in fact every floret is a flower in its own right?
We asked our founder and flower farmer Rosebie Morton for her top tips for helping your flowers to last longer when the heat is on:
1. If you’re picking your own flowers, then morning is best, just after the dew has dried.
2. Make sure your vase is really clean and change the water regularly – I’d recommend every 24-48 hours – as dirty water is the biggest killer of cut flowers.
3. We include special cut flower food in every delivery but you can also mix a teaspoon of sugar to feed the flowers with two to three drops of bleach to help keep the water fresh and a dessertspoonful of vinegar to adjust the water’s pH.
4. Always choose a cool, shady spot to display your blooms.
Now that our wildflowers are fully in bloom, Catherine, our London flower shop manager and the rest of the team can’t wait to find out what each new delivery will bring. “What we grow on the farm feeds our florists’ creativity on a daily basis. It’s just so different from what everyone else has on offer,” says Catherine. “Wildflowers are such a beautiful product to work with – each stem is completely natural and unique.” For same day and named day London deliveries, you can call our shop on 0207 349 8638 or order online here. We can also deliver wildflower bouquets throughout the UK mainland.
“Pots and window boxes need good and regular watering but it’s much better to give your garden a thorough soak once a week than a light water more frequently,” says Rosebie. “By a thorough soak, I mean leave your sprinkler on each area for a couple of hours so you are really reaching the deep roots. Just watering the surface encourages the surface roots to grow upwards, weakening the plants. Even though we’ve had some rain, it may not be enough – and any new roses will definitely still need a good soaking.”
If you want to save your own seed, allow some of your annuals to go to seed rather than deadheading. Then let the pods dry out fully on the plant before harvesting. Store seeds in a cool, dry place in an airtight container – old glass spice jars are perfect. Heirloom varieties of plant will often stay true to seed whereas F1 hybrids won’t.
