Our Latest Newsletter
It's been a very exciting week to be a small-scale flower farmer as The Flower Grower Collective has just won the British Florist Association Local Flower Wholesaler of the Year! This positive endorsement means that the demand for locally grown seasonal flowers can only rise. With a focus on sustainability, quality and collaboration, the Flower Grower Collective is demonstrating the power that a group of like minded people can have when they come together. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.
Even though the days are getting shorter and the temperatures (at least overnight) are dropping, the demand does not seem to have lessened this month; this coming week is proving to be one of the busiest of the season for White Park Flowers. The dark and orange Dahlias that nobody wants in July and August are finally having their moment! Maybe the peak time for weddings is shifting to early Spring and Autumn in an effort to escape the heat of summer, which can be so challenging to everyone from growers, florists, cake makers, caterers, elderly guests (not to mention the bride and groom!). If you, or anyone you know, is getting married locally in what remains of 2026 or 2027, please consider using local seasonal flowers and get in touch to secure the date. If I ever get married again, I think I would choose October and hope for a day like today, when the leaves are beginning to turn, the sky is blue and there is still an abundance of flowers blooming in the field. The Dahlias, Asters, Chrysanthemums, Scabious and Annual Phlox are looking spectacular right now. Grasses and foliage such as Panicum 'Warrior', Miscanthus, Physocarpus, Abelia, Cotinus, Pelargonium and Pittosporum provide a wonderful contrast to the flowers in both colour and form.
Looking back on the last month, we have enjoyed welcoming eager yoga and flower fans to the field on what was a perfect Autumn day of sunshine and gentle breeze. The Yoga days are the only time I lie or sit still in the field and truly appreciate how lucky I am to be working in such a beautiful place. The sound of the leaves moving in the breeze and the insects going about their business, while gently stretching and slowing down the breath, is so beneficial. I would normally be hefting compost or heavy harvesting buckets, digging holes, planting, splitting perennials, weeding or pushing wheelbarrows uphill! Thank you to Sarah from Ringwood Yoga and Marianne for her delicious refreshments. I have just had my 55th birthday and I must mention Alison Pilates in Salisbury, as I have been going twice a week for nearly a year and it has made all the difference to what my body can cope with - as long as I get at least a day a week doing nothing at all as well.
One of my favourite jobs is picking for subscriptions as it is so satisfying to put together a mixed bucket of the best stems available in the field that day. If this is something that you would be interested in, either for yourself, or as a present for a flower loving friend or family member, please visit our website for details and get in touch. The season generally starts in March with narcissi and tulips and ends at the first proper frost. I offer free delivery within three miles of the farm or Salisbury city centre. It is the best way of ensuring your flowers are the very freshest they can be and will therefore have the longest vase life. It is also waste free as there is no packaging involved. These pictures show what has been included in the buckets this last month. If you would like to start a weekly bucket now, there will hopefully be a good few more weeks of beautiful flowers before we get the first killing frost, so make the most of being able to welcome locally grown flowers into your life. Weekly flower buckets are just £20.
Looking ahead to the next few weeks, we will be sowing early flowering Sweet Peas, planting Peonies, Ranunculus, Anemones, Camassia and a few Narcissi bulbs, as well as continuing to lift and divide some of the perennials that we planted in 2023 to increase our stock. It will then be time to weed and mulch the beds to protect them from the worst of the weather. It will also be time to cut down and dig in the green manure I am trialling for the first time. The mustard has been the clear winner in terms of germination as it has completely covered the bed that we grew the sweet peas in.
As always thank you for reading and supporting your local flower farm.
Located at Home Farm, Hale Lane, Hale, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2RE
