British Flowers Week is all about celebrating the beauty and variety of British cut flowers, foliage and plants as well as the growers, wholesalers and florists who make it all come to life. This year it has run across a week in June, from the 14th-20th.
June is without doubt my favourite month in the year for flowers (we love working on a June wedding!) because I get so much enjoyment from the roses. From the minute I see the buds appear I am full of anticipation for what is to come and I am never disappointed.
I love my David Austin roses, particularly ‘The Generous Gardener’ (introduced to me by Rachel Petheram of Catkin whilst I was on her ‘Growing Cut Flowers’ course at Doddington Hall). It is a beautiful pink, is very peony-like and has the most amazing scent. It flowers more prolifically each year and I cut the flowers regularly to bring inside which I think may encourage more to flower. This way I can enjoy them inside and out and the house smells amazing.
I inherited the red rose bush (not sure what it is called) when I moved here and this year the colour has been more intense than ever. I am definitely getting more confident at pruning roses and though I have lots more to learn I am seeing a huge improvement in the condition of my roses. I am also starting to lean towards the reds, purples and orange toned flowers and am looking to grow more of these over the next year.
However, back to my favourite blue tones in the garden. The Canterbury Bells have made an appearance again this year and are looking lovely. They are such a pretty lilac/ pale blue mix and are so elegant yet cottagey. I have them in white too - my favourite combination.
The star of the border at the moment are the Delphiniums. I love going out into the garden in the morning to see how many more of the tall iridescent blue spires of ‘Excalibur Dark’ have opened.
We often use Alstroemeria (also known as Peruvian lilies or lily of the Incas) in our wedding arrangements as they come in a great variety of colours and have beautiful markings on the petals. So I bought my first plant this year - a short variety - and will definitely buy more. Such a long lasting flower and though I will buy some taller varieties, I like this one as it does not need staking and is ideal for the many low table arrangements we do.
Finally, I’ve said before I feel Clematis deserves a post of its own one day but for now I will mention the beautiful Etoile Violette, which is a mass of flowers and is a flower I am using more and more in arrangements and vases.
Julie x
Get in touch if you're getting married in Lincoln and you'd like to discuss your wedding flowers.
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