As we humans and larger animals struggle in the heat, spare a thought for the hard-working and much-loved bumblebee. In the UK, there are currently 24 species of bumblebee remaining and of these, one third are listed as conservation priority species. And this is before you factor in the hard time they’ve been having during recent heatwaves. Yes, bumblebees like … Read More
Why should we care about peat?
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘peat-free compost’. The UK Government introduced a ban on sales of bagged peat composts in 2024, so it’s unlikely that you’re still using it at home. However, some peat-containing products used widely in the horticulture industry are not currently scheduled to be banned until 2030. Switching any long-held method can come with challenges but a … Read More
From Field to Frame
In the warm days of late summer 2025, Nooriya visited Roz at Field Gate Flowers. As Creative Director of Madeeco, a sustainable artisan flower preservation studio, Nooriya was looking for British-grown blooms to inspire her artwork in a new direction. Together, they walked the fields, gathering flowers by hand. Nooriya returned to her London workshop and began the intricate process … Read More
When is a bulb not a bulb?
Above L-R: Crocosmia, Cyclamen, Tulip ‘Queen of the Night’ When it’s a tuber… a rhizome… or a corm. We often refer to ‘bulbs’ in general to include plants such as crocus, cyclamen, crocosmia or ranunculi which in fact all originate from corms. These, along with dahlias (from tubers), spring-flowering anemones (from tubers or rhizomes), and Iris germanica (from rhizomes) use … Read More
Choosing and caring for eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a popular plant to grow for foliage and the grey-green juvenile leaves in particular compliment pastel or dusky flower tones often found in wedding bouquets and arrangements. Along with its pleasing aesthetics, eucalyptus has a warm, woody fragrance, credited with soothing qualities. Include it in winter wreaths for a contemporary update on traditional wreath floristry and a comforting … Read More
What’s the point of wasps?
Anyone who’s ever been stung by a wasp is likely to avoid them in future at all costs. Being stung is not a pleasant experience and often the culmination of increased frustration as these persistent insects pay no attention to your swiping the air around them or politely telling them to ‘go away!’. Picnics, lunchtime drinks and splash park outings … Read More
Why you need to factor dried flowers into your portfolio
Dried flowers have come a long way since vases of dusty honesty seed heads you may remember as a child. Floral artists such as Bex Partridge are showcasing the variety of ways in which the beauty of flowers can be sustained and even enhanced with the right drying techniques and imaginative ways of displaying them. If you run a floristry … Read More
Gardening with slugs
“Please do not send in unsolicited slugs.” – We’re still having a laugh about this line from the introduction to an RHS slug survey in 2020! A perfect storm of breeding conditions last spring meant that 2024 went down in many people’s memory as the year of the slug and snail epidemic. Our in-boxes and chat forums are already full … Read More
Seeds: Get Saving
Foxlgoves (Digitalis), lupins (Lupinus), honesty (Lunara annua), sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis), poppies (Papaver) – all of these will be forming seed heads right now and if you have them in your garden or plot, it’s well worth saving and drying them to plant for another year. Over the next few weeks, these will be joined by sweet peas, sunflowers, Cosmos, … Read More
What do you call it again?
Name the flowers shown above…. The one on the right you’ll most probably have called a bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). On the left? Campanula rotundifolia – the common harebell. Or… if you live in Scotland, ‘bluebell’ or ‘Scottish bluebell’. In New Zealand Wahlenbergia Saxicola is also commonly called ‘bluebell’, as is Phacelia whitlavia in the USA. There are many plants around … Read More