Wivenhoe Flowers

08/11/2024

Anemones! Today I planted these sprouted corms into crates, where they will grow over the winter, perched on the very top of the shelving in my polytunnel to hopefully keep them out of the reach of mice. These will give me beautiful blooms for some Spring weddings next year.

01/11/2024

Come and make a wreath with me! On 27 November I’ll be at with a bootload of the most amazing foliage ready to create beautiful, sustainable wreaths. Whether you need me to walk you through the whole process, or if you’re a seasoned wreather and you’d love the time and space to create, we’ll have an amazing time with yummy pizza and festive cocktails. Visit the Skylark website to book.

30/10/2024

The fancy chrysanths are finally here! Let me know if you would like a bunch over the next few weeks. A kitchen table-sized bunch is £10, up to £30 for a proper whopper. I can guarantee that they will last for an incredibly long time in the vase. Collection from my home in Wivenhoe, or I can arrange delivery across the Colchester area.

24/10/2024

I never take these petals for granted, even at the end of a long and hard season I’m constantly pausing in my work to admire them. More glorious flower portraits by .branthwaite from his recent visit to my flower field.

21/10/2024

A few weeks ago the brilliant .branthwaite visited my flower field on a rare sunny day and we spent a morning capturing the late summer flowers. His photos

17/10/2024

Narcissi planting is in progress! One of my favourite flowers that open the season from late March. So far we’ve done a whole row of Bridal Crown, my favourite for opulent blooms and unmatched scent, and then a sack of Yellow Cheerfulness and Pink Pride. Two trenches down, one to go…

11/10/2024

Pleasing things from the field today: a nice big tray of healthy nigella seedlings, and my reward for digging trenches for a few hundred more allium bulbs. Next week I’m making a start on the mountain of narcissi currently sitting in my living room.

05/10/2024

Snippets from the field, the last of the flowers from this season, and trenches dug for narcissi which will kick off the next!

02/10/2024

A bucket of autumnal loveliness picked for today, including the first pick of chrysanthemums which have been keeping me waiting for SO LONG. and I dodged some epic rain to clear a long bed ready for planting alliums in the next few weeks, the benefit of the rain is that the ground is now workable, once more I’m the only person in Essex who is happy about the weather.

27/09/2024

Bright flowers to cheer up a very grey day. What’s left in the field was getting a right battering from the wind and rain today, the flowers were full of soggy bees taking shelter. But the plus side of all this rain is that my clay soil, which is currently still hard and bone dry, might start to soften up so I can get bulbs planted next month.

23/09/2024

Here’s what’s happening on the field this week. After a disappointing flower season, I’m throwing myself into autumn preparation for next year. Is there anything more hopeful than a freshly cleared and mulched bed ready for planting?

17/09/2024

A few months ago I told about a big decision I’ve made with financial implications. Rebecca asked me some questions about my household expenditure, then she thought for a bit. Then she said ‘ok. What you need to do this week is take cuttings’. So I did, and now I’m going into the next season with double my stock of foliage plants which I’ll try to double again next year, and when they all mature, I’ll be able to generate a nice steady income from them. Thank you, Rebecca!

13/09/2024

My last subscription flowers of the season are going out to customers over the coming weeks. The field is really slowing down but still giving these beautiful jewel-like bunches. 2025 subscriptions will be available in the winter, hop over to my website and join my mailing list to be first to know.

09/09/2024

Today, the light and the weather were moody as I made a start on autumn sowing. Cornflowers, nigella, scabious, stocks, snaps, dill and more are now tucked up in seed trays, and I’m already excited to see them germinate. I also paused to appreciate this gorgeous rudbeckia as I put some of my final subscription jam jars into the shed.

07/09/2024

30/08/2024

The flower field has abandoned subtlety and is going for full technicolour, with the zinnias leading the charge. Today was a sprint, with a bumper load of subscription flowers and bouquets, plus bunches headed to and getting my entries ready for the Wivenhoe Show tomorrow before sprinting to London for a party. I need a sit down, a shower and a glass of wine, not necessarily in that order. Have a great weekend flower fans!

23/08/2024