Florrie and Fig

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Florrie and Fig

Micro flower farm growing beautiful seasonal blooms in the Scottish Highlands.
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12/09/2024

Autumn can get stuffed. I'm squeezing every last drop of Summer out of these flowers.

The weather for Saturday's market is going to be a tad wild for gazebos so it's moving indoors within the Auction Mart. This means all the stall holders can focus on bringing you their amazing produce and products, rather than holding on to their tables and tents. And you the customers can browse in relative comfort. It's great fun setting up a stall in a sheep pen!

When and where:

10am to 1pm
Torlundy Auction Mart

11/09/2024

Snow!

Four days ago I was sitting on the beach on the hottest day of the year (local beach, not foreign), and today there is snow on the hills. 😮

The is on Saturday and I'm crossing everything, praying to the weather gods and generally hoping with all my might that the first frost doesn't come this week to scupper my plans for lots of sunflowers. (The outside ones are so close to blooming, but with this cold I wouldn't blame them for a no show.)

Although, if it did get frosty, I've then got free reign to play with all the dried flowers I've been squirrelling away...

And I have a new scarf I want to get out of the drawer.

Swings and roundabouts, yes?

05/09/2024

Don't get me wrong, I love the sunny face of a yellow sunflower but I love love love growing these plummy ones a teeny bit more.

There are more on the way, hopefully blooming in time for the . (It's on on the 14th September if you'd didn't already have it circled and highlighted on your calendar and an alarm set to remind you).

26/08/2024

This dahlia is a bit brighter than I normally grow but she looked pretty cool in the catalogue so I thought, why not? I will resist cutting her as long as possible because she has a zillion layers of petals still to unfurl. She reminds me a bit of a parrot.

(She's called Jowey Fantasy and I bought the tuber from .)

Who else is team bright colours?

25/08/2024

I've been rescuing the strawflowers from the constant rain before they turn to mush and hanging them up to dry.

I have to be honest and say that I'm looking forward to drawing a line under this Summer. It has been a very challenging growing season, to say the least!

I'm already picturing the dried posies and trinkets that I will make with these beauties. I love when people at the markets see them for the first time in their lives and can't quite believe they're real. They are a bit other worldly, aren't they?

18/08/2024

I was so happy delivering this bouquet of bright sunshine on such a bleak weather day...

Um, I don't want to go on about the weather, but I overheard a woman who has lived here in Fort William for 50 years say that this is the worst summer she remembers.

It was 12 degrees yesterday. I think we've skipped summer altogether and gone straight to Autumn. Amazingly, the flowers are still growing and blooming (albeit a tad slower). My first sunflowers and dahlias are coming throug - both outdoor grown, seeds are sprouting for next year's flowers, and I've still got the polytunnel flowers to come. There's plenty to be excited about, even if we're missing out on the sunshine.

12/08/2024

This delectable dahlia bud is slowly unfurling in my tiny front garden. The neighbours must wonder what the heck I'm up to when I come out every morning and stick my face in the garden plants (they might even overhear me speaking words of encouragement/ swearing). If they didn't already know I was an unhinged plant obsessed woman they do now.

It won't be long until I'm cutting them for my subscrption bunches. They don't last for 2 weeks like some of the other flowers in my bouquets, but because they are indescribably beautiful they will always be included if I have them.

How do you all feel about flowers that don't last super long?

02/08/2024

It's been all about love this week. ♥️

Proposal flowers and a flower girl posy were lovingly put together for some positively beaming people over the past couple of days.

It makes my heart sing to know my flowers are part of these extra-special loved- up occasions.

31/07/2024

It's amazing how different the plot looks after a few weeks away. Still can't beat this view from work.

08/07/2024

Orange on its own doesn't seem like the obvious choice to plop into a bouquet, but next to some purple and green (any colour wheel enthusiasts out there?) they become what's called a triadic colour scheme - high contrast and pleasing to the eye (well, to my eye at least).

Another fun fact for the day - orange didn't become a colour adjective in English until the 1600s. Before then it was basically described as "between red and yellow." It wasn't until the sweet orange became more widespread that people called things "orange-coloured," likening it to the fruit, when eventually "orange" was used on its own to describe the colour. It's a super interesting journey of a word (it's even possible it should've been called a norange, with an 'n' - do you think we should change it back? ).

This looker went out the other day. And yes, that is a hulking huge ranunculus in a July bouquet. The benefits of our cool highland summers, I guess. We can't grow oranges, but we can grow some pretty beautiful flowers, orange or otherwise.

05/07/2024

Some beautiful bright bunches have been delivered to Stronaba Produce today. Their farm shop has all manner of local and Scottish delights, and now you can grab some flowers too!

One lucky customer will get the first of the sweet peas in their bunch....

Liz and Alisdair have been such a huge source of support to me - they have given me their knowledge, advice and encouragement (and occasionally a taste test) from day one. Their farm shop is a fantastic new asset to the area - get in there and support local!

30/06/2024

Flowers make me happy.

28/06/2024

💐Subscriptions Launch Day! 💐

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

Summer flowers are on their way (hooray!) so why not treat yourself and your kitchen table to a regular bouquet from the end of July. Dates are approximate and we can negotiate the exact dates that work well for you.

Subscriptions are a super way of gifting flowers too.

Pop onto the website and read all about it and let me know if you have any questions.

26/06/2024

Some berry nice bouquets are coming together for teacher treats. My favourite part of these bouquets isn't the flowers though - it's the mint. It smells amazing (and gets me thinking about a cheeky mojito, if only the sun would come out).

I had to remind myself to trust the process yesterday. Within about 5 minutes of cutting these long stems of fuzzy apple mint they all flopped and wilted. I doubted myself for a second (I don't remember them doing last last year? ) but then thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt, and sure enough, after 12 hours in the cool and dark they were perky and straight and ready to rock. This conditioning process is a necessary step and the main reason why I need at least 24 hours' notice to cut a bouquet.

I don't use a ton of greenery in my bouquets, so I only use what I love. And I love love love mint. It lasts so long in the vase (if the water is changed every few days) that it starts growing roots! Bonus plant! (But don't plant it in the ground unless you want it EVERYWHERE.) I suppose it depends on how many mojitos you're planning on drinking... 🍹

19/06/2024

Flower farming is about the long game.

It's been 2 years since I planted the seeds for these Canterbury Bells (this is a double one - isn't it divine?). And a year ago I planted the seeds for the Sweet Williams. I'm growing peonies that will take another 3 years before I can cut from them. I'm about to start seeds for the flowers for this time next year (or the year after if you're a Canterbury Bell).

It's one of the things I love about this flowery business of mine - always something to look forward to. Seasonally and locally grown flowers will come in their own sweet time. And it's so sweet when they do have their fleeting moment. Although after weeks of wishing the Caterbury Bells would flower, I'm now telling them to hold off until next week when I'd like to put them in the teachers' thank you bouquets. Never satisfied! 😆

14/06/2024

Flowers for Teachers!

If you’ve got kids at school like me, you leave it to the last minute to think of something to give your child’s teacher at the end of term. 🤪Luckily I have a flower farm so I can whip something up when I remember…

But you should’ve seen the huge smile on my daughter's face when she handed her teacher a bouquet of flowers at school last year. Her teacher was beaming too. If you have a special someone you’d like to thank at the end of term, then I can help you - dance, music, sports teachers, child minders - they all work so hard! I can’t wait to gift them a bunch of thank you flowers.

Orders open until Wednesday 19th June, for collection on Wednesday 26th June. (Contact me if you need a different collection date or a bigger bouquet.) Click on the link to order.

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

13/06/2024

Hello beautiful!
I always start my day at the plot with a walk about. It's partly procrastination, and partly nature appreciation, but it serves a very important purpose. I get up close to the plants and seedlings, sometimes crawling around on my hands and knees. I stare at them, running their leaves through my hands, comparing plants' colours and flower stages. Careful observation means I can spot little problems before they become big problems.

It also means I can spot (haha) wee delights such as this snoozing ladybird, the first one I've seen this year. Hopefully, it's decided to stick around and make my plot its permanent home. I don't ever use chemicals because I want my plot to reach a natural balance. Sometimes a pest gets out of hand and damages one of my crops (stupid thrips) but by not killing them with sprays, I hope to attract some predator of them who then gets a good feed. You can't have ladybirds without a few aphids!

Chemical-free all the way, baby.

07/06/2024

The best laid plans...

Glen Spean Market: Producers & Crafters is tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am-1pm.

My flowers are on the brink. Buds everywhere I look, but thanks to this cold weather (and I grow everything outside) the buds on most things have refused to open, no matter how hard I stare at them!

I'll have limited small posies at the market but I'll also have some plants for sale (nasturtiums, blackcurrants and herbs).

Always happy to talky about growing and flower chat, and be sure to visit the other fantastic producers at the market too.

The sun will return! *here's a pic to remind us what it looks like. Keep your eyes peeled for a flower pop up next week if the flowers decide to open!

05/06/2024

Ah ranunculus, you diva.

I've always had the attitude towards my flowers that once I plant them, they're (almost) on their own. If they don't thrive from neglect then maybe they're not worth growing. But then, in strolls ranunculus, with her ruffles and dreamy colours and I decide that babying this one crop is probably worth it. I'll be honest, I didn't do much to these guys once I planted them out. I purposely left it until the end of March gambling that we wouldn't have any more hard frosts. Which we didn't. I was lucky!

And it's 12 degrees for most of this week, so no fear of them going dormant in the heat just yet. If the rain doesn't ruin them I'll be able to treat you all with some at on the weekend. Or maybe I'll keep them for myself. It's a tough call.

05/06/2024

I'll be at the market on Saturday (plus there are lots of other fab producers there). Make sure you come say hi!

04/06/2024

Happy British Flowers Week!

Technically, every week is British Flowers Week here at but having a special week devoted to all things British flowers is a great way of highlighting the fabulous work we growers and florists do up and down the country.

Buying British means buying seasonally and locally. I'm still working on the seasonality brain shift - things that are available all year round because they're shipped in from everywhere else are so easy to just pick up and buy with the weekly shop. I know it. I still do it. But I'm making changes. And buying British flowers when they're in season can be a small change with a big impact.

I grow on a tiny scale, somewhere with a short growing season, where the weather is very changeable. People ask me, "Can you even grow flowers in Fort William?". The answer is yes! But not between about October and March. I'm still trying to figure out how to make a sustainable career from it when I can only grow flowers for 6 months of the year. But I am so in love with supplying flowers for my local community that I'm going to keep trying: I'm addicted to the smiles and "oohs" and "ahhs" of the people I hand bouquets to, I'm so happy communing with the robins, worms, bees and toads and every other creature who happily inhabits my farm and I'm content whatever the weather - if it's raining OR sunny, great! (even frost and snow is good for some plants). My job makes me happy AND other people happy - win/win. And even though it does get a bit tough and overwhelming at times (shout out to fellow self-employed small business owners), there is always something to look forward to.

British Flowers are beautiful and they are my passion. I want you all to feel passionate about them too. If it stops raining this week I will do a wee video tour of the plot to get you all excited for what is flowering now and yet to come.

📷 this is a ranunculus what I grew. I love her. ❤️

30/05/2024

Talk to me about clematis people. I'm currently obsessed with hanging out under my garden arch which seems to be groaning a little under the weight of this magnificent montana var. wilsonii. The fragrance is unbelievable and it's humming with bees most of the time. Green and white is such a pleasing colour combo - fresh and clean and a nice visual relief from the bright purples of early summer. I would be under it right now if it weren't for the blinking midges.

28/05/2024

I'm considering becoming a grower who only grows foxgloves. They are very close to being the perfect flower. They need hardly any maintenence, they self seed all over the place so I don't need to plant new ones, they love my climate, they're beautiful, the deer don't eat them, the bees love them and I love them.

It's a toss up between foxgloves and thistles. They like to grow unaided around my whole plot too. But I don't love thistles.

14/05/2024

I'm curious - did you ever wonder why the Dutch Masters painted those amazing pictures of vases full of tulips?

Well, in those days, the tulips that were the most highly prized (and the most expensive) were bulbs that had this 'broken' colour pattern. It was caused by a virus and therefore completely unpredictable and usually not repeatable. They commanded an extortionate amount of money to possess, so were the domain of the filthy rich. The rich were also show-offs so had their flowers' portraits painted!

I think this one would have fetched a pretty penny. Any offers? ( do you want to take a better photo of it? 😁)

14/05/2024

Send flowers to your stars of Shrek the Musical for Opening Night! Orders close midday Thursday 16th May.

On stage at the Nevis Centre next week, a huge company of dedicated performers and crew from the local community will sing and dance their hearts out. You can send your warmest “break a leg” vibes to your favourite member of Lochaber Showstoppers by giving them a bouquet of colourful British and local flowers.

(If you’ve got tickets already, you might spot yours truly doing her best jazz hands 🤗)

Princess or Ogre sized bouquets of flowers not from Far Far Away, available for delivery to the Nevis Centre on Opening Night only (23rd May).

Click on the link to order.

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

09/05/2024

I'm so excited for the first Glen Spean Market: Producers & Crafters on Saturday!

I'll have flowers and a few nasturtium plants for sale, and I especially can't wait for the flowery chat!

I'll have my usual colourful market bunches, but if anyone would like to preorder something special then please let me know by tomorrow and you can pick it up at the market.

07/05/2024

Hey buddy buds!

The promise of flowers to come is almost as good a feeling as seeing the flowers bloom (especially when they're the peonies I've nurtured for the past few years). This is called the May Gap in the flower farming world - the period when the Spring flowers like the tulips are fewer, but the Summer abundance is still to come.

I'll have a stall full of bouquets at the this Saturday (Auction Mart Torlundy, 10am to 1pm). Come early if you our want to grab your flowers - they'll sell out when everyone sees how stunning they are!

I'll be showcasing some other amazing Scottish and British-grown blooms alongside the last of my tulips. And maybe some of these buds will burst forth and join the party. Fingers crossed. 🤞💐🌱

07/05/2024

Who dares me to wear a bouquet on my head at this Saturday's market? Glen Spean Market: Producers & Crafters

03/05/2024

The colours are off the scale at the moment. None of this Spring pastels malarkey for me - give me all the hot pinks!

The double tulips at the front are called Columbus - what a discovery (boom boom). They open up to become the most showstopping slap-in-the-face. She is my absolute favourite tulip ever in my life in the world ever.

This was a bunch to cheer someone up who hasn't been well. When they're this gorgeous, how can they fail?

02/05/2024

The last of the sunny faces of the narcissus are in this week's subscription bouquets. I've just been burying my face in these beauties and breathing deeply - it's important to stop and smell the flowers, especially when they smell this gorgeous.

If you've got some in your garden, don't forget to deadhead your daffs when they're done flowering to make sure they come back big and strong next year. Be sure to leave the leaves until they die back on their own. Then you can mow that mess of brown down.

Address

Camaghael
Fort William
PH337

Website

https://linktr.ee/Florrieandfig

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Videos

I unknowingly disturbed my amphibious friend this morning while I was planting out some seedlings. So chuffed to see it because I know there are a LOT of slugs hanging around too. Well, maybe not anymore! Growing up in sunny Queensland, all the toads we had around us were evil, poisonous cane toads. Introduced in 1935 to help control the sugar cane beetle it is a prime example of an animal release gone wrong. They are now a massive invasive problem and compete with native wildlife for food and habitat. So glad to meet a friendly Scottish one. 🐸 (I'm assuming it's a toad but please correct me if you know more about these things!)