Flower Power
BBC Countryfile Magazine|March 2018

Would you like gorgeous fresh cut flowers all summer? All you need is a handful of seed, a spare patch of soil, and five minutes a day.

Louise Tickle
Flower Power

Just plant five of each,” was the stern advice from Georgie Newbery, artisan British flower grower and florist extraordinaire, “or you’ll be wading through forests of cosmos.”

Of course, she knew perfectly well that newbie gardeners can’t bear to sow only a few seeds, when packets of seeds promise an abundance of jewel colours. Sure enough, despite the notes I wrote on her cutting-patch course, 10 months later I could barely find my way through swathes of crimson and hot pink cosmos, some as high as my head.

Growing my own flowers was an idea that started in a supermarket, three summers ago. Gazing at the flower buckets by the entrance, I felt torn. Flowers make me happy – but if I wanted one mixed bouquet a week on the kitchen table, I’d be shelling out £40 a month. Looking more closely at the flowers, I wasn’t that impressed, either – the lilies had been flown in from Africa, the stocks were squashed in their plastic wrapping and the roses looked almost industrial in their uniformity.

So I walked past the cut-flowers and, realising there was still time to start growing my own that summer, went home, dug the turf from a 3m x 4m chunk of our garden – and got planting.

I didn’t want an idyllic cottage garden border; I wanted flowers to cut for the house – and buckets of them. Minus any gardening knowledge, but with the help of a niftily predesigned planting plan and a tin of seeds, I managed to raise my own tiny, delicate plants for the first time ever.

There were some failures. My sweet peas were weedily unproductive, about 20% of my other seedlings died early on, and the slugs munched on my just-emerging dahlias.

This story is from the March 2018 edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2018 edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BBC COUNTRYFILE MAGAZINEView All
FARMERS ARE THE ORIGINAL FIRST RESPONDERS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

FARMERS ARE THE ORIGINAL FIRST RESPONDERS

Across the country, a secret army is at work, coming to the rescue at times of crisis and springing into action when their communities are in danger.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Nicola Chester
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Nicola Chester

Building more affordable homes is vital for the survival of rural communities

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Hush... it's spring!
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Hush... it's spring!

The colours and scents of spring are exhilarating after a long, gloomy winter, but to fully appreciate the power of the season, shut your eyes and listen, urges Ajay Tegala

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
In hope of a bright future for our national parks
BBC Countryfile Magazine

In hope of a bright future for our national parks

At experts came the height of the Second World War, a group of remarkable together for the first time.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Wild London walks
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Wild London walks

From vast parks and ancient woods to overgrown graveyards and flower-banked canals, England's capital is filled with green surprises. Discover them on foot with six sensational London walks

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The truth about dogs
BBC Countryfile Magazine

The truth about dogs

As arookie dog owner, Cotswolds writer James Fair was overwhelmed with advice and dire warnings about how to care for his puppy. But how many of the often-repeated truths about canines are really myths?

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
TOP 10 ROMANTIC RUINS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

TOP 10 ROMANTIC RUINS

For a thrilling encounter with history, fall in love with a crumbling castle or tumbledown church this spring, swoons Dixe Wills

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2024
THE GREAT SOLAR DEBATE
BBC Countryfile Magazine

THE GREAT SOLAR DEBATE

If developers have their way, miles of Oxfordshire farmland will soon be covered with solar panels. Many local people are opposed but how vital is this sustainable energy for our countryside? Andrew Griffiths investigates

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
DISCOVER 100 miles of heaven
BBC Countryfile Magazine

DISCOVER 100 miles of heaven

Looking for an adventure? An intoxicating mix of rolling downland, sleepy hamlets and wave-hewn cliffs makes the South Downs Way one of Britain's loveliest walks. Dixe Wills reveals the highlights of six days on the trail

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2024
THE COMEBACK KITE
BBC Countryfile Magazine

THE COMEBACK KITE

Once virtually extinct in Britain, a magnificent bird of prey now thrives in British skies. What went so right? Nicola Chester profiles the red kite

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024