https://linktr.ee/Florrieandfig

Florrie and Fig, Camaghael, Fort William (2024)

19/12/2024

Now that the solstice is almost upon us I'm allowing a bit of dreaming of sunny days. I can't wait to behold this view again.

I moved here from Australia nearly 21 years ago. When people ask me how I cope with the Fort William weather compared to Queensland, I tell them that yes, I miss the warm temps, but it's actually the short dark days in the winter that get to me the most.

I know I've said it before, but looking forward all the time - planning and planting and sowing and growing gives me that sense of hope and excitement for the colour to come. It gets me through the dark winter knowing the bulbs are all out in the rain, getting cold (just how they like it) and waiting for their moment.

That reminds me, I still need to finish planting the tulips...

(If you're a tulip lover, or lover of Spring flowers in general, my Spring Bouquet Subsciption is now live on the webshop.)

18/12/2024

I've drawn a line under wreaths and have to crack on with all the overdue planting that's been on hold through the December craziness...

It's common knowledge among flower farmers that polytunnel space is premium ground. So, it makes sense to use it for growing premium flowers.

Making the cut are:

Roses - the rain really does destroy these beauties so inside they come. I've planted 6 bare roots.

Ranunculus and Anemones - these stunners like cool weather for growing, but they're not so keen on being constantly wet. My attempts in the past have yielded mediocre results so I'm putting all my flower eggs in the tunnel basket to see if I can nail it this time around.

Tulips - while tulips love the cold and wet of aHighland winter, I'm hoping I can have flowers for Mother's Day and Easter 2025 by forcing then to bloom just that little bit earlier than they would outside. They are especially tasty to mice, so I'm attempting to deter them with a generous sprinkling of garlic and chilli flakes. 🌶 No disturbances as yet!

Hardy annuals - I've not had a lot of success with hardy annuals outside over winter so I'm experimenting with some in the tunnel. I've planted some out already and they've been down to about -5 a few times and amazingly, are still alive! The idea is that they bloom a little earlier that outside grown ones so that I have flowers in the gap between Spring flowers and the Summer flowers. When I have my mini city of polytunnels I'll know what works and what doesn't.

Rather than waiting until January I've launched my Spring Bouquet Subsciption in case you need a last minute gift for the flower lover in your life (or Happy Christmas to yourself? ).

http://florrie-and-fig.square.site/

12/12/2024

I hope no one wants to use the kitchen table today because it has been well and truly overtaken with dried flowers.

I'm making up loads of those dainty wee posies everyone loves so much for this Saturday's , and a few bigger ones as well. Do come early if you want your pick of the bunches as they tend to sell out.

See you there!

18/11/2024

🌲Wreath Preorders🌲 £40

If you'd like me to make you a lush festive wreath for your door then please pop onto the shop page and order before 29th November.

I use local foliage as much as possible and zero plastic (except the ribbon, which can be reused).

They'll be ready from the 1st week of December.

http://florrie-and-fig.square.site/

(If you fancy making your own with me pop onto Eventbrite and check out the info there - search Florrie and Fig)

06/11/2024

As a nod to Bonfire Night I've been potting on my own little planty fireworks today.

Ranunculus has a reputation of being a bit of a diva flower to grow. I'm more of a no-nonsense kind of grower, usually, but these stunners are worth a bit of faff, don't you think?

I'm planning on planting these in the polytunnel, where they will likely be high on the menu for the mice and voles. But unless they like them with chilli and garlic, hopefully they won't be gobbled.

It's quite a juggling act in my brain sometimes - forward planning for flowers for next year while still being mindful and enjoying the present season can be a bit jarring sometimes. The spring bulbs are still sitting in their boxes in the hallway. Every time I nearly trip over them, I imagine they are pleading with me to plant them. I know that's a job that can wait until this weird mild November weather gives way to proper cold, so I'm ignoring them for the time being. The dried flowers are calling louder this week though. Hopefully I'll have some more pics of the bouquets I'm bringing to the to show you tomorrow.

05/11/2024

Dried flowers are go!

I'll be at this Saturday's (Inside at the Auction Mart from 10am to 3pm) with these stunning British grown beauties.

I'll have these super-cute posies as well as bigger deluxe dried bouquets. Ibee been getting a few comments lately from prone who bought some of my dried flowers last year saying they look as good as when they bought them.

I'll be there with loads of other brilliant local makers and producers - where better to get a head start on gifts?

Plus, I'll have some tulip bulbs for you to pop into the garden now it's cooling down a bit.

FYI - my wreath workshops are filling up!

Workshop 1 - limited tickets
Workshop 2 - SOLD OUT!
Workshop 3 - good availability

Head to the link in my bio or stories for the details.

Premade wreath orders opening soon.

Looking forward to chatting with you all at the market!

24/10/2024

Some pink frills for you this windy Thursday. These asters were sown at the end of June when I found out I had the use of the polytunnel. Most didn't come to much, mainly because in my excitement, I packed everything in way too close. Plus I stupidly planted the sunflowers on the sunny side which meant they shaded everything else when they grew 8 feet high. Also, can someone please remind me not to grow nasturtiums in the tunnel - I left one plant this summer and it grew like a freaking triffid. The bees loved it, but it too shaded everything else. It dropped seeds everywhere, too.

I started clearing the polytunnel beds today in readiness for the planting of the ranunculus and anemones and hardy annuals. It's all a big gamble with the weather - if we have a freezing cold winter they might all die. But if we don't, there will be lots of flowers to follow the tulips.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

14/10/2024

Sometimes in life, you've just got to grow a flower as big as your head.

I brought the kids to the polytunnel with me today. I normally wouldn't because my Mr Fournado Tornado has a penchant for ripping flower heads off the plants. But since my fresh flower season is all but over, I am OK with him being there. They went straight for looking for worms in the dirt, so my fears weren't realised this time around.

The picture is of a dahlia called 'Cafe au Lait'. I've been watching and nurturing this dahlia since May when I potted the dormant tuber up. There was the tiniest hint of a green shoot for about a month. Then I planted it in the tunnel when the sprouts were a few inches high. It's been growing bigger and bigger and finally, the buds formed about a month ago. While the dahlias around it were happily flowering away, it was taunting me with buds that weren't doing anything. If I was a betting woman, I'd have said it would die from the frost before it flowered, but it proved me wrong. It's a terrible cut flower - they don't last very long, but I'm going to forgive all that waiting and teasing because it's just such a stonking looking flower.

Flower farmer business logic would say, "Don't devote valuable tunnel space to a stupid plant that gives you one flower in a season". I say, "Stuff that." When I look at this flower my heart skips a beat. As a mum of young kids I'm terrible at devoting any of my brain power to self care, so in the interests of my own mental health, she's staying.

07/10/2024

Cutting a bucket of rainbow beauties today - some from the polytunnel and some from , including those radiant rudbeckia.

(The last slide are the first zinnias I've picked from my tunnel. I only sowed the seed at the end of June *pats self on back*.)

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the market on Saturday. It was such a lovely vibe with everyone gathering at tables in the sunshine and kids walking around with their . It's very hard not to spend all my profits at the other stalls...

My favourite thing about the markets is getting to talk to people - about gardening and flowers and their holidays and what they are doing for the rest of the weekend. Some of the people I see are friends, but the majority of them I only speak to at the market and it might be the first time I've met them. Recent studies have shown that small interactions with strangers and people on the periphery of your social circles boosts your well-being. I certainly come away from each market feeling boosted and happy. It helps that people in the Highlands are generally very up for a chat. And so am I!

05/10/2024

Team Dahlia or Team Sunflower?

03/10/2024

These kids are hands down my cutest customers at every market. I look forward to seeing their smiling faces as they scour the bouquets to find their favourite one.

This Saturday the is being held at the courtyard (10-3). There are tables for sitting and eating and drinking all the goodies from the stall holders. But don't eat the flowers. Just look. And smell. And smile at them.

I'll have fresh flowers, dried flowers, plants, seeds, and as always, throw your garden chat at me. I love it.

📷

02/10/2024

Dahlias were the favourite flowers of my grandmother. Although I never got to meet her, I often think about her when I tend these beauties and wonder if flowers are in my genes. Both my parents love growing (my dad sends me regular updates on the baby trees he grows from seed, and I've gardened with my mum since day dot), and my Poppa's veg garden was the place of childhood dreams.

Today, I'm organising my stash of dried flowers to make some posies for this weekend's market. I've almost come to terms with Autumn being here. Transitions are challenging but there's always something to fall in love with in a new season. I'll have to say bye to these beauties soon, but the drieds and the approaching bulbageddon mean I'll have plenty to look forward to.

Dahlia fun facts:
- they originated in Mexico
- they were introduced into Europe as a food crop because of their edible tubers (not particularly tasty by all accounts, don't recommend! )
- dahlias have an astonishing 8 pairs of chromosomes, which accounts for their amazing diversity. (Humans have 2 pairs)
- apparently the Aztecs used the dried hollow stems as pipes (think plumbing rather than smoking)
- they were named after a Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl, so we're probably saying it wrong when we call them "daylias".

01/10/2024

Wreath Workshops are now live on Eventbrite- amazing thanks to those early birds who have already bought their tickets!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/florrie-and-fig-56596943633

29/09/2024

It's nearly October, which means it's socially acceptable for me to mention Christmas (in my book anyways).

We always have lots of laughs at these workshops and I can't wait to spread the wreath love. Places are limited to 10 people so I can share myself around to give you all the tips and help you need to make a gorgeous wreath.

I'm doing three wreath making workshops this year and the tix go on sale on Tuesday 1st October.

28/09/2024

I've lived in The Highlands for 20+ years but I'm still a tourist at heart. I can't resist stopping and chatting to these beauties on my way to the polytunnel. It's always advisable to drive slowly past them, but I make sure I have my window up so as not to get an accidental horn in the face. I've also spotted red squirrels on this road, but it's not so easy to get a happy snap of those speedy furballs.

Some interesting things I've learned about Highland cows:
- they're the oldest breed of cattle in the world (6th Century!)
- their fringe is called a dossan
- there are more ginger ones because Queen Victoria said she liked that colour of coo best, and they were selectively bred to please Her Maj. Can't fact check that one though... (I've seen black coos and white coos too)

In flower news, we're having some more low temps this week, so keep your fingers crossed they don't all cark it before the next weekend!

26/09/2024

*Wreath Workshops go on sale 1st October*

Here are the details for the wreath workshops in December. They sold out pretty quickly last year so don’t dilly dally or shilly shally if you’re keen to come along. I’ve added an extra date so there are three to choose from. I can’t wait to see everyone’s creations!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/florrie-and-fig-56596943633

25/09/2024

First frost of the year has seen off some of the flowers in the field, but thankfully it was a mild one. The dahlias were the main casualties. The sunflowers took it in their stride, and were waiting in the morning sun for me to come and cut them.

It's likely there will be another frost or two this week, so I don't expect the field flowers to be going much longer. The ones in the tunnel might keep going for another week or two... fingers crossed. There are a lot of buds on things that haven't flowered yet!

18/09/2024

I cut more than one sunflower today - in the tunnel and outside - yay! It seemed fitting to be cutting them on a blinder of a sunny day. (See my stories for some blue skies above Ben Nevis).

I cut one sunflower in the tunnel that was facing away from me and as I was about to put it in a bucket I realised it had a sleeping bumble bee on it. I felt terrible to have to wake it up and nudge it onto another flowerhead. I was a bit surprised though - it was about 10.30am by this stage. Surely they're meant to be up and about making the most of this gorgeous weather? If I'm not allowed to sleep in, then neither are you little bumble.

Florrie and Fig