BECKY CROWLEY
Becky is a garden maker, flower grower and flower artist, previously responsible for the cut flowers at Chatsworth.
This selection includes muted and dusky tones that feel particularly well suited to summer’s transition into autumn. I’m imagining them as a table arrangement, low enough to see the person sitting opposite. A chicken-wire ball in the vase will help give the stems enough support to lean outwards without falling flat, and the wiggly tendencies of both the nasturtium and Californian poppy will provide movement and softness.
1 Rudbeckia hirta Sahara seed mix These are reliable and robust cut flowers that provide lots of stems in late summer and autumn. 60cm. RHS H3, USDA 3a-8b†.
2 Dahlia ‘April Heather’ Dahlias are incredibly generous with their flowers, blooming from August until the first hard frost. This elegant collarette cultivar is as attractive to pollinators as it is to us. It benefits from plenty of sunshine and being pinched out to encourage the growth of long, strong stems. 1.25m. RHS H3, USDA 7a-10b.
3 Daucus carota ‘Dara’ I love the burgundy colouring in this ornamental carrot. It’s sometimes classified as a biennial and sometimes as a hardy annual. I’ve found that it flowers beautifully in the first year from sowing. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 3a-9b.
4 Gladiolus murielae What a beautiful plant to add to any garden and such a bonus that it has lovely scent and cuts well too. I start the corms off in pots indoors and plant them out in the garden once the frosts have passed. 90cm. RHS H3, USDA 7a-10b.
5 Eschscholzia californica ‘Thai Silk Pink Champagne’ This Californian poppy is a delicate thing with soft apricot-pink, silky flowers and feathery glaucous foliage. Perfect for weaving around other plants at the front of a border. 30cm. RHS H3.
6 Tropaeolum majus ‘Salmon Gleam’ I love to see nasturtiums trailing on to garden paths and out of a vase on to the dinner table. They’re also edible so can be added to salads to make meal times extra beautiful and rather spicy. 1.8m. RHS H3.
7 Panicum capillare ‘Frosted Explosions’
A beautiful airy grass that adds lightness and texture to both the garden and bouquets. It also dries well so can be saved for less floriferous months. 40cm.
Florist Fiona is founder of sustainable Electric Daisy Flower Farm with a mission to change the way we see floral design.
Many of the elements of this arrangement are plants that don’t travel well as cut flowers and so are rarely seen in highstreet florists. All are easy to grow in the garden, and are proof of the adage that what grows together, goes together.
1 Daucus carota An appealing, airy umbel with its white, lacey form, wild carrot is also usefully robust when it comes to arrangements and makes an interesting seedhead too. It’s a biennial that’s best sown in autumn. 90cm. RHS H7, USDA 2a-11.
2 Thlaspi arvense A plant often overlooked by gardeners but with wonderful potential in floristry. Let it go to seed and you’ll have willowy stems of the most interesting structure to add to your floristry. It even works brilliantly as a dried flower in winter arrangements. 90cm.
3 Muehlenbeckia complexa The tiny, flawlessly formed round leaves of this climbing perennial provide year-round colour and the dark stems are a perfect foil. We use it twisted around our wreaths or in the base of our vases or as trailing stems in our arrangements. 3m. RHS H3.
4 Phlox drummondii ‘Crème Brûlée’ This buttery phlox works well in any floral arrangement as its pale-yellow tones combine with almost any other flower. An easy-to-grow annual, it may need a little netting to prevent it from trailing on the ground. 30cm. RHS H6, USDA 2a-11.
5 Rosa Honey Dijon (=‘Weksproulses’) This floribunda rose starts out a quiet unprepossessing yellow, but matures into the most beautiful subtle shades of sweet milky coffee. Easy to grow with a long season and floriferous habit, and perfect for floristry because it blends so well with other colours. 90cm. RHS H7, USDA 5a-9b.
6 Tropaeolum majus ‘Milkmaid’ Nasturtiums have a fantastic vase life and beautiful sculptural qualities that add grace and flow to any design. An annual that can be fitted into any corner of your garden or grown in pots to trail or climb. 1.8m. RHS H3.
7 Dahlia ‘Preference’ You won’t find cactus dahlias in many high-street florists, but this peach-toned cultivar is one of my absolute favourites. 90cm. RHS H3, USDA 7a-10b.