Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

I'm excited to tell you that I've spent today dismantling my newly acquired (third-hand) greenhouse and transporting it to my plot. It was hard work and very tiring but only three panes of glass got broken (not bad) and no injuries at all (even better!). This is my second greenhouse and in this episode I talk about the differences between this one and my original one, together with why greenhouses are really useful to growers. I talk about the layouts of my greenhouses, the types of base/floor I have and what I'm planning on doing in the new one. You'll hear about why growing in a controlled environment is so useful for getting a head start on the growing year, as well as protecting your seedlings from the weather and pests. 

The sun came out (at last!) so I got onto the plot and pruned my Verbena bonariensis plants which I grew from seed in 2024. I recorded the first part of this episode whilst working outside on my plot and it's just me talking to you and the Verbena. I hope you enjoy and find it useful.

In this episode, I’m making the case for getting a greenhouse.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The DO's and DON'Ts of positioning a greenhouse

✅ How a greenhouse extends your growing season

✅ Why aluminium framed greenhouses are game changers

✅ How my new greenhouse is going to help me in 2025

✅ Which base to use for your greenhouse (and why)

✅ Alternatives to a greenhouse

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If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

It's time to put our cards on the table and answer this question: what's stopping you from becoming a cut flower grower? 

It's been a rainy old week yet on the sunniest two days I wasn't around to get on the plot but as the ground is still so wet, it's not a huge problem. So I'm talking to you in this episode from the warmth and dryness of indoors, where I'm really analysing what sort of things hold us back from starting to grow and sell cut flowers. 

By challenging as many reasons as I could think of, ranging from lack of time or money (or both); to lack of knowledge or experience (or both); to lack of confidence (I've been there...); to the fears that we all get (everyday) like fear of failure/rejection/ridicule/pity/financial ruin... (the list goes on); to backing yourself and being your number one supporter, I'm smashing through these one by one. Towards the end of the episode there's a timely reminder of why I wanted to get into growing cut flowers and how I hope this is going to be a really fun and exciting enterprise. 

** When I was in the doldrums in 2024, I was lucky enough to have a few life coaching sessions from a very good friend of mine, Gina. This incredibly talented and wonderful lady is brilliant at what she does, and thanks to her I now have positive affirmations stuck all over my home (and in my head). And thanks to her (and some HRT patches) I'm feeling like a totally different woman. If you have the opportunity to work with a life coach, I highly recommend you take it. Please ask me if you'd like Gina's details. **

In this episode, I’m diving into what's holding you back.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why lack of money, experience or knowledge should NOT hold you back

✅ How to stop fear and lack of confidence halting your dreams

✅ The importance of being your own No. 1 supporter and advocate 

✅ How nature will always throw curve balls and test you 

✅ A reminder of why growing cut flowers is fantastic, exciting and magical

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Join me on my frosty plot this morning as I let the hens out and find out if my young hen Kylie is still broody! In today's episode I'm answering a really great question from a listener about weeds: love them or hate them, you're going to get some! It's never too early to start thinking about weeds and it's how you deal with them that matters: spend your time wisely! Whether you're going down the chemical route or not, decide your weed strategy early on. I talk about my refusal to use man-made chemicals when I garden and why I think growing chemical-free cut flowers is the best way forward. I want to protect my soil, the invertebrates that live in and on it, as well as the insects that visit my plants, and I really hope that you do too.

In this episode, I’m talking about how to deal effectively with weeds and why I won't use chemicals.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The weeds you must remove from your plot

✅ Why some weeds make great ground cover

✅ The importance of keeping your soil covered 

✅ Why I don't use any herbicides, pesticides or insecticides  

✅ How your use (or not) of chemicals is a unique selling point 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Have you thought about exactly who you're going to sell your flowers to? Before you sow any seeds or buy any plants, start thinking about this crucial part of the process right now. Are you dreaming of turning your cut flowers into bouquets and selling directly to customers at a local market? Or would you prefer to sell to florists? What sort of florists do you have in your area and would they buy from you? How easy do you find rejection? Do you hate hearing the word "no"? There's a lot to get through in this episode so let's dive in and get started!

In this episode, I’m talking about how to find the right buyers for your cut flowers. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Who am I going to sell to?

✅ Should I sell direct to the public or to florists?

✅ The importance of understanding your customers

✅ How to choose a florist to sell to  

✅ My tips for selling at a local market 

✅ How to get used to rejection (and not take it personally)

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

It's February so let's talk about seeds! Collecting, drying, storing and saving, plus some seeds to avoid and the best seed compost. 

Everyone is talking about seeds right now and I'm certainly thinking about mine. In this episode I explain why seeds are saved from one year to the next and I cover the basics of how to store your seeds. Plus I talk about tricky seeds that need special conditions to germinate (and which are possibly best avoided if you're a novice). Finally I talk about how I make my own seed compost (and potting on compost) so that my seeds have the best possible start whilst not costing a fortune either. 

In this episode, I’m diving into how I store seeds for the best germination rates. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why saving seeds saves money

✅ My DO's and DON'Ts for storing and saving seeds 

✅ The importance of labelling seeds correctly 

✅ Why I make my own seed compost (and how you can too)

✅ Seeds to avoid if you're new to sowing 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Are you wondering which cut flowers you should grow? Are you confused by all the choices and not sure which will suit your needs or your budget? Are you thinking about the impact of vase life, stem length or scent? 

In this episode, I’m diving into how to select the best cut flowers to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What makes a flower ideal for cutting

✅ Easy-to-grow varieties for budget-conscious growers

✅ The importance of understanding what your target market wants

✅ How to choose unique flowers to give yourself the edge 

✅ My tips if you’re new to growing or on a tight budget

✅ My Top 5 flowers that are perfect for cutting

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

This week got off to a rather chilly, murky, and drizzly start. However there's nothing like the thought of hundreds of gloriously coloured and heavily scented sweetpeas to cheer me up.

My sweetpea story starts with a holiday outing to buy raw milk on a farm in Dorset which led to the discovery of a fantastic supplier of sweetpeas. I share the types of sweetpeas I ordered in 2024 for the 2025 season, why I have committed to removing tendrils this year (a challenge too far, perhaps?!?) and why I'm busy collecting and storing toilet roll tubes. I talk about how I'm going to stake my sweetpea plants this year and what happened when I had the chilling "Hang on, I don't have enough sweetpea seeds..." moment (answer: I'm going to have to buy more). 

In this episode I also answer a question from a listener about whether I am paid to mention suppliers and/or products and I also share a brainwave about how I plan to lay out my flowerbeds in 2025. I recorded this episode in my car today and it's just me talking directly to you. I hope you enjoy.

In this episode, I’m diving into how and why I'm selecting the best sweetpeas to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The difference between types of sweetpeas

✅ Why I'm planning on removing tendrils this year

✅ Why I'm collecting hundred of toilet rolls 

✅ How I found my sweetpea supplier  

✅ Which sweetpeas I'm growing in 2025

✅ Staking plans to avoid tangled stems

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Dahlias are the queens of the cut flower world. They are achingly beautiful and come in a vast array of varieties, colours and shapes. Join me behind the scenes while I plan my 2025 dahlia beds. 

Today I talk about the nursery I visited in September 2024 to look at some selections (with obligatory notepad and pen), a brief bit about apprenticing with Richard Bailey (a top prize-winning dahlia exhibitor and a truly wonderful human being, more to come about him in future episodes), the dahlia nursery that I'm ordering from, the agonies of choosing (there are so many different dahlias available!), a brief outline of my plan for staking my dahlias this year, how my tuber 'Maggie C' is freaking me out by shooting already (help!) and all sorts of other thoughts including my Top 6 Dahlias for 2025 (plus the other Top 2 that I've already ordered)...

In this episode, I’m diving into how to select the best dahlias to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I've chosen my dahlias for 2025

✅ My chosen dahlia suppliers 

✅ Staking plans for 2025 

✅ Why ordering from a specialist grower is preferable 

✅ My Top 6 Dahlias for 2025 (plus 2 others that I've already ordered)

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Hello and welcome to a rainy episode. Join me today as we let the chickens out first thing this morning for a warm scrambled egg breakfast (them, not me) and I talk about the perennials I grew on the plot in 2024. I'll share with you why perennials can form the low-maintenance backbone of your cut flower plot, and how to do this according to your own budget. Hear about where I sourced my perennials from, including the garden of a favourite client who sadly passed away, as well as plant sales, seed I've sown myself, and a very special one from my all-time favourite garden, Great Dixter in Kent. Hear about the inevitable disaster (duck damage), the successes, and the cheeky spreaders which I have to keep a very close eye on. I also talk about the different ways you can obtain perennials depending on your budget, and what's going to be new for me in 2025. 

* No hens were injured in the making of this episode! The noise you hear is them flying into my face as I opened their henhouse door this morning! *

In this episode, I’m talking about the best perennials to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why perennials make great cut flowers

✅ Easy-to-grow varieties that I love

✅ Sourcing perennials 

✅ Growing perennials from seed

✅ My new perennials for 2025

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

In today's episode I review the cut flowers I grew in my 2024 trial beds. I talk about what cut flowers I planned to grow and why, what I actually ended up growing, which cut flowers turned out well and why, what the florists loved, what I didn't like, where I sourced my cut flower seeds, the seeds which flourished and those which either didn't germinate or turned out to be something else entirely, my cosmos disaster, the strawflowers that didn't have time to flower and everything in between. I don't pretend to be an expert because I'm absolutely not! There will be mistakes (and mice) and things I could have done differently. Above all, it's honest and real. And I never did find the lychnis. 

In this episode, I’m reviewing the cut flowers I grew in 2024. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What worked in 2024 and what didn't 

✅ Seed sourcing 

✅ The cosmos disaster 

✅ The strawflower disaster 

✅ Mice that kept eating my seeds

✅ The flowers that the florists really loved 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Hello and welcome. Join me on today's episode as I let the hens out into a chilly and misty morning and chat with you about the merits of tables, the importance of somewhere to sit on your plot, the benefits of making detailed notes about everything you do, and I answer a very good question about whether you actually need prior experience of sowing and growing before you start with cut flowers. I go into details about my own water storage facilities and the serious mistake I made in 2024 that meant I nearly ran out of water. Finally I talk about the importance of making goals and how I use them to help with planning my year of growing, measure my progress, and stay focused. It's also fun to watch a few of them whizzing by as I'm inevitably thwarted by the weather, squirrels, or my own mistakes!

In this episode, I’m talking about goals and some useful things you might need. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why goals are so important

✅ If prior experience of sowing seeds is essential

✅ The importance of water storage facilities 

✅ Why you definitely need a seat on your plot 

✅ Why taking notes is so useful

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Hello and welcome. In this episode I bust some myths about what you do and don't need to get started growing cut flowers, plus a few things that would be ideal. If you're dreaming of starting your own cut flower business, you might be interested to hear about whether or not you really need to own your own land, what qualifications you should get, whether or not you need a greenhouse, and my thoughts on websites and social media. I also talk about resilience in the face of adversity (i.e. dealing with the British weather), confidence (or lack thereof), accepting rejection gracefully, having a sense of humour, loving the outdoors, as well as assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, I discuss the benefits of a regular water supply, the need for compost bins and the blessing of some support when you really need it. It's all here.

In this episode, I’m diving into what I think you do and don't need to grow the best cut flowers. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The basic essentials you need

✅ Whether you really need a website or social media accounts 

✅ How a greenhouse can help (but it's not essential)

✅ If professional horticultural qualifications are needed

✅ The personality traits that will help enormously 

✅ Why you should have a compost bin

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Hello and welcome. In this episode I talk about my “trial beds”: what they are and how they came about, including the massive crisis of confidence I had at the start of 2024 which meant that I ended up with trial beds in the first place. I describe the layout of the beds and explain how I created them, then I discuss how I made the paths (and what I learnt about paths the hard way!). I also talk about the challenges I had creating the beds including obstacles I put in the way myself (it’s those compost bins again!). Finally I talk briefly about some of the seeds that I used in the trial beds in 2024, and what I learnt about them that will be really useful for my 2025 growing season. Apologies for my overuse of the words "adore" and "masses" in this episode!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What my trial beds taught me  

✅ Easy-to-make compost bins for budget-conscious growers

✅ Mistakes I made laying paths 

✅ Where I sourced my seeds 

✅ The seeds that turned out to be something else entirely 

✅ What I learnt that will be essential for the 2025 growing season 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then. 

Hello and welcome to my first episode of 2025. In this episode I brave the freezing temperatures and take a quick walk around the cut flower plot to see what’s going on and what is surviving the chill. I also discuss my compost bays including how I set them up, constructed and positioned them and what I add to keep them going. 

Are you dreaming of running your own cut flower farm or business? On a small or large scale? Would you love to go back to nature and grow flowers? Are you wondering how you might get started and what the challenges would be? Have you considered which cut flowers you should grow? 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What's going on at the plot on a freezing day in January 

✅ The importance of composting

✅ How I built my compost bins

✅ Where to position compost bins  

✅ How the rats are (sort of) helping with the compost  

✅ How and why I ended up with so many pallets

✅ What happened to my lovely chard and spinach (yes, it was the chickens)

✅ What happened to my gorgeous Cavalo Nero (destroyed by a squirrel...) 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers. I'm going to give you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.