Playtime!

 We have recently been asked to make a Carmen rose bouquet for a bride of ours ....not something we get asked for every week..so we decided to sharpen up our rusty Carmen rose making technique! 
There is a lot of wiring involved......but some of us really like wiring........we practiced on lovely red roses from the garden.......

 ..we all decided it looked fab.....and incredibly, it lasted really well.

seeking inspiration on pinterest we happened upon flower jewelry........in as long as it took the glue gun to warm up these were made....

 I managed to snap them before our Monday girl took them home!!

The dark flower is 'Black Knight' scabious from the garden......it's so beautiful......

flower repeat flower

...our sweet peas just keep on flowering.......

we bought this little miniature wardrobe a few weeks ago and just can't decide whether to re-paint it...

what would you do?

Mix & Match

we spend our days creating........the summer has been good to us,,,,,,,,our tentative start in flower farming has been a steep learning curve but we are so pleased we have grown flowers we can sell...they are mixed in with our normal lovely stock of flowers....but there is a small joy in seeing them there....

the next beauties to flower.......sunflower red ruby...can't wait to see her!!

Bounty

If we had started our gardening venture last year we would have been washed away.....this year we are sizzling in the hottest temperatures ever......

Well, we like a challenge!

The zinnias have started flowering....at least they like it hot....

 the first cucumbers harvested and the tomatoes are going on apace..

 courgettes...beetroot and of course sweet peas... if you are near the shop we have fresh cut sweet peas in daily at the moment...they sell out fast though....

the view from here......we must have counted 50 bees on this finished crop of cornflowers and clary sage...we are leaving the plants in until the bees have had their fill and seriously thinking of putting a few hives in next year....Martin & The Magpie Honey anyone??

Evening Heat

               

Well it is safe to say that the Summer is here...it might only last two weeks so we are soaking it all up! The heat in the Walled garden is immense...not a smidge of shade to be found. The sweetpeas are finally flowering, and we now are stocking them in the shop...the dream is finally becoming a reality and we couldn't be more thrilled.

               

Our plant sales man for the shop kindly gave us some of his New Zealand spinach...perfect eaten right off the plant and such firm leaves...he has 30 acres.... and we thought 2 was hard work!

The first courgette was harvested and roasted...the smallest member of M&TM devoured it in surprising speed, so has the official seal of approval.

                

Evening gardening is the only way in this heat. however this energy zapping sun has us watering and weeding in record speed...and we harvest in the cool of the morning. 

Fresh for the shop today is clary sage, ammi, cornflowers, mixed ageratum and sweetpeas! Why don't you pop in and treat yourselves to a bunch. You can be safe in the knowledge that they are the freshest, most locally sourced and grown flowers around.

                

The drive home is glorious...the golden wheat fields and ripening oilseed rape fields remind me of my childhood...and the warm air blowing in our faces is very welcome after the gardens heat.

We are so proud that our dream is blooming into something so exciting...the hard work is paying off...now all we need is a cover for our rather mahoosive polytunnel and we can get working on next years master plan!

escaping the heat....

The answer is to start early....cutting flowers in the walled garden at 7am.........the suns high and its already pretty warm....

At last the sweet peas are flowering their hearts out.

Bunches now available in the shop!

my Erin moment!!

a day out with roses

Today I went on a 'how to grow roses' masterclass at the wonderful Green & Gorgeous

It was so much fun and totally inspiring, we had tea from china teacups, a delicious lunch, made a scented rose bouquet, generally chattered  about flowers, flowers and more flowers,

and went home hoping that one day our cutting garden would look like this!!

There have been times....

 over the last month when we thought that we would never see a flower in the garden this year......

but look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after a cold and very shaky start we have got flowers.......not many....yet.... but its a start and boy are we proud...the first few are trialing in our homes to check on vase life.....so maybe in a week we can sell some to you!!
We have larkspur in the most lush colours.....scented stocks and cornflowers...the sweet peas are nearly there...sorry...but excited just doesn't come close!!
We are already planning for next year with the first of our seeds arriving in the post this morning...foxgloves...hollyhocks.......aquilegia.......to name just a few.....
the list of work to do gets longer daily but picking that first stock and smelling the scent  this evening was just heaven.
Hope you all manage to enjoy the summer sunshine this week end.....x