Welcome to this weeks “In A Vase On Monday’ when I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase every Monday.
This week is British Flowers Week and all over the UK flower growers and florists are focusing on the beautiful flowers and foliage that are grown in Britain. Locally grown flowers smell better and last longer than flowers which have undertaken a long cramped journey to reach our shelves and British Flowers Week is all about promoting our British growers who are bringing increasing numbers of home grown flowers back to our florists, supermarkets and farmers markets.
I have set myself the challenge of not buying any flowers this year – Cathy’s meme has shown me that there really is always something to be found in the garden. Not everyone has the time or space to do this, however, so this week I will be joining in with British Flowers Week by looking at the flowers in my Cutting Garden that you could be buying from a local grower. Many of the lovely annuals are rarely seen for sale as they do not travel well, but by finding a local grower you would have the full range of flowers picked fresh from the field to choose from. For more information do look at the website British Flowers Week. You will also find lots going on at #BritishFlowerWeek on social media.
This weeks jug of home grown peonies is quite similar to last weeks – except the jug is shorter and rounder and the photos were shot outside at the end of the day rather than inside in the morning. I am making no apology for using the same flowers – in peony season I make the most of what I have and all my vases are dominated by my favourite flower.
Peonies are an expensive cut flower to buy. When I lived in London I used to treat myself to one bunch a season and I promised myself that if ever I had a ‘proper’ garden I would grow enough peonies to fill far more than one vase each peony season.
I have certainly fulfilled that promise – for the past two weeks I have been picking peonies almost daily and still they keep coming. The first five peonies were planted in the spring of 2010 and I have planted many more every spring since then.
The original 5 year old plants are now quite substantial and have had in excess of fifteen buds each. The peonies that I planted this spring will not flower until next year and then will only have one or two buds. Like asparagus, peonies require patience, but once they are established they just get better every year.
In with the peonies I have included some of the hardy annual Ammi majus, which has just started to flower in the Cutting Garden. These plants were grown from seed sown last autumn. By way of comparison I sowed a few trays in the greenhouse and overwintered the plants in the cold frames. They were planted out in March. I also direct sowed a few rows and kept them protected with a fleece tunnel. Both types of sowing have flowered outside at the same time, along with the batch that was sown in February in the greenhouse and also planted out in March. The only difference is that the seed sown indoors and overwintered under cover has grown much taller – almost too tall.
The photo above is focused on the yellow interior of peony Bowl Of Beauty.
Peony Gay Paree is a similar form but the interior is a pale pink. Also in the jug is Sarah Bernhardt and Monsieur Jules Elie.
I know that tonight I am preaching to the converted – all we participants in Cathy’s weekly challenge know that our home grown flowers are fresher, more varied and smell better than most of the flowers generally available to us in the shops. Things are changing though – the supermarkets are stocking more British grown flowers – there are some lovely Sweet Williams and stocks available at the moment and M&S used only British flowers on their Chelsea exhibit back in May. Farmer-florists are increasingly popular in America and we are heading the same way with far more small growers focusing not just on growing flowers buy also providing design services and bouquets.
It is my intention to post a daily flower focus this week to help highlight the types of flowers you can find if you choose to buy British (apologies to all my readers from abroad but the same principles apply wherever you are). I might struggle on Wednesday as I am out for the day enjoying the racing at Ascot – but I will try.
I would love to hear how you feel about buying locally grown flowers instead of imports – where would you go to buy a special bouquet? If you have any good local growers do share their details and give them a plug (this is not restricted to UK readers – we all need to promote our local flower growers wherever we are). If you are reading this and you are a flower grower with flowers to sell, please leave your details and give your business a plug!.
Finally thank you to Cathy for organising this meme and inspiring us all to grow more of our own flowers – I hope you will pop over to her blog to see what she and the others have made this week.
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I don’t buy flowers as a rule and use what I grow…there is too much abundance in my garden…I adore peonies and need to move many of mine that are still small in the same area…they make such a better display. And I am just picking mine!
Thank you Donna – I am glad to hear that your peonies are blooming! Don’t forget that they do not like being moved – I have moved them successfully but it usually takes a couple of years for them to settle in again.
Peonies are my favourite, too, Julie and any vase with them is a delight! Yours is awesome, thank you! I only buy flowers to plant them in the garden, usually from Hornbach and from the flower markets.
Thank you Anca – home grown are the best aren’t they!
Yes, even gifted flowers are picked from my garden now Julie – and I do believe people appreciate them all the more. Thank you for sharing the reasoning behind all your peonies – you are certainly fulfilling your promise! It was interesting to read about your Ammi – I know Christina found her overwintered Ammi grew very tall and was also over quickly. I overwintered A visnaga which doesn’t seem to have that problem and is not quite flowering yet, whereas March sown A majus has grown very quickly and can’t be far off flowering itself. I think I prefer A visnaga and I remember it had more staying power. Well done for promoting British Flowers Week, even though you are ‘preaching’ to the converted here
Thank you Cathy – I think we are all ‘converted’ thanks to you! I keep meaning to try ammi visnaga – I think I will overwinter some this year.
It’s very different to A majus, but when I trialled both ammis and orlaya for Which? Gardening last year A visnaga would definitely be my one of choice out of the 3
A perfectly lovely arrangement again this week, and one need never apologize for Peonies! They are so soft and lush . The West coast is ahead of us in promoting local flowers , but we have local flower growers in our area . I prefer growing to buying ?
Thank you woodlandgnome – I agree that home grown is best but it is nice to know that these lovely flowers are becoming available to buy again as well.
British Flowers Week! I’m on a plane. That must be wonderful. Your peonies are absolutely incredible. I love mine for sure, but they just aren’t as stunning as yours. Partly because yours are two-tone I think. I have a bright pink, that are as big as cantaloupes, and that raspberry color. What is your recommendation for a white or cream? I have the space. My own perennial bed is a “cutting garden” and keeps me in bouquets most of spring – autumn. Every now and again though, I have to go nuts and buy huge bouquets of sunflowers and put them everywhere! Cheers everybody.
I think a comment from a plane is a first on my blog Susan! I hope you are travelling somewhere nice. My favourite whites are Shirley Temple and Charles White. Sunflowers everywhere sounds like fun!
Peonies are the ‘king of flowers’ to the Chinese so I had goose bump scrolling down your posts all the way. The only peonies I have are on paintings on the wall. Don’t think I can grow them in Sydney, Australia. Love yours.
Thank you Mary – I did not know that about peonies but I am not surprised! I am glad that I am able to share my peonies with you.
I agree the peonies are beautiful and so long lasting . Could you tell me how I can add a photo to join in with in a vase on Monday
Thank you Chris. You would need to post your photo online somewhere – a blog, FB or Instagram and then leave a link on Cathy’s blog. I don’t think it is possible to leave a photo in Comments. I do hope you join in!
Well done for backing the British Flowers Week! When I went temporarily to live in a scruffy little Alsace town it was the peonies in the florists that made me happiest (and that I bought the most of) – they made me think of real gardens. There are very few decent cut flowers or florists around here, although there were plenty when I lived in Alsace on the outskirts of Basel. I used to just go into Basel market to stare at the flowers. I think good cut flowers for sale are a city thing. Here – buried deep in the French countryside – people grow lots of roses/dahlias for cutting from their own gardens, although nothing unusual. The florists’ flowers are disappointing.
I think you are right about city florists – the flowers in London florists are always lovely and Paris is just stunning. In the country we all have too many of our own garden flowers to choose from. I do love a flower stall at a farmers market though – they always have such a tempting selection.
Perfect peonies again, Julie. We are never tired of seeing them. I have just planted my second this year, ‘Avalanche’ (the first was inevitably ‘Sarah Bernhardt’) and though I may have to wait a year or two for flowers it will be worth it. I applaud your promotion of local buying, be it flowers, food, art… where possible I buy Scottish or Northern English, but I am lucky to have local shops that sell such things and wish supermarkets would do more to promote local products. Importantly, when we buy locally, our money stays in our communities rather than being sucked away and shipped off to tax havens. This, plus the carbon footprint of imported goods, make buying locally one of the most beneficial changes we can make to the way we live.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment Joanna – as you say local products must be available to buy before we can move away from mass produced goods. The more of us that are asking our supermarkets to supply locally produced food and flowers the more likely they are to listen.
A wonderful post – peonies are my favourite cut flowers, though I like all natural looking flowers.
Your post made me think that flowers we expect to be locally grown may not be. That’s a real quandary for people who don’t have room to grow their own. This weekend I bought some beautiful long-stemmed peonies from my local market at very reasonable price. I’m hoping that they’re British but they weren’t identified as such, and I was too busy oooh-ing and aaah-ing to ask. So I really can’t be sure. Yesterday I snapped up some achillea, also at a bargain price, which ‘felt’ locally grown. I could have asked, but your post made me wonder if smaller, local florists always know what country their flowers are grown in. I’d appreciate your insider view on this.
Most of the flowers that are available to buy in supermarkets and florists have been imported from large scale growers in Holland (many come from even further afield as well). Your peonies might have been British grown as they coincide with the season, but I doubt the achillea was. It is always worth asking – florists will know if they are buying from a British grower and the supermarkets label their flowers with the country of origin.
Your peonies are so gorgeous Julie, no need to apologize for using them again! I planted Bowl of Beauty about three years ago and it is taking ages to get established. Your photo of it is exquisite! All my other peonies were from a friend, and they flowered profusely right from the first year. Enjoy the rest of the peony season and have a great day at Ascot!
Thank you Cathy – hopefully I will have some photos of the flowers at Ascot to share over the weekend. I wonder if you just have a weak plant – my Bowl of Beauty is flowering well after two years in the ground.
Your Peonies are really so pretty, and how fortunate you are to have a cutting garden. My Peonies are just opening, and soon I shall be cutting and giving away. The Ammi is just the right choice. I love flowers with this structure, so will be looking for seed to sow come the autumn. I love ‘English Flowers’, and would go for them every time.
Thank you Noelle – I am pleased to hear that you are a supporter of the British flower movement and a fellow peony lover!
Oh, how I love peonies. Thank you.
Thank you John!!
Julie, your jug is lovely and your passion for peonies is quite contagious. I have several but would love more. Mine are long past for this year except I cut about 8 buds and stored them in the refrigerator in water a few weeks ago now.Yesterday I removed them into vases and they’re beginning to open up.
Gorgeous, gorgeous!!! Perfect in that pitcher!