Sunday 1 May 2011

Royal wedding flowers and cut flower garden capers

A very quick post as I have been too hectic to hit the keyboard lately.

Thanks William and Kate for such a beautifully decorated Abbey. Hoorah for seasonal English blooms and foliage. But I was a bit worried about her bouquet as I haven't made one like that yet!

I hope to post some photos from my own royal wedding soon, I think the lovely bride will send some this week. (She married one of William's cousins. It was a small church, not an Abbey!)


Tulips now over (last year I was still picking a few the last week of May and had a huge double tulip wedding on May 8th, you just never can tell), the ground is still parched here so I've finally succumbed to the hose to stop some of the perennials getting overstressed. My first delphinium is blooming, on 30th April, it's nuts. And alchemilla's getting into swing. But I'm mainly picking different foliages and mints with persicarias, ranunculus, astrantia, scillas, alliums, solomon's seal.....





The tunnel has become Dianne's territory, I venture in to sow the odd row of seedlings as I tend to use it as an emergency seed bed at this time of year, then I exit swiftly ! It really is looking very ordered.
I hope two wonderful german women are appearing this coming week to volunteer for 10 days or so, all weeders and sowers welcome now. I'm panicking about the next gap as seedlings are doing Ok when transferred from trays, but direct sown seeds are taking for ever.

No wedding this weekend, and a small one next, then it's full steam ahead. I had hoped to use cow parsley for several events the last week of May, including decorating the Royal Geographical Society Halls for a chelsea lecture, but a rethink is necessary as it will all be long gone.

5 comments:

  1. I am having little joy growing ranunculus outdoors, do you grow yours undercover? Your polytunnel is looking immaculate!

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  2. I'm not very good with them outdoors either, I have a few late ones in the ground but they are a bonus if they do anything much rather than anything more. So I put some inside and found they are very good undercover. However, they will be moved outside once they've flowered as I only have one tunnel and space is at a premium, and it's anybody's guess whether I'll remember to bring plants back in for the winter for next year....

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  3. Charlie - I still have polytunnel envy whenever I see yours - wonderful!
    It is a bonkers year for flowers through!
    K

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  4. Wow - love the polytunnel. How is it so immaculate? Does she hoover? Jan x

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  5. I know, she's amazing with her tunnel love - no hoovering, though she says she did work once where the boss made her hoover the tunnel! Not quite my style!

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