Tuesday 17 July 2012

Thoughts from a wet windy hillside

So what has been good about this summer's non-show summer and continuous rain? I planted new roses and hydrangeas in spring and these have bedded in nicely. Bare root trees have thrived. Umm. Full stop! Or perhaps there have been other positives, it has certainly taught me some lessons about trying to sow more in autumn rather than relying on spring sowings which completely failed.

Yes, I confess that outside spring sowings failed completely - from thousands of seeds (larkspur, ammis, corncockle, cosmos, zinnias, statice, bupleurum, dill, gypsophila, scabious galore, asters, and the rest) I believe we had nine white corncockle plants outside! Not the best ratio. Very little germinated and if it did get that far it got slugged and I am too reluctant with slug pellets. Then there were the later sunflowers. Again, thousands went in. I haven't seen a single one reach more than the earliest seedling stage. But this time it was the pigeons - they sat in the oak trees and waited and watched, and dialled all their friends to tell them it was baby sunflower time.

Oh yes and actually most autumn sowings rotted off too but some survived. The tunnel came up trumps for crops of stocks and larkspur, so much so that I did briefly fantasise about more tunnels but have disregarded the idea as I do not want to grow in tunnels, it's such a different thing.

The rain hasn't stunted the perennials which have largely thrived, but have often been impossible to pick because the flowers have been too rain damaged or the plants have lain down on the ground in submission. Or we haven't been able to reach them for the overgrowth of weeds, I was vaguely amused to hear radio commentators this week telling me it has been an excellent year for brambles, nettles and goosegrass, they really don't need to tell me, four of us spent a whole day trying to banish goosegrass a couple of weeks ago and my happy tunnel vision hasn't got as far as the brambles yet.

But despite it all there are flowers aplenty, I am terrifically impressed with the stalwartness of lots of my flowers, they really do put in that extra effort and are getting out there and they do still make up into the most lovely bouquets and arrangements. It is just taking a whole lot more effort than usual, on their part and mine as I have to employ far more people to try to control weeds (and falling far short of success) and I have to watch the weather forecasts like the proverbial hawk in order to catch the right time to pick so flowers have a chance to go the distance without being damaged by the weather.

If I had started the business in a year like this one I probably wouldn't have continued long as it has genuinely been a bit dispiriting, but on the other hand it is such a total joy to get a good day (like today) when we can really crack on and this evening I picked bucket loads of glorious blooms, including some of my favourite scabious varieties, eryngiums, sanguisorbas, francoa, trollius, catanaches, centaurea macropetala, phlox, stocks, nepetas, ammi, bupleurum, hydrangea, asters (already!), monarda, sage, sweet pea..... And now it is raining again.

I hope it may stay dry enough to get the rotovator out for only the second time this year, I am going to try some really late sowings and see if they come to bloom for a lovely autumn show. I feel sure they will. And the second sowings of annuals are doing Ok now, though we have lost a lot to the dreaded slugs  - even though I did concede I had to buy some slug pellets I seem pathologically unable to use them efficiently.

I'm sure I have learnt a lot from it all. And I do still so love my flowers.

6 comments:

  1. I'm so pleased to hear you are persevering during this terrible wet spell and that the rain hasn't dampened your love for your flowers. I've been wondering how you flower growers have been getting along and hoping that not too many are put off. Charlie {The Natural Wedding Company} xXx

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  2. You are not alone in your desperation !!!!. We have been growing cut flowers on our farm for nearly 10 years, and this is without doubt the toughest year for us. Thankfully our main crop is scented garden roses, which have been ok in the clay soil, but we have lost 2 acres of annuals, same seed problems as you. But this season will certainly make us stronger in the future, because you can learn far more from a bad year, than a good one, and will make us appreciate the better seasons so much more. Keep your chin up !!!. Sam ( The Traditional Flower Co.)

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  3. Thanks Sam!, Yes, in decades of gardening this is the WORST year ever but you're right, you learn a lot by it. Although sometimes it does feel as though the thing to learn would be to get a desk job, luckily that despondency lasts about 30 seconds before the usual mad optimism creeps back in. I wish I wanted to grow in tunnels, but that was never the intention so I want to try and keep the faith. I'm glad your roses have done well, the difficulty here has been finding those dry spots to pick them, but I don't grow many. I've never had to buy in annuals before but I am resorting to getting it from another English grower who grows it under cover when I need to fulfil orders where I've promised it, usually I have about a third of an acre of it blooming now. But I think the worst thing is that constant rubbish weather is just so much more tiring as I live by the weather forecast and the local sky and can be found picking at very odd times of day (and night) to beat the rain!

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    1. Whoops, illiterate again, for annuals read larkspur!

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  4. My friends know I am quite nerdy about the weather..you can't fight it, you have to find a way to work with it.!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, not long till the end of the season and planning can start for next year .My favorite time of the year, I love dreaming about the promises of what next year can bring and getting creative, even if the reality doesn't quite resemble the glossy images in my head, where WEEDS do not feature!!!. I am waiting for a bride who would like a weed only wedding !!! then I can make a fortune !!!. Sam

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    1. Me too - one of my helpers is desperate to use dock but I have so far managed to restrain her! And isn't it weird to be looking forward to the winter months from what should be high summer, I'm with you there too. Spent today sorting a mid week wedding and hoping the very very prickly eryngiums do stay where I've put them as they would make rather good missiles........

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