Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

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. 

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)

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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.