Lark Rose

09/01/2025

Did you read the feature from Olivia Thomas inside the current issue of Scotland Grows magazine where she told us that nearly 90% of the cut flowers sold in the UK are imported, with a huge cumulative carbon footprint?

It is best to buy from local growers where possible, asking your local florist where they get their flowers from and avoiding supermarket imports where you can.

Even better than this though, is to grow your own! And inside this issue Olivia of Lark Rose, shares her best advice for planning your cutting garden for 2025.

Which flowers would you love to grow to pick from your own garden or growing space?

Read Olivia's advice here if you are not already a Scotland Grows subscriber: https://www.subscribepage.com/sg_subscribe.

14/10/2024

Autumn is definitely here, and it's time to start clearing out the cutting garden and prepping for next year's flowers. Here's my suggestions for jobs to do in the cut flower patch in October.

The last hurrah

23/09/2024

FLOWER FARMERS/FLORIST GROWERS OF SCOTLAND - orders for autumn-grown hardy annuals are NOW OPEN FOR THIS WEEK ONLY. Email [email protected], or DM me for orders, enquiries, larger bulk orders, etc.

Plants will be available for collection March 2025 from Troon, with at least one collection date in Glasgow and Edinburgh, dependent on demand. Plants will be delivered ready to plant out. Sorry, no postal orders possible (plant passports are not issued). These prices are for flower farmers only (retail ordering available at www.larkrose.co.uk).

23/09/2024

FLOWER FARMERS/FLORIST GROWERS - order hardy annuals now! DM me or email [email protected] to order, or with any enquires/off-list requests.

This is the list for autumn-sown plants, and is open for orders for THIS WEEK ONLY (closes 5pm Sunday 29/9). Available for collection March 2025. Collection from Troon, plus at least one date each for Glasgow and Edinburgh depending on demand. Plants will be delivered ready to plant out.

Please note, plant passports are not issued with these orders, and face-to-face collection only is possible; plants cannot be posted out.

20/09/2024

As we enjoy the last flush of sunshine, how did your garden turn out this summer? If you wanted a gorgeous display of flowers but you've been left disappointed, now's the time to get ahead for next year! Cornflowers, ammi, love-in-a-mist - cottage garden classics to fill your borders and your vases all summer, chosen for you and grown by me locally and sustainably.

When hardy annuals are sown in autumn they can get growing and flowering earlier the next year. Pre-orders are now open for my curated range of gorgeous, easy-to-grow plants, available to go in your garden in early spring. Avoid floral disappointment next year by ordering now at https://www.larkrose.co.uk/shop , or message me to find out more. I can't wait to see what beauty you'll grow next year!

13/09/2024

Even heading into autumn, the cutting garden's still got plenty to give. Here's just some of the flowers from my home cutting garden yesterday - cosmos, sunflowers, snapdragons, calendula. Enough for one big bunch or to spread around the house in smaller vases and jars. The beauty of growing your own flowers is that you can use everything, no matter how short or wonky the stem. Find a wee vase that you love, put a flower in it, brighten up a corner of your home.

Cutting garden job for the weekend - start sowing hardy annuals, if you haven't already. Starting in autumn will give you the earliest flowers possible next year. If you don't want to grow from seed, I'll be opening pre-orders for locally, sustainably grown hardy annuals this weekend - order now, ready for planting out in early spring.

Have a lovely flowery weekend!

30/08/2024

There was a big decision this week at Lark Rose, as I decided to give up the walled garden flower farm plot- it wasn't easy, but will let me focus on helping more of you lovely lot to grow your own flowers. If you love the idea of growing your own cut flowers, but don't know where to start, or if you just want to buy more of the plants in your garden locally, I'm your girl.

I'm putting the finishing touches on the curated, French-inspired range of plants I'll have for sale this year, designed to look beautiful in your garden as well as being perfect for cutting. You'll be able to pre-order autumn-sown annual flowers for spring delivery next week.

I'll also be able to focus on my home cutting garden, which is my truly happy place. If you'd like to follow life in the cut flower garden, where I share all my practical knowledge to help you grow your own flowers, you can find me on Substack here
https://hellolarkrose.substack.com

Thanks for being here and supporting tiny local business. I'm so looking forwards to having you along for the ride into the next flower-growing year. Happy Friday!

23/08/2024

The busiest birthday months of the year are nearly upon us! If you're planning a celebration get-together, you want it to be memorable, but also easy. Beautiful, locally grown flowers will elevate your party space to make it unique - and they're all arranged for you, ready to place wherever you want them. Message me or email [email protected] to order. Happy party planning!

22/08/2024

I’m on the Scotland Grows Magazine podcast this week, talking about how I got into cut flower growing and the challenges of growing in Scotland, amongst other flowery stuff! Go have a listen, and please get in touch with any questions, ideas, etc

In this week's Scotland Grows Show, discover the beauty and sustainability of local flower growing with Olivia Thomas who’s passion for growing cut flowers blossomed during the summer of the great lockdown when she transformed a portion of her Ayrshire garden into lush cut flower beds.

Producing more flowers than she could use, Olivia began selling the excess, sparking an interest in sustainable floristry which became Lark Rose Flowers. She started exploring opportunities locally and took on an area in a disused walled garden in which to begin her flower farm dream.

In this episode, Olivia advocates for the environmental benefits of local flower growing, shares the challenges of growing cut flowers in the unpredictable Scottish climate, and gives her top cut flower recommendations to grow from seed.

Listen in on Apple podcasts at: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/scotland-grows-show/id1680925816?i=1000666169765
or on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2a79VJYh6Gf5HWUYitksUa?si=5f4cf270086d432f

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This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a subscription from trust for scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive.

For £6 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team.

Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £6 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows24 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

Find out more here: www.nts.org.uk/roots

08/07/2024

Happy Monday! Floral goodness from the cutting garden at home this weekend, plus a ‘Queen of Sweden’ rose from the borders. Summer flowers finally getting bountiful! And the real bonus of growing your own flowers, all the colours and varieties I love. Are you in my muted pastel camp, or the brighter the better?

27/06/2024

In the current edition of Scotland Grows Magazine you can find how to make your summer parties step up a level with gorgeous flowers! Grab your online copy now

23/06/2024

A posy from the home cutting garden picked this morning - I’m experimenting with growing in three 2 x 1 m beds this year, to see how many of your own cut flowers you can grow in tiny spaces. Orlaya, cornflower, sweet peas, nasturtium foliage and the first of the snapdragons 😻 Show me all the lovely things in your gardens right now!

If you’d like to follow along in more detail with the home cutting beds or life on the flower farm in general, here’s the link https://open.substack.com/pub/hellolarkrose?r=1lpmqp&utm_medium=ios

13/06/2024

Summer froth and elegance starting to show up on the flower farm despite the weather! Ideal for a gift for your hosts this weekend, or just to make yourself happy. Locally grown, totally seasonal.

Bunches available for delivery in Troon and Loans on Friday evening/Saturday morning. £15, limited availability so please message me to order ASAP.

05/06/2024

The first roses heading out today amongst the June froth.

This week is British Flowers Week, originated in New Covent Garden and now run by Flowers From the Farm, to promote British growers and encourage all you lovely folk to buy British flowers. They’re more sustainable, seasonable, scented and just downright fab. Find your local grower on the FFTF website, or lose yourself down a happy floral Instagram rabbit hole.

01/06/2024

Plant sale tomorrow! Come and join me and a host of other artisan small businesses at the Marine Hotel, Troon, 11-4. I’ll have loads of garden-ready plants which will flower their socks off this summer, and are perfect for cut flower growing as well, plus the first of the summer flowers from the walled garden. Looking forward to seeing you there!

30/05/2024

This weekend at the Marine - come buy plants and flowers from me, and shop with a host of other great small businesses!

THIS SUNDAY 11-4

Support your local creative community and visit our market this Sunday at the beautiful Marine Troon - find this lovely lot taking over the ground floor of the hotel in the Portland Suite and adjoining conservatory:
merealgood



Nàdarra Soap Company
Whimsical Whispers








co


thirty9design




Karewatt


Genuine Quirk






Ali MakesStuff



Jackton Art


This month's charity stall is - please stop by, say hello and see how you can help them and how they can help you

30/05/2024

It is such a relief to see flowers finally coming out of the plot! Quantities are still small, but it’s a start. I should have some floral jamjars at this Sunday at the Marine Hotel, but will definitely have loads of baby plants desperate to get in the ground!

03/05/2024

If you’d like to grow even a few of your own cut flowers this summer, come and join me for a summer inspiration series. I’m growing flowers in three small cutting beds in my back garden, to see how many flowers can be generated in tiny spaces, with all the advice and thoughts I have to offer. There is no greater summer pleasure than wandering out to the garden and cutting perfect blooms. Decorate for parties, give bouquets as gifts, or just floral up every corner of your home.

Cutting patch inspiration for every garden