Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

Great excitement: I've just been speaking to a landscaper about using a mini-digger to lift some turf for me to really expand my growing space. I can't wait! I recorded this episode on Thursday 24 April 2025 in the afternoon and it's cool and breezy today.

I did a reconciliation of how many seedlings I have and it's ALOT! It made me realise that I need more growing space urgently so I've decided to hire a landscaper to remove some turf for me. I can't physically do any more myself.

In this episode I'm talking about my encounter with the mini-digger man, plus the seeds I'm still sowing. Plus there's an update on my visit to my dahlia expert grower, Richard Bailey, last Tuesday, where we split some tubers and took some cuttings. I also clarified what he told me about using cuttings with hollow stems (it's good news). 

Once again, thank you so much for your comments on my instagram @henhillcutflowers - it really does mean the world to me. I hope you're enjoying joining me on my cut flower journey and if you're new to the podcast then welcome.

In this episode, join me as I get very excited about mini-diggers!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How many seedlings I have right now

✅ Why I need a mini-digger to expand my growing space

✅ Why some dahlia tubers can be planted out now but mine can't 

✅ Hollow stemmed dahlia cuttings: to keep or not?   

✅ When it's time to stop sowing seeds 

🌻 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. 

It's a sunny lunchtime on Tuesday 22 April 2025 and I'm basking in the warmth of the greenhouse.

I'm busy sowing more seeds and today I'm discussing the pros and cons of two different sowing styles: scattergun approach or straight lines. Which one do you use? I prefer the straight lines method as I can count how many plants I have and each plant can stay in its tray for longer before going on the plot, which saves time. But you can't fit as many seeds in each tray so you end up needing more trays which takes up more space.

Prepping beds: everyone has their own technique. I do the "no dig" method to avoid disturbing the soil structure but I always remove perennial weeds first, even if I'm only sowing annuals. Then I add lots of organic material, either compost or old chicken bedding. I answer a question about when I plant my dahlias outside and talk about a different technique that a pro-grower in the UK uses and why. There are pros and cons to all of this and I'll talk about them. 

I talk about a wedding that the florist I'm going to be selling to this year has just done and how amazing the flowers looked. She is an incredibly talented florist. Are my flowers going to be good enough for her? YES! They are! 

I end with an update of what's happened on the plot since the last episode and why I'm so excited about my zinnias this year. I hope that your growing week is going brilliantly!

In this episode, join me to discuss some pros and cons of things.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What's your sowing style: scattergun or straight lines? 

✅ How I prep my beds on the plot

✅ Benefits of "no dig" method  

✅ When to plant dahlias outside   

✅ Keep reminding yourself of your Unique Selling Point

✅ Why Zinnias make great cut flowers   

🌻 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. 

Happy Easter! It's 8pm on Good Friday, 18 April 2025 and I'm on the plot.

It has definitely not been my week! After the water debacle on Tuesday I managed to get a tummy bug which has been unpleasant and this afternoon I wasn't even able to leave the house because of it. And whilst I've had tummy trouble all week I've had to do some regular gardening to get some cash in the door which has meant that I haven't been sowing any more seed this week. 

I haven't done a review of what's growing on the plot for a while so this episode is me chatting through what's doing what. I talk about my perennials and where I got them from, plus how to grow your own perennials on a budget. I chat about the importance of keeping mint contained (mint makes great foliage), espaliering apple trees and interplanting flowers with garlic bulbs to maximise planting opportunities.

In this episode, join me for a review of what's growing on the plot this week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How this week has really turned out not to be my week!

✅ A review of what's growing on the plot 

✅ How to acquire perennials if you don't have much money 

✅ Whether or not I should sow more Verbena bonariensis  

✅ Why Agapanthus need to be grown in pots rather than the ground

✅ How interplanting flowers with garlic bulbs is a great space-saving idea 

🌻 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. 

It's Tuesday 15 April 2025 and this week has started really badly: I left a tap running last night and managed to drain my two full water bowsers. Overnight I've lost over a thousand litres of water. The timing is awful and I'm very disappointed in myself.

I also managed to forget to close the greenhouse door last night, which is not like me. Luckily we didn't have a frost so everyone was fine but it could have been a lot worse. So this episode is a bit low-key as you'll probably be able to tell from my voice that I'm really sad about the water loss. 

I have managed to successfully split many of my dahlia tubers from my dahlia mentor, Richard Bailey, and there's more to do today. I've planted out my cornflowers (there's a reel on insta @henhillcutflowers) and also my sweetpeas, which had lovely roots sticking out of the bottom of their toilet rolls. I've also sown more zinnias and cornflowers.

Other dramas this week include the difficulty of finding a 4m-long pole saw in the South of England (it's impossible) and an issue with my little dog. The episode ends on a more positive note with my plans for potting up the final few dahlia tubers and the seeds I will be succession sowing this afternoon using my new (and very clever) sowing chart. 

In this episode, join me for the first of the disasters on the plot.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I managed to lose 1,400 litres of rainwater overnight 

✅ The dahlia tubers I've been splitting 

✅ What to do when you don't have sulfur powder to cover cuts on tubers 

✅ How grateful I am to hear from you and why your messages are so lovely  

✅ Where you can see a video of my cornflower seedlings (@henhillcutflowers) 

🌻 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. 

It's Friday 11 April 2025 and another incredibly sunny day. Still no rain but hopefully it's coming next week.

I'll be updating you on what I've been sowing this week and the new sowing chart that I've made to help me remember when to sow the next batch (it's all about successional sowing this year). I discuss my morning feeling routine and how I work out which seedlings get to spend the day where, depending on the day's temperature and their stage of growth. I usually do this with a coffee (see photo on insta @henhillcutflowers) and I water them at this time too. 

I share my thoughts about plant spacings with reference to cut flowers and how I've worked this out. It's all in theory at the moment so I need to actually get on the plot and walk it out. Then there's a discussion about staking the cornflowers and how to get this right in 2025, using various options including metal fencing wire or string. It's all a learning curve and very much depends on the materials I have to hand on the plot and my soil conditions.

In this episode, join me for an update on what I've been doing this week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to measure distances if you lose your tape measure 

✅ The seeds I've sown this week

✅ Why a seed sowing chart helps with successional sowing

✅ How I've worked out plant spacings for my cornflowers 

✅ Fence posts vs road pins 

🌻 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. 

It's another glorious week of sunshine and dry weather and the shed doors are finally on! 

Today it's Tuesday 8 April 2025 and I'm pleased to update you on what's been going on since my last episode. I've been busy planting out foxgloves, peonies and raspberries, plus I made a new access path for the plot (and hung a new gate that I made myself, which I'm very proud of!). 

I talk about storing water, even if you're on the mains. You can't really store enough water and I'm a big fan of water butts, IBCs, guttering on all buildings/sheds, reusing grey water, and then covering any exposed water sources so that birds can't fall in and drown. 

I had to buy more Orlaya seeds and while I was ordering I ended up buying some Helichrysum (strawflowers), Limonium (statice), Matthiola (stocks) and Cosmos. I've sown these already and I can't wait to see the flowers. I'm monitoring my dahlia tubers very closely for dahlia gall and if you have tubers it's important that you check yours carefully and take action, if necessary.

In the second part of the episode I share with you my honest thoughts about managing my fears and having imposter syndrome. Even though it sounds like things are going great for me, I'd like you to know that behind the scenes I'm quite stressed and pretty overwhelmed with many fears which I worry about all the time, including fear of failure, desperate lack of funds, imposter syndrome, concerns that I can't deliver what's needed when it's required, weddings being cancelled (totally out of my hands but a huge worry if my flowers aren't required) plus a whole load more. It's exhausting trying to stay positive and doing so much work without any income coming in. If you're in a similar situation, you might relate to this. 

In this episode, join me for a frank conversation about managing fear.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How and why you need to store as much water as possible 

✅ The new seeds I've ordered this week (I know.... more seeds)

✅ Why dahlia gall is a serious problem that can have costly implications 

✅ How fear and imposter syndrome is so debilitating  

✅ How I try to overcome my fear of failure

✅ Why it's so important to back yourself and believe in yourself

🌻 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. 

It's Friday 4 April 2025 and if you're a dahlia-fan then this is the episode for you. Join me as I share everything I learnt this beautifully sunny morning from my dahlia mentor, Richard Bailey, including tips and tricks for success with these beautiful plants. 

Richard is a prize-winning dahlia exhibitor and a Vice President of the National Dahlia Society in the UK. He's been exhibiting for years with much success, having learnt from some of the most eminent UK dahlia exhibitors himself. Richard is very generous with his time and he loves nothing more than sharing his dahlia knowledge with enthusiasts. I'm very grateful for his expertise and delighted to share it with you in this episode. 

What Richard knows is just as applicable to growing cut flowers as exhibiting:  to produce the most beautiful and high value blooms you need to know the techniques that the pros use. 

In this episode, join me to hear valuable hints and tips for growing dahlias.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to wake up your dahlia tubers after their winter sleep 

✅ To sieve or not to sieve compost?

✅ Why dahlias need bottom heat and darkness to wake up (not light)

✅ How to take dahlia cuttings 

✅ Checking for gall on dahlia crowns: what to look for and how to deal with it

✅ Sow dahlia seeds and see what new colours appear! 

🌻 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. 

There's a lot going on at the moment! Join me on the plot in the fabulous sunshine today, Tuesday 1 April (how is it April already???) as I update you on what I've been upto, including seed sowing, monitoring production costs, ordering more seeds, selecting new dahlias, making new beds, rearranging fence panels, moving the contents of the compost heap into an empty bay plus a whole lot more. 

This weather is proving wonderful for germination: my seeds are coming up really quickly so I have a bit of a merry-go-round system going with seeds germinating inside and then the hardy ones going out into the greenhouse. I hope that you're having success with your seeds this year!

It was windy on the plot this afternoon so the audio is a little bit up and down. I hope this doesn't detract - I much prefer talking from the plot rather than indoors.

In this episode, join me for a catchup in the glorious sunshine.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it's important to position dahlias near a source of water 

✅ How working out what's going where will help me calculate production costs

✅ Seeds I've been sowing today 

✅ I've finally ordered my dahlias from Halls of Heddon!

✅ Why I'm growing Helichrysum this year and its dual uses

✅ New seeds I've ordered for 2025 (I couldn't help myself!)

🌻 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. 

I've had an epiphany! I've been listening to a new podcast and it's made me think really hard about the "business" side of what I'm doing so I have paused with the seed sowing for a moment to give this some thought. I've been learning about production costs, overheads, profit margins, and calculating profitability per square metre. I'm a data nerd so I'm suddenly really excited about all of this data collection and analysis: I love it and I can't wait to see what it tells me about what I'm doing on the plot.

I've grouped my flowers into "priority groups" so it helps me when it comes to allocating space and time. I realised that I don't want to be spending too much time or allocating too much space to flowers which don't sell for a lot of money. We will see if this technique pays off later this year!

Also exciting news: Kylie my baby hen has (finally!) become a Mum of three gorgeous while fluffy baby chicks. Well done, Kylie.

Here's the podcast I'm talking about in this episode: Six Figure Flower Farming, created by Jenny Marks. I nearly didn't listen to it because I thought it wouldn't apply to me (I won't be earning six figures this year!) but I'm really glad I did. Lots of incredibly useful info about the business-side of things. 

In this episode, join me as I'm having an epiphany!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it's vital to calculate production costs for each flower variety

✅ How production costs help to calculate profitability per sqm 

✅ The importance of researching pricing 

✅ My embarrassing experience of selling/pricing in 2024  

✅ What I learnt about shrinkage and how it applies to my flowers 

✅ Why I need to think in a much more business-like manner!

✅ How interning with a florist could really help you 

🌻 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. 

It's a beautiful week and I've been busy. It's a bit overwhelming at times: I feel like I have so many things to do all at the same time and sometimes it's hard to work out what I should be doing first. Normally I'm pretty good at prioritising but at this time of year it's challenging...

In this episode I take a breather from digging up nettles and do a brief review of what's happening on the plot this week including: admiring the coppiced hazel poles, conserving water in the bowsers, enjoying the naturally-growing daffodils, PLUS what I've been doing with my dahlias to wake them up and the seeds I've been sowing this week. 

I also talk about taking Maggie C to see Richard (my super-amazing dahlia-expert teacher) and an update on Kylie, my broody hen. Finally I discuss planning for lean times of the year (i.e. Feb/March/April) in terms of what to grow to bring in some money, and the importance of planning ahead for this so you're prepared for these lean times. 

The first half of this podcast was recorded out on the plot and the second half inside in the warmth. I hope you enjoy it, despite some background traffic noise in the first half.

In this episode, I’m waking up dahlias and planning for lean times.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to make brilliant Nettle Liquid Fertiliser 

✅ Why I'm using "rebar" to grow (some of) my sweetpeas up this year

✅ Technique for waking dahlias up and getting them going 

✅ What I've been sowing over the weekend  

✅ Skip-diving: always ask permission before taking anything! 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

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. 

What a gorgeous week: it's been very warm and sunny in the last couple of days, which has made me feel very excited about spring. And also slightly overwhelmed. I look at my seed trays and simultaneously think "Oh there are SO MANY!" and also "Oh I don't have enough!". But it's all fine: it's just what happens at this time of year.

Lots of updates for you in this episode including the progress of my seed germination, some vegetable seed sowing, the fate of the Victoria plum, and what I've been doing with my compost at the plot.

In part 2 I answer some listener questions plus one from me about the most profitable cut flower stems to grow (I've been wondering a lot about this). So join me as I talk about direct sowing, not getting lonely even when you spend a lot of time alone, why I can't really sell direct to customers and my thoughts on the most profitable cut flowers to grow.

In this episode, I'm having a Q&A session with myself.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Seed germination updates

✅ What are the challenges of direct sowing?

✅ Homemade compost update   

✅ Why I struggle to sell directly to customers

✅ What is the most profitable cut flower stem to grow? 

🌻 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 consider leaving a review – it really does help more cut 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 been a really busy few days: some of the new seeds that were sown last week have germinated, the new beds have been marked out with string, a whole new planting area has been created, I finally found my missing broad bean seeds (yipeeeeee!), more seeds have been sown, the sun has been shining and it's warming up nicely.

I've been thinking a lot over the weekend about a backup plan: what happens if my main cut flower buyer for 2025 can't take my flowers? What would I do? Where else would I sell them? I need a plan for a worst-case-scenario. I really hope it won't happen but it's always good to be prepared... do listen to this episode to find out more. 

In this episode, let's talk about the importance of having a backup plan.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Which seeds have germinated

✅ The new seeds that I've sown this week

✅ Perennials I still need to plant 

✅ How to find a florist who you vibe with   

✅ Why you need a backup plan for your cut flowers

🌻 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 consider leaving a review – it really does help more cut 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. 

I went to the garden centre just to buy a ball of string to finish marking out the new cut flower beds and came home with some lovely new flowers seeds!

In this first part of this episode I'm back in the greenhouse on a warm and bright afternoon sowing more of my cut flower seeds as well as the new ones that I picked up in the garden centre. As I'm sowing (you can hear me rummaging in the background as I fill up trays with compost) I have a moan about podcast adverts, I talk about why I'm sowing much smaller batches of seeds successionally this year, and I discuss my new Scabious seeds and whether they could actually be focal flowers rather than fillers. I also talk about why I don't start sowing seeds until March. Someone stole the padlock chain from the gates of my plot on Monday and I talk briefly about this. 

In the second part I'm inside in the warm and I give a brief recap on the second part of the week including standing my sweetpea loo rolls upright, getting caught in a hailstorm, having a hog roast at my plant wholesaler's spring open day, and breaking news: I made a very nice quiche and then ate it.

In this episode, I’m still in the greenhouse sowing more cut flower seeds.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ New seeds from the garden centre I'm sowing this week

✅ Why I'm sowing smaller batches of seeds more often this year

✅ Scabious: focal flower or filler? 

✅ Why I don't start sowing seeds before March 

✅ What happens with security on your plot when you don't own it?

✅ Genius hack for stopping loo rolls falling over and seeds falling out 

✅ I made a fantastic quiche! 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

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 Tuesday 10 March 2025 and I'm in the greenhouse this afternoon, sowing more cut flower seeds. Come and join me as I'm sowing Achillea, Cephalaria, Centaurea, Crespedia, Zinnia and Orlaya. It's much cooler this week: the weekend was positively balmy and it was wonderful to have so much sunshine. It really felt like Spring had arrived. And then it cooled rapidly!

As I'm sowing I talk about what containers I'm sowing into this year (and why it's different to previous years), how I clean my labels, the beauty of cornflower seeds (little rockets!!), the work I got done on the plot over the weekend, the thinking behind sowing smaller trays of seeds and bringing them indoors to get them germinated - then potting them on later, and how I accidentally bought another fruit tree yesterday. It's my longest episode so far and I really hope that you enjoy it.

In this episode, I’m talking to you from inside my greenhouse as I continue to sow my cut flower seeds.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why (and how) I'm sowing differently this year

✅ The benefits of recycling empty food containers from your kitchen

✅ The importance of successional sowing

✅ A quick basic tip for identifying which seeds need covering and which don't 

✅ The difference between vermiculite and perlite 

✅ The amount of land I'll have under cultivation this year

✅ An update on my baby hens, Kiki D and Dani Minogue 

✅ Why I can't stop buying fruit trees

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

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. 

I was SO looking forward to getting started on my seed sowing this week! And then I was thwarted by a really nasty cold so I ended up sleeping a lot, watching Netflix and endlessly re-reading the latest David Austin rose catalogue. So the first half of this episode is me with a rather croaky voice and a bunged-up nose talking about that. 

Luckily the second half improves when I was well enough to get into the greenhouse and start sowing my sweetpeas! And the word I was struggling to remember when discussing why I wanted to grow my sweetpeas straight up the fence panels is: tendrils!! I could not think of that word when I was talking and then of course as soon as I finished recording, I remembered it.

In this episode, join me as I sow my first seeds of 2025: sweetpeas!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What happened when I was ill and couldn't get out of bed?

✅ How to recycle toilet roll tubes to sow some types of seeds

✅ My top 10 favourite David Austin roses

✅ What I learnt from watching 'With Love, Meghan' on Netflix  

✅ Why sweetpeas really need toilet roll tubes or root trainers 

✅ Why I'm elevating my everyday dinner ingredients tonight

🌻 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. 

This week got off to an absolutely freezing (but beautiful) start. Unfortunately it was far too cold for me to be sowing seeds in the greenhouse so I have recorded a longer podcast instead.

In this episode I answer a question from a listener about exactly how I chose the seeds I'm growing for cut flowers and I explain my thought process. I clarify what I meant in episode 15 about 'filler flowers' and the different types of flowers you find in an arrangement. I also venture into my greenhouse (the old one) and see what has survived February and what has not made it.

Part of this podcast was recorded out in the cold on the plot and half inside in the warmth with a very runny nose. I hope you enjoy it, despite my frequent sniffing. 

In this episode, I’m explaining exactly how I chose my seeds to grow this year.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why chickens have had such a positive impact on my plot

✅ Why I didn't end up sowing seeds on Monday

✅ Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers: do you know the difference?

✅ What's inside my greenhouse right now  

✅ My methodology for choosing the seeds I'm growing for cut flowers 

✅ Why a teasel wreath seemed a good idea... but was it?

✅ About my new Facebook group and an apology to new members

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

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 the last day of February today which means two things: one, I'll be moving home tomorrow and two, it's time to start sowing seeds! Yipee! Once I've unpacked and got settled, I'll be getting busy in the greenhouse...

Before all that fun, today's episode is me talking you through the 15 new varieties of flowers I'm going to grow this year from seed. Purchased last year (I was ahead of the curve, for once!) and itching to get going, these seeds are going to be my main focus of attention this summer. Ranging from a diminutive 45cm to a stonking 1.8m tall, I hope to have a selection of beautifully coloured, attractive and - most importantly - "sellable" cut flowers. 

In this episode, I’m sharing the new varieties of seed I'm sowing in 2025.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Names and details of 15 x new seeds I'm sowing this year

✅ How and why I've selected these seeds 

✅ How I worked with a brilliant wedding florist to curate my seed list

✅ Heights and flower descriptions of these seeds

✅ How to know when to stop buying seed (spoiler: I still don't have the answer to this!)

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

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. 

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

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

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.