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THE CUTTING
GARDEN THROUGH THE SEASON
Spring marks the start of our growing season,
and we welcome the joyful sight of tulips, narcissi and hyacinths with open arms after the cold of Winter.
Branches begin to blossom and unfurl, giving our Spring creations an architectural, yet soft and meadowy feel.
In the cutting garden, we tentatively check the weather reports to see when the last frost is predicted and we are safe to plant out our Autumn sown seedlings. The mood in the greenhouse is busy as we sow fresh packets of seeds for Summer and Autumn flowering - cosmos, zinnias and annual grasses begin the year’s sowing successions…
Early Summer welcomes in the wonder of the garden rose -
lemony sweet in scent and with luxurious layers of petals, this star makes its way into a whole host of our arrangements.
Peonies too steal the show with their glamorous faces, and feminine shades of blush and soft lavender flower in
abundance…
In the cutting garden, seedlings continue to be planted out for the flowering year, and beds are staked and netted in preparation for the summer’s growth…
As the season hits mid - summer, the sun is at its warmest and the cutting garden radiates colour and beauty.
The soft pastels of early summer give way to the colourful brights of zinnias and the first flowering dahlias.
Beds of cornflowers and cosmos sway in the warm breeze, and daily cutting and deadheading ensures that there
is new growth each week.
As the daily temperatures hit their heady heights, our flower cutting and conditioning takes place in the early
mornings and late evenings as the air cools…this is when our cutting for drying really gets into its stride too,
and our homes are soon adorned with bunches upon bunches of hanging strawflowers and statice to be stashed
away for Autumn…
Early Autumn sees an abundance of rich deep colours and textures, think dahlias, hydrangeas, phlox and delicate grasses.
The hedgerows are starting to turn, with bundles of ivy, sloes and blackberries aplenty, perfect for overflowing wedding urns and abundant archways. As Autumn progresses, our cutting garden starts to slow down before the first frost hits, putting an end to the last jewels of the season flowering…
We take time out in early Autumn to sow our hardy annuals for flowering next year - larkspur, sweet peas, ammi and scabious are among our favourites, and provides us hope for the next year to come. As the temperature drops, Spring bulbs are tucked into the ground, destined for next years arrangements, and the ground cleared from the Summer’s bounty of flowers.
During Winter when fresh flowers are sparse, we turn to greenery and dried flowers to give elegance and interest to our arrangements.
Dried flowers glow in candlelight, and add an air of magic to Winter creations…a distant memory from Summer re-imagined during the colder months.
In the greenhouses and poly tunnel our Autumn sown seeds are quietly growing away for planting out in early Summer,
whilst the cutting garden sits quietly beneath the comings and goings of frost, rain and snow…hellebores and
snowdrops provide us with little moments of joy in the garden and the promise of the Spring to come.
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