Six Weeks in Flowers

Before May is over I just wanted to have a little look back at the season so far which has kicked off with a flurry of weddings, a new Flower Photography course, the return of Flower Club, three photo shoots, the reopening of our farm gate sales, preparing for Hampton Court, planting and picking hundreds of flowers and the most exciting thing – appearing on Floret’s blog this week. I am just a little bit too done in to write much right now but I thought a few pictures would do the job instead. I have got rather obsessed with Instagram and photographed flowers every day for the last six weeks so here are a few of my favourites.

IMG_0881_edited-1

IMG_0099_edited-1

IMG_0426_edited-1

IMG_0068_edited-1

IMG_1107_edited-1

CW__7637

Photograph by Clare West

 

 

IMG_0658_edited-1

IMG_0529_edited-1

IMG_1159_edited-1

IMG_0710_edited-1

IMG_0787_edited-1

148

CW__7242

Photograph by Clare West

 

 

IMG_0082_edited-1

I think that will do!

Dahlia Grow Along Part 3

Hello and welcome…

I have a feeling this might have been due a couple of weeks ago but the season has moved from pottering and contemplating to racing around the garden at full throttle. With a fully booked season ahead I have a lot of sowing and planting to do. Fortunately my team is back with some new additions too so we are certainly getting things done at present. After a few months off, my floristry skills have been cranked into motion again with eight weddings so far and plenty more in the coming months. I have done more talking in the past few weeks than I did all winter with our courses and gardening club talks.

Anyway, back to the DAHLIAS…, I took the first basal cuttings off my tubers this week. So here is how to turn that one favourite, special dahlia into an entire row of them.

CW__2710

I took my tubers out of storage back in February and potted them up so the crown was sitting above the compost level.

They are then placed in a warm, bright position to bring them into growth early. I want cuttings as soon as possible and so I use a heat mat or a heated sand bed. A greenhouse is ideal where the bright light conditions will produce stocky little shoots. This usually takes a good three weeks.

Now arm yourself with a sharp, clean knife, a plastic bag and some rooting hormone.

Cut the shoot right at the base, as close to the tuber as possible (preferably with a sliver of the tuber), being careful not to damage surrounding shoots.

Green & Gorgeous - March - 078

Check that your cutting has a solid centre, if hollow like a straw discard it as it will never root properly, only rot.

Green & Gorgeous - March - 079

 

Remove any lower leaves and dip the end in the rooting powder. If there is still a lot of leaf cut the remaining ones in half.

Green & Gorgeous - March - 082

I like to take a lot of cuttings so mine go into plug trays but around the edge of a pot works just as well.

Green & Gorgeous - March - 090 (1)

Label and date your cuttings for reference later.

The cuttings must be kept out of direct light in a warm, moist environment until they have rooted which will take about 2-3 weeks. A clear plastic bag over your pot of cuttings will keep them from transpiring and expiring. Be patient and no fiddling…!

The next Dahlia Grow Along post will be about growing them on and planting them out. I am going to get a head start with some of the giant varieties in the polytunnel.

 

 

Dahlia Grow Along Part 2

If you haven’t ordered your dahlias yet, now is a good time to get your addiction…. I mean ‘collection‘ started.

IMG_0687

By bearing in mind the criteria from last weeks post for a good cutting dahlia, hopefully you will be able to navigate your way through the hundreds of varieties on offer.

My tried and trusted suppliers include Rose Cottage Plants (www.rosecottageplants.co.uk) who have a diverse range with some novel varieties, they are organized by colour making it easier to choose your favourites. They also give details on plant height and flower size – try to go for varieties no shorter than one metre. Their customer service is also excellent with a friendly phone call the day before they send the tubers out.

Rose Cottage send their tubers out early (February/March) so if you want to propagate from them there is plenty of time.

Here are some tried and tested favourites which are available this year from Rose Cottage:

Maldiva – a delicate, apricot-pink small water lily shaped dahlia. It flowers prolifically, on large plants and seems to be able to melt even the hardest dahlia-hater’s heart.

IMG_0599

Acalpulco – if you like all things bright then this one is irresistible, perfect for an Indian summer flower crown.

Katia-001-small-683x1024

Clare West Photography

 

 

Eveline – our most popular wedding dahlia, a medium decorative with a touch of lilac at the centre and at the edge of the petals, described as “achingly pretty”.

IMG_0429

If you are growing your dahlias to cut for profit then a good wholesale price will be a priority. I use Eurobulb www.eurobulb.nl in the Netherlands. The smallest amount of each variety is ten which is no drama when you are growing for florists or your own wedding work. This is where I source:

Cafe au Lait – very fashionable at the moment, as a giant decorative type they need a longer growing period, I get them in February so they can be potted up and planted out in the polytunnel, this gives me hundreds of blooms from June onwards.

IMG_0888

They also stock the Karma range ‘reputed’ for having a good vase life.

Karma Fuchsiana – a unique colour that always grabs attention.

CW__2483

Clare West Photography

 

Karma Fiesta – a ‘punch you in the eye’ orange (see pic of urn at the beginning).

Other suppliers to have a look at are Withypitts Dahlias www.withypitts-dahlias.co.uk. Richard Ramsey grows dahlias to cut for Covent Garden market so has a good selection of tried and tested varieties.

Withypitts grows one of my all time favourites – Carolina Wagemanns, a pale apricot waterlily. Both the shape and colour of this dahlia is exquisite and it is the one I cut for my home.

IMG_0900

 

I also like Halls of Heddon www.hallsofheddon.co.uk these are the most established dahlia growers in the country and also specialise in chrysanthemums. They can also supply pot grown plants if you are a bit behind with your ordering or do not have a greenhouse to grow them on in.

I think their small ball and decorative collections are particularly good including:

Tiptoe – I have always had a soft spot for a bicolour and this one has been used in many a bridal bouquet, for some reason it makes me think of something cake based with jam…but then my mind often strays into the realm of baked goods.

IMG_0725

Amy Cave – described as ‘purple maroon’ I would say it is more of a crimson red with a purple tinge. The perfect ball.

IMG_1013

 

On that note I think I have divulged enough for one week, let’s do propagation next week.

If you want to learn more about growing dahlias and visit the farm when they are in full flowering flow have a look at my Dahlia Masterclass in September.