BEFORE the growing season gets going in earnest at Brown Flowers, I take stock of the ground available and plan where each variety will be planted, taking care to rotate the annual crops from the previous year. Rotation improves the health of the soil-and, therefore, the plants-by continuously introducing new root structures to the various beds.
In the greenhouse
The majority of seeds is sown in March and April. We plan to grow 50 separate varieties of annuals, resulting in about 6,000 plants.
The selection is based on notes honed over the years, but, with space at a premium, we always sow a lot of cut-and-come-again flowers, such as cosmos, zinnias and scabious, because the yields are so much better. Seeds are sown into individual cells, not broadcast, which saves pricking out later. Some of the later-sown varieties, including nigella, may be planted as plugs, saving compost and time.
As the seedlings emerge, they will be moved from the heated greenhouse into the cold one to make room for the next lot. Having enough cold frames to house the potted plants is vital.
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Denne historien er fra March 20, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
