Floral Notes: Manifesto

Two things to make sure you do when planting out

Anna Taylor — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 06:14:03 GMT

Manifesto

#8 Plant out or transfer seedling as the roots fill the pot.

And…just as crucially important a footnote to this one.

Picking up on my manifesto for growing cut flowers, after a busy weekend of pricking out and planting, i’d made sure that two things were true before I did anything.

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series -

Since writing making this set of rules, I have changed my soil and mulch practise. The manifesto needs revising and #6 editing. Funny what happens when you commit to a list but that’s growing innit? In the meantime, looking at this post will help in the interim.

Make your own liquid feeds

Stake your plants before they need it

And, almost there,

Plant out or transfer seedlings as their roots fill the pot.

But. A caveat.

And one that I think most people forgot this weekend.

It’s probably the most boring, attention requiring task but short cut this one at your peril. Perhaps it should have had it’s own position in this list…

#13 Cut flowers deep into the plant, condition well and give generously.

Anna Taylor — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:41:18 GMT

Manifesto

#13 Cut flowers deep into the plant, condition well and give generously

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series that are pertinent to September -

Cutting and conditioning is an art and a science. It is a craft. When Cissy, a florist and teacher at Wildstems worked together throughout the covid years, we used to talk about ‘the art of the cut’. It is all well and good growing flowers for the cutting, but cutting them is not as easy as pulling fruit from a tree or harvest beans.

No.

First you need to cut at the right time of the day and at the right stage of growth.

Cut at the right place on the plant enabling regeneration and the growth of new stems efficiently (unless it is a one hit wonder annual like nigella).

Then what do you do with that stem to ensure it has the longest vase life?

Here are is the guide to cutting late summer flowers:

#11 Allow some flowers to produce seed. Collect and save seed, let the rest self sow freely.

Anna Taylor — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:13:11 GMT

Manifesto

#11 Allow some flowers to produce seed. Collect and save seed, let the rest self sow freely.

Picking up on my manifesto for growing cut flowers, this last few months, there has been so much rain that I haven’t had to water at all, despite there being some days with no rain.

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series -

Today is #11 Allow some flowers to produce seed. Collect and save seed, let the rest self sow freely.

Saving seed is not just a thrifty way to garden. It is an act of resistance. Furthermore, one of the fundamentals of growing a resilient garden. This item on the manifesto could be the most important one.

There are three parts to this one.

Allow some flowers to produce seed.
Collect and save seed.
Let the rest self sow freely.

Why would you only let some plants produce seed? Why is it so good to collect your own seed? and why self sown plants will be bigger and stronger.

1. Allow some flowers to produce seed.

The some is the crucial bit here. When flowers begin to flower, the last thing you want to do it allow any to go to seed. Why? Because that is the plants raison d’être. To produce seed and secure its offspring. Think like a flower, and why cutting flowers for arranging prolongs flowering in come and cut again plants. Once a plant produces seed, the flowering slows. So to begin with, cut all your flowers, and definitely snip off any deadheads.

Then, once the plant has naturally slowed in flowering, leave those buds and allow them to ripen, producing seed. Right now, this is what I am doing with sweet peas.

This is ‘love in a puff’ - the little black seeds with a white heart on them are a delight and sit within a little lantern on the pretty Cardiospermum halicacabum vine.

2. Collect and save seed.

Why would you collect seed?

It is estimated that about 90% of crops have been lost and globally, seed supply is in the hands of very few global companies. Independent seed sellers are few and far between. For annual and biennial plants, without collected seed, we simply can’t sow them. Perhaps, like me, you might be thinking ‘someone else will save the seed’ ‘it’s ok, they won’t actually run out’ but that kind of thinking is how we got into this problem. Most rancunulus corms in the UK come from one supplier. This reliance on one supplier does nothing to develop plants resistance. One poor harvest or a fungal disease would wipe out the current and future crops. They aren’t organically grown, who knows what sprays are used, how they affect our pollinators and wildlife.

These are questions to consider. Like a mother can be carrying the beginings (if a daughter) of her grandchildren. You were a tiny egg in your grandmothers womb! Likewise, the calendulas, foxgloves and cornflowers growing and blooming right now have their offspring swelling and maturing.

Plants matured in your gardens’ particular soil and your particular micro climate, will produce seeds uniquely primed to thrive in the same soil and climate. Those seeds will retain that information and strength, adapting to their specific conditions. Helping plants develop their own biological resistance to pests and diseases.

#12 Water first thing in the morning, or the evening.

Anna Taylor — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 18:59:51 GMT

Manifesto

#12 Water first thing in the morning or the evening.

Picking up on my manifesto for growing cut flowers, this last few months, there has been so much rain that I haven’t had to water at all, despite there being some days with no rain.

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series -

Make your own liquid feeds

Today is #12. Watering.

The main point is not to water during the day. But there is, naturally, a lot more to this than just that!

The first rule of watering club is:

#10 Stake your plants before they need it.

Anna Taylor — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:44:18 GMT

Manifesto

#10 Stake your plants before they need it.

Picking up on my manifesto for growing cut flowers, this week, I have been staking plants.

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series -

I haven’t directly written about #5 & #6 but I have written about making composts and green manures. I will be returning to those soon.

But right now, now, stake your plants! Immediately! 1

After nurturing seedlings and plants for months now, the last thing you want is for your beautiful plants to flop and hit the ground. No, get out and support your plants before they need it and harvest lovely strong stems all summer.

We’ve supported plants in all sorts of ways over the years. In the end, it was the most efficient way that was the most effective!

This was the first incarnation. Back in about 2017 and for several years, we drove in long 1.5cm maybe longer 2”x1” (yes I like to mix the measurements).

Then we wove string or baling twine between the posts. With various levels of success.

This felt solid and strong. But ended up being quite frustrating. Let me count the reasons why and help you shortcut the pain.

#5 Make Your Own Composts

Anna Taylor — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:01:03 GMT

Manifesto

#5 Make your own composts

Next, as promised in my manifesto1, here is making your own composts.2

I have made composts for clients in their gardens for over 25 years. There is one thing in common with everyone’s site, garden or field.

They don’t make enough room for it.

If you think about it, making your own compost is a serious money saver whilst promoting the best soil health. It’s worth the space on your plot isn’t? But most of us pile up garden waste in a bin or pile and forget about it.

Some years I spent hundreds of pounds on buying in bags of composts and truck loads of mulch.

Easily.

But the best thing, is how much better my own homemade compost is for growing in.

It isn’t hard, it doesn’t take much effort. It’s free. But it does take space.

It took me a long time, and one very special friend who suggested that I use a much bigger space to compost, and get rid of all the pallets.

This is how I used to compost -

When I began Anna’s Flower Farm in 2015, these were the first compost heaps I made. You can see all the layers in the new heap.

#7 Make you own liquid feeds and apply once a month.

Anna Taylor — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:05:32 GMT

Manifesto

#7 Make your own liquid feeds (or buy organic seaweed tonic) and apply once a month.

Picking up on my manifesto for growing cut flowers, this week, I have been using my own feeds on plants. They are free, easy to make and plants visibly perk up after using them making them an essential inclusion on this list.

If you are new to my manifesto, there are other posts in the series -

I haven’t directly written about #5 & #6 but I have written about making composts and green manures. I will be returning to those soon.

I’m jumping to #7 today as I was reminded to snip the nettle and comfrey tops off as they are rising to flower. The perfect way to use these is either in the compost heap or as a liquid feed.

Do you feed your plants across the year?

I didn’t use to in my home garden, and it was only growing cut flowers, especially dahlias, that I kept reading about feeding my plants. I didn’t know why I needed to feed when I mulched with compost.

Liquid feeds give immediate nutrients, minerals and trace elements and you see the difference in plants the next day. Perkier, greener, fresher and stronger growth.

For fruiting and flowering plants, mulches are not enough, especially if willing the plants to produce over and over again. Feeds also help boost a plants immunity and strength, helpful when there are pests early in the season or challenging weather conditions.

I wrote about my decision to stop bringing in compost and materials to the garden unless I know it is organic and exactly where it has come from. I decided, in line with biodynamic principals, that, wherever possible, to make my own composts and feed the garden with itself. That is to say, use what I have and reduced outside inputs. Creating a closed system within the space.

Now I make three different feeds for the garden, that are used at different times of the year. Here are the recipes and how I use them:

#4 But start the year before

Tue, 09 May 2023 20:12:46 GMT

If Biennials were on tinder, their profile might read something like this:

“Loves planning ahead, takes time to get ready but worth the front end trouble. Copious reliable production. No diva demands or temper tantrums. Steady, dependable and consistent. Always performs, no matter what the weather or occasion. Quality, essential material for every occasion.”

Not really an immediate ‘swipe right’.

And unfortunately, biennials often do get overlooked for something a little more sparkly. I’m here to tell you why you want to give them some thought this week, how to grow them and where to buy some of my favourites. The future you will thank you for it.

We are on # 4 of my manifesto for Growing Cut Flower. #3. Is don’t start too early. This, #4 ‘but start the year before’.

Confused? Like many elements of growing cut flowers, the contradictions are rife.

You can start too early. And you can be too late. In this case, sow biennials now to be right on time.

The main things to remember are -

#1 Only grow what you love

Anna Taylor — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 16:58:15 GMT

Manifesto

Only grow what you love
First know what you love

In my manifesto, a plan of action for growing cut flowers, the first two directives go hand in hand.

At first glance, I could be carelessly taking two of the thirteen* where just one would do. I deliberately took up that space. Choosing what you are growing with consideration and purpose (knowing) might be the most important thing you do when growing cut flowers.

What flowers do you love? When you don’t much care for a plant, I don’t think you’ll take care of it let alone cut it. We all have flowers we utterly adore, and those that we are a bit meh about. I am not much of a fan of cleome, peonies or stocks. So I don’t grow them.

Instead I concentrate my efforts on those that I do love, that care and attention coming easily.

What you love will also go hand in hand with why or what you need to grow too. Working out the why and getting really clear on that will transform your growing plans and success.

I expect you fall into one of three types of flower grower:

Home Gardener - From balcony to multi-acre, no matter, growing for yourself, for friends and to give away.

Grower Florist - Again, scale doesn’t much matter. You might be a florist learning, researching and understanding more about the flowers you work with or wanting to grow flowers you just can’t find. Or you could grow most if not all of the product you use in your work. Adding skill and time to flower stems to create something more than its sum. Growing your palette.

Flower Farmer - Growing a quality product at scale. Focused on sales of stems, for your own work and for other florists.

Regardless of whether you grow in a back garden or on 2 acres there will undoubtably be some hard decisions to make about what you do.

So where do you start?

As a home gardener, you have that benefit of proximity to your ‘patch’, ideally visiting little and often. You can probably keep a close eye on your plants, tie in, water or pick every day as and when. Grow plants that you can’t get elsewhere very easily, or that are more fleeting such as sweet peas and poppies. I expect you have borders of shrubs and perennials also to mix with your flower growing to create interesting combinations. Choose annuals for your cutting plots that complement more ‘permanent’ planting. If you have plenty of spring perennials and bulbs, concentrate on mid to late summer annuals with dahlias in your sowing plan. Consider what flowers you’d really enjoy growing and cutting, and when. Those that really do delight you.

As a grower florist, regardless of whether you have a small or large cutting garden, since growing is only part of your work, you want to choose smart. What flowers do you really adore, will elevate your arrangements beyond your orders from the local flower farmers. It might be sweet peas and poppies together with flowers blooming at different stages. Nascent through to those on the edge. About to teeter over, too far gone but perfectly undone for a bridal bouquet. The autonomy of choosing tight rosebuds, seed heads and leaves for boutonnieres, gathered in jam jars. Pinches of flowers that are so utterly precious and perfect for the brief but you didn’t know what you were going to use until you walked the plots. And herbs, basils in flower, twirling annual climbers like cobaea, love in a puff, or dahlias cut at different stages for texture and movement. Your plots will be a treasure box of delights masquerading as a cut flower plot.

Finally, the flower farmer. Who is growing at scale. Beyond busy with sowing seeds, transplanting, growing and selling. Whose economies of scale dictate that the plot plans need reliable long flowering plants. Not those that need daily attention and huge resources to coax into flowers only to bloom in the two days you don’t cut. No, you want perennials, shrubs and repeat flowering annuals. Where you can cut in hundreds of stems, not dozens. Growing flowers in combination so that on any given week between late March and the first frosts, bouquets can be made in complementary colour combinations, scale and texture. Useful stems that can be cut by the bucket for larger scale events with foliage to make those flowers sing. Knowing which plants need the least care compared to which do. And which are worth it.

Whatever type of grower you are, you’ll want to know when you want flowers to be growing. If you don’t know, use this year to find that out. What flowers when? Grow what you love and see what works with those stems. Look at what others are growing and note combinations that delight you.

Know what you love - be it on your kitchen table, for your work or for sales and grow it for success.

*13 is a lucky number in our family with many of us born on the 13th. I’m reclaiming and trying to use 13 as often as possible rather than consider it unlucky.

13 is the number of the feminine. There are 13 moon cycles in the year, it is the number of death and rebirth (because it falls in the middle of the mood cycle), representing the balance of the old and the new. Originally, the pagan calendar had 13 months. Christianity has made 12 ‘a perfect number’.

At any time of the year, there is the old and the new in the natural world. There is no start or end when all is returned to the earth. I love this. 13 represents the divine and the natural ability to connect and work in community with love.

That’s why, if I can, I will use 13.

This is my manifesto for Growing Cut Flowers. I will be exploring this list over the next few weeks - each one helps you grow the flowers you want to. Let’s get growing together.