CUT TO THE MAIN ACTION
The soil is heating up — so sow now to create your own blooming displays
LOCAL and home-grown flowers are the height of fashion now, and with good reason. A bunch of ‘imperfect’ flowers gathered from gardens and hedgerows is more beautiful than standardised blooms mass produced in commercial glass houses.
One of the highlights of the Coronation was Shane Connolly’s arrangements using British-grown blooms, including honeysuckle from Buckinghamshire, aquilegias from Yorkshire and bluebells from Somerset, all grown by members of the organisation Flowers from the Farm.
If you want to create your own border-to-vase displays midMay is the perfect time to start a cut flower patch as the ground has warmed up enough to sow seeds directly. Choose a spot with plenty of sunshine and well-drained soil. Clear any weeds, and rake the earth to a fine tilth.
You can also easily grow blooms in containers on a balcony or patio. Wherever you’re growing them, remember to water seedlings regularly to get them off to the best start.
SHOWY BLOOMS
SuCCeSSFuL floral arrangements contain complementary elements for structure: foliage, focal flowers, and froth.
Focal flowers are the stars of the show, with large, striking blooms. If you already have roses, peonies and dahlias in your garden, pick one or two to add to your bouquet. Dahlia tubers are going cheap and there’s time to get them into the ground for this summer.
Mexican aster is a classic annual for cutting. Cosmos bipinnatus comes in a dazzling rainbow of hot pink, scarlet, lemon yellow and white, while C. atrosanguineus is a deep chocolate brown. Zinnias add an artistic touch; try Z. elegans ‘Queen
Lime’, in acid green or faded red. Nigella, or Love-in-the-mist, adds a romantic air to a bouquet, in lavender blue or wispy white.
In summer, sunflowers make a showstopper in a bunch, or for a more unusual effect try the vibrant orange Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia).
Pick flowers throughout the summer as it will encourage them to keep growing. Deadhead blooms as they go over to prevent the plant going to seed. You also need some froth to offset showier blooms. At this time of year, you can gather armfuls of cow parsley if you’re lucky enough to have it in your garden. Or you can sow Queen Anne’s Lace (Ammi majus), or white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora), which is great for pollinators.
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterfly’ produces a pink and white haze of flowers. Sea lavender or statice (Limonium sinuatum) comes in violet, pink and white and is a favourite in fresh and dried flower arrangements.
SOFTEN THE LOOK
WheN it comes to structure, go for shrubs with attractive leaves. You could use cuttings from a hornbeam hedge (Carpinus
betulus) or prunings from a bay tree (Laurus nobilis).
Add softer foliage as a backdrop. Fronds of ferns add a feathery green or use bronze fennel for a cloud of rust. Silver leaves contrast well with brighter blooms, try Artemisia
‘Powis Castle’, or cardoon (Cynara cardunculus).
When you’re bringing flowers into the house, think about scent. Sweet peas in jam jars are a classic. Nicotiana or the tobacco plant has a heady fragrance. Jasmine grows with abandon, so you won’t miss a few twigs for a delicate scent.