A Visit to the Chenies Manor Tulip Festival

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I’ve blogged about Chenies Manor before, but it really is one of my favourite places, and right on my doorstep in South Buckinghamshire. Last weekend, they held their annual tulip festival and it didn’t disappoint. Despite the completely bonkers weather of the last few months, and it being the hottest May Day on record, the tulips were bearing up well. Mine on the other had, after a very long wait, were over in about two weeks this year!! Anyway, I won’t prattle on any longer, here are some pics of some really gorgeous tulips.  Continue reading A Visit to the Chenies Manor Tulip Festival

Tulipmania 2

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A couple of weeks ago, I posted Tulipmania 1, where I described all the tulips I’d planted last year. With tulip season now pretty much over, I thought it worth writing its gripping sequel, Tulipmania 2, and providing a few pics of them all in their glory…

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How to make a Peacock using Seasonal British Flowers….

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Spring can be a funny time for flower farmers. The initial rush and blooms of the daffs, hyacinths and tulips has been and gone, but it’s too early for the biennials. Therefore, it was with some trepidation that I decided to participate in a local artisan makers and designers fair (the Amersham Artisans) in late April, knowing full well that I might have limited flowers to sell.

I’m a firm believer that boundaries and constraints bring with them the most innovation and opportunity, and a quick assessment of what I had growing a couple of weeks ahead of the event made realise I would need to approach this differently to make best use of what I had. So rather than just sell flowers as I usually do, I decided to create a bold floral arrangement that would get people talking and interested, showcase British seasonal blooms at their best, and create something that quite frankly, I wouldn’t do every day! Continue reading How to make a Peacock using Seasonal British Flowers….

A visit to Keukenhof

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At the end of March, I had the pleasure of visiting Keukenhof in the Netherlands – home of vast expanses of stripey tulip fields. I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos – endless lines of vivid reds, yellows and pinks. It reminds me of the stripey carpet in the Clarks shoe shop in Leeds where I was taken as a small child to get my new shoes. Me being small…and the shop being big….it was a new and wonderful linear land….

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Tulipmania 1

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Last November, I did the seriously back-breaking job of digging two long trenches in my new allotment that obviously hadn’t been dug over for several years: pulling out all of the weeds, and filling it up with lots and lots of lovely tulips. At the time, it felt HARD!! And one had to wonder whether it was all going to be worth it, toiling with my spade in the icy Chiltern air. Continue reading Tulipmania 1

Spring Bulbs are here

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It’s been quite a while since I last updated my blog, not least because so much has been going on!! I got a new greenhouse last autumn which I have been busy pottering around in, and sowing endless trays of seeds ready for this spring and summer. Christmas came and went in a cornucopia of festive wreaths and decorations. I’ve been working with florist friends on weddings and events. And I think most exciting of all, I’ve now been able to extend my growing space out substantially so that I can grow many more flowers, with much greater diversity that I was able to last year. So, yes, a lot to catchup on!

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A flower arrangement to make you smile

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Last weekend was the first time I’d been able to get out and collect a bunch of floral goodies completely from my own garden. There’s a real mix of colours and textures out now and actually the arrangement I created here says more Summer to me than Spring. Hot reds and yellows, coupled with deep blues remind me of the circus and is probably not my usual style. But you know what? It’s bright, it’s jolly and it’s fun!!

Continue reading A flower arrangement to make you smile