Galloway Flowers

01/07/2024

Sometimes small IS beautiful.⁠
Posy from last weekend - packed with the scents of the season.

29/06/2024

This year I'm growing this lovely Sweet Pea 'Kings Ransom' again but in the warmer end of the Tunnel. They seem to like that little bit of extra mollycoddling, especially given the cold night temperatures again this week. ⁠
A gorgeous soft shade but sadly, no scent I can detect. Maybe my sense of smell is being bamboozled by all the other varieties in the tunnel?⁠
It still makes my growing list though, I just mix it in with more scented ones in a bouquet.

26/06/2024

After the funeral, this pretty basket of Spring flowers was easily divided into 8 individual Posies for Friends to take home to enjoy, ⁠
The little Viola plugs were taken away too, to plant out in the family garden. A lovely way to remember & celebrate the life of a Lady who enjoyed gardening. ⁠
She loved the 'Flower Fairy' books by Cicely Mary Barker & read them to her Children. They asked me to include some of the 'Flower Fairy' stars in season that week. ⁠
So with this as inspiration, I included flowers for the Heather, Stitchwort, Bluebell, Daffodil, Lady's Smock, Heart's Ease, Cowslip, Snowdrop, Willow Catkin & Forget Me Not Fairies. One or two were garden varieties (6 types of mini Daffodil for example & a fancy Snowdrop) so I used artistic licence a little... ⁠
Still surprising how many 'Fairies' could be found once I began to look around the flower field & garden. I enjoyed revisiting the book myself! Everything grown here in Galloway.⁠
And of course, the basket could be reused & no plastic, cellophane or floral foam was used to make the design.

25/06/2024

Phlomis.⁠
Or as it's better known here 'Poodle Tails'. It reminds me of those fancy groomed Poodles. I need easy to remember names for flowers as sometimes the latin names can be tricky...⁠
Whatever you call it, it's still a cracking cut flower. ⁠
* Long, long stems, often with nice curves to make a large arrangement interesting⁠
* Soft lemony yellow, a colour I'm lacking amongst the pinks, white & blues typical of June⁠
* And if I don't use it before the bees pollinate the flowers, it dries well for later in the year⁠
What silly alternative names do you have for your flowers?

24/06/2024

Flower faffing in the sunshine yesterday - what a lovely, relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.⁠
Big, blousy Summer flowers (almost the last of my Peonies for this year) at the 'Hand Tied Bouquet' workshop yesterday.

23/06/2024

They've kept me waiting this year...⁠
But FINALLY the Sweet Peas are coming along a treat.⁠
The scent of the first few bunches of the season is a true delight every year. Fingers crossed the warmer temperatures this week will soon have them pumping out stems by the bucketful again.

19/06/2024

Beautiful work at last Sunday's 'Arrange A Vase' workshop. Each created their own arrangement to take home from the buckets of our freshly cut, locally grown flowers. ⁠
Every one was unique, depending on their favourite vase & flowers chosen.⁠
If you would like to join me for some gentle flower faffing before then, there are 2 places on the 'Make A Hand Tied Bouquet' afternoon this coming Sunday 23rd June. ⁠
There'll be lots of flowers & zero football. Promise. ⁠
https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/handtiedbouquetafternoon.html
Bookings for the next Vase workshop on Sundays August 11th & 8th September are open online too.

02/06/2024

So Summer 2024 begins - & it's truly bursting with colour here. The Summer flowers are racing ahead & there's plenty to cut to enjoy in our homes & vases.⁠
Latest 'June News from Galloway Flowers' post on the blog today

Flower Farm blog by Rosie Gray, Flower Farmer & Florist in Scotland. Monthly news & tips on how to grow your own cut flowers. Galloway Flowers is near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland

27/05/2024

I've been rather absent from here in recent weeks - May is one of our busiest months & somehow, taking photo's always falls off the ever growing list...⁠
We've been busy prepping flowers for wedding couples & for the season of flowers ahead. So much must be done in May - Sowing, planting, ⁠weeding... it's difficult to keep up (& this week, midges haven't helped - ugh!) We're keeping up - just⁠
So lots is happening behind the scenes to make sure we've plenty of flowers for 2024 weddings, events, funerals & bouquets.⁠
This is a selection of our flowers cut at the weekend. It's a wholesale order for another talented florist, & the flowers will be used in an Ayrshire wedding. ⁠
I cut super tall Lupins, Honey Garlic, & Orlaya, the first of our peachy Alstroemeria & Geum, plus deliciously scented Pinks. ⁠The Lupins are wrapped in the paper to protect them during transport.
The white with peach is such a pretty colour palette, isn't it?

12/05/2024

Colourful Posies of mixed flowers, to decorate wedding tables yesterday.⁠ This mix sums up the May garden for me - dainty, scented & frilly. ⁠
Every stem grown & cut by myself here at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas. As the crow flies, the wedding was approximately 4 miles away - so I think you could call them 'locally grown flowers'!⁠
In May, it seems each morning a new flower begins to bloom, it's an exciting time of year for flower folk.

07/05/2024

It makes my day when I receive gorgeous photo's like this in my inbox!⁠
Cally & Chris captured beautifully by Photographer Luke Bennett at their wedding at Cardoness beach last week. ⁠
Thank you Cally, Chris & Luke for allowing me to share the photo with you.⁠
⁠
Photographer ⁠
Flowers ⁠
Dress ⁠
Celebrant

06/05/2024

The Farewell Flowers Directory launches today.⁠
The Directory helps you find beautiful flowers for funerals that are natural & plastic free, across the UK. ⁠
Already 130 Florists are listed, all committed to making compostable arrangements including local or UK grown ingredients. I'm proud to be included in the Directory. ⁠
Over the years offering this service, our flowers have often been collected & transported long distance. And I'm told, always arrived in good condition. (I took flowers to my own Fathers funeral 400 miles away, so confident they would be.) ⁠
The Directory will make it easier to find natural, sustainably-arranged flowers locally to celebrate the life of a loved one, across the UK.

05/05/2024

Tulips are keeping me busy at the moment, I seem to walk a flower field circuit, pulling them up ready to go. ⁠
Then I turn a corner & the varieties visited at the beginning of the circuit have a few more popping & ready to go!⁠
To get the longest vase life from Tulips, catching them at just the right stage makes a big difference.⁠
The plus side of all the recent rain means fabulous long Tulip stems this year. The 'Peony' flowered doubles have begun this week & next up are the Parrots. ⁠
After all the Spring yellows of last month, the pinks & burgundies are a refreshing change in 'Friday Flowers' bouquets.⁠
It might seem early but I'm already planning my Tulip crop for next year. Which colours & shapes should I grow in 2025? ⁠
If you're planning your Spring 2025 wedding in Galloway or are a florist wanting my speciality Tulips next April & May, do let me know. The order goes in later this month...

19/04/2024

'Cuckoo Flower' is popping out along the verge & across the field this week. A pretty sprinkling of lilac froth against the green grass.⁠
And the timing is perfect - I heard the first Cuckoo calling, loud & strong here yesterday!⁠
The Latin name is Cardamine Pratensis, but like many of our native flowers, has other country names such as 'Lady's Smock'. It grows easily from seed, gently spreading across damp grassland.⁠
If you've a suitable place in your garden, why not try it for next Spring?

14/04/2024

If 'April Showers bring May Flowers', we're surely heading for a bumper show here next month! ⁠
Already plenty of cheerful Spring flowers to fill this vintage Spode Posy Bowl (one of my favourite charity shop finds). And our season has only just begun...⁠
Latest 'April News from Galloway Flowers' post on the blog today. https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/flowerfarmblog

17/03/2024

Spring is rushing in at speed this year, thank goodness!⁠
The birds are singing Spring songs & ponds are full of frog spawn. Yesterday, the first of these stunning Snakeshead Fritillaries popped open, making Spring official here. ⁠
⁠ Now I'm hoping for some Sunshine soon...⁠
Latest 'March News At Galloway Flowers' on the blog today. Access viahttps://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/flowerfarmblog

14/03/2024

Yesterday I pruned & mulched a few more Roses, feeding them lots of goodness to set them up for a stunning show again this Summer. ⁠
Not that the Rose bushes show much appreciation... My hands are crisscrossed with scratches, despite wearing gloves.⁠
Pruning Roses is a bit like tickling a friendly Tom cat who purrs, winds his way around your legs, then rolls over to have his tummy tickled... & then wham! those claws are straight in to the soft fleshy bit of your hand. If you've ever had a cat, you'll know just what I mean.⁠
Anyway, no hard feelings towards the Roses, they're worth a bit of pain.
And today a picture of a deliciously scented Rose in Summer sunshine is exactly what I need. This was a new one planted last year, & hopefully it'll be producing plenty of blooms soon.

06/03/2024

While I've been busy prepping for Mothers Day flowers, Ken has been working on the next workshop update. All the ceiling boards have been removed now so he can insulate & reboard the rest of the roof. About a third was done last Winter & this will make a huge difference.⁠
All the roof trusses were made using wooden pegs, without nails so too nice to hide away. And won't it be a super space for drying flowers this year?⁠
A lot to do still but on track to be ready for our flowery workshop season, starting again in April.⁠
And the best surprise of all (pic 2)? In the loft space there were boxes full of hundreds of lovely old clay flower pots! Now they're going to look fabulous potted up with plants...

05/03/2024

Last call for Mothers Day Flowers (it's this Sunday March 10th!)⁠
As I schedule this, just 1 local delivery slot remains for our bouquets of fresh, 100% British grown bouquets...⁠
I'll be making up a limited number of these sweet little Posies for Collection on Sunday morning between 10am -12 noon.
Would your Mum love a colourful Posy for the kitchen table or beside the bed? Or perhaps 3 Posies grouped together at a special Sunday lunch?⁠
Preorder on the website; https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/mothersdayflowers.html & collect from the Flower Farm at DG7 3QR (Hidden Road, Balmaclellan - I'll send directions).

05/03/2024

Last call for Mothers Day Flowers (it's this Sunday March 10th!)⁠
As I schedule this, just 1 local delivery slot remains for our bouquets of fresh, 100% British grown bouquets...⁠
I'll be making up a limited number of these sweet little Posies for Collection on Sunday morning between 10am -12 noon.
Would your Mum love a colourful Posy for the kitchen table or beside the bed? Or perhaps 3 Posies grouped together at a special Sunday lunch?⁠
Preorder on the website https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/store/p10/mothersdaybouquet.html & collect from the Flower Farm at DG7 3QR (Hidden Road, Balmaclellan - I'll send directions).

02/03/2024

Just because it's been a bit of a dreary afternoon of weeding here & it's good to remind myself of the colour & beauty to come later in the Summer.⁠
(ETA late July depending on our wonderful Scottish weather of course...)

01/03/2024

Batch 1 Sweet Peas are well underway now. These were sown in January, & about 350 baby plants are happily being nurtured in one of our polytunnels. ⁠
Batch 2 are germinating now ready for potting in to root trainers like these soon.⁠ (Cardboard toilet roll tubes could be used as an inexpensive alternative.⁠)
These root trainers seemed very expensive to buy but this is their 9th season of use. With care, they'll be reused for Sunflowers & other seedlings later this Spring. Hopefully, I'll reuse them for a 10th season next year.⁠
So yes, the root trainers are made from recycled plastic but used carefully, definitely not single use only. And when they do fall apart, they can be recycled & the material used again.⁠
It won't be long before we're cutting deliciously scented Sweet Peas by the bucketful for our Customers!

22/02/2024

Early September last year - our Dahlias were pumping out hundreds of stems every week, & continued well into mid-October. ⁠
The most popular colours with our Customers last year were the oranges, coppers, & peaches, in demand for weddings with an Autumnal palette. These colours were very popular in our weekly 'Friday Flower' bouquets too.⁠
But fashions change & over winter I've been tracking the trends to make sure we have plenty of the 'Must Have' colours for 2024. ⁠
What do you think I should be growing more of this year? More of the same? Increase the pinks & purples? More whites, burgundies, reds? More...? ⁠
Fingers crossed I'm on the right track... ⁠
Your thoughts on flower fashion trends always welcome!

21/02/2024

Rich, warm colours & full of scent too - this bridal bouquet from last July is full of both.⁠
The scent of Garden Roses, Honeysuckle, Sweet Peas & (one of my favourites) Marjoram softly blended together.⁠
All grown here at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas & freshly cut the day before. We never use noxious chemicals to grow or treat our flowers, we rely on our natural pest control team instead.⁠
By choosing locally grown flowers for your wedding, you can enjoy the freshest flowers, & know the Carbon footprint is kept low too.

20/02/2024

Mothers Day is early this year (on Sunday 10th March if you happened to miss it).⁠
I'll be filling the workshop with British-grown flowers like these again, ready for making up into pretty bouquets for local Mum's. ⁠
At the moment, I estimate our flowers are opening two weeks ahead of last year so we'll have some of our own Galloway-grown flowers ready to add into the mix too!⁠
🌹Local delivery available on Friday 8th & Saturday 9th⁠
🌹Wrapped simply & tied with a pretty ribbon. No packaging waste & no plastic = more flowers for Mum & better for the environment too!⁠
🌹Easy ordering online via website
I'm looking forward to filling my workshop with the best scents & colours from our British growers again very soon, & delivering to much loved Mums

18/02/2024

Sunflowers are among the 'TopTen' requested flowers by our wedding couples for this Summer. So this week, I've been sorting out seeds ready for sowing. (Not yet - way too early!)⁠
And there are so many gorgeous varieties available now. Looking beyond the cheerful yellow giants commonly seen by the bunch in supermarkets, there are pale creamy lemons, rich oranges, deep plummy reds, stripes, browns... how do I choose which to grow?⁠
And best of all, many of these varieties produce multiple smaller flowers with slender stems. They might not win a 'tallest Sunflower competition' but are perfect as cut flowers. So much easier to arrange in a wedding bouquet or vase!⁠
The Sunflowers here in Maria's bouquet were just the perfect size - rich, joyful colours & not too heavy to carry. ⁠
Thank you Maria & Peter for allowing me to share your photo, & of course, to talented photographer Derek Dunlop Photography

09/02/2024

A teeny little Flower Wand for a Flower Girl's teeny hand, made for a Galloway wedding last Summer...⁠
Brightly coloured blooms including Heather & plenty of swishy ribbons to twirl about.⁠
Who do you know who would like their very own flower wand at a wedding this Summer?

04/02/2024

If January was my 'Get Ready' planning time, February is 'Get Set'. It's the month of preparing to implement those plans. I've decided what to grow, spoken in more detail with wedding couples, & the picture is developing. ⁠
Now I can calculate how many plants will produce those flowers... Then it's the really challenging bit - how to fit it all in the space available! ⁠
Planning can be a frustrating, time consuming task but I'll be ready for 'Go!' by March.⁠
Latest February Newsletter post is on the blog now via https://www.gallowayflowers.co.uk/flowerfarmblog