British Flowers Week 2018 – Inspiration for Your Garden

British Flowers Week 2018 takes place during the week of June 18 – 24. It is a celebration of the wealth of flowers grown in this country for us to purchase as cut flowers for our houses.

Of course, it’s not just about the flowers, but also about supporting the British growers, wholesale sellers and florists who ensure the flowers go from field to our vases. Started by New Covent Garden Market in 2013 it is a showcase of seasonal flowers and flowering plants. A celebration of floral seasonality that will fill flower borders with pollen for bees, scent and colour for humans.

The growers, many of them family businesses, focus on seasonal flowers. In spring, for example, tulips like Tulip ‘cummings’ in the photo above would feature. In midsummer there is a wealth of choice. June is possibly Britain and the UK’s most floriferous month. Although May and July run a very close second, the vagaries of the British weather do make June the most reliable for a large selection of flowering plants. Well, so far, anyway…

British Flowers Week 2018 – What is a British flower?

We’re not only talking about British native species and naturalised species, although they are of course included! No, in this definition, similar to that used by New Covent Garden Market, British flowers are also those flowering plants which will easily and reliably grow in quantity in this country so that you can buy local. And know that those cut flowers haven’t been frozen for days during transportation, they really are fresh.

This means that alongside Bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, a native species, we have Agapanthus, the African lily. The emphasis is on seasonality of flowers that will grow here. So don’t expect to find lilies in December and Christmas Box, Sweet Box, in July.

British Flowers Week 2018 – Inspiration for Your Garden

Don’t know about you, but I love stepping into a florists’. The potted plants outside give an inkling of the wonders awaiting you as you walk in…

Tall galvanised vases filled to bursting with regale lilies, themselves waiting to burst from bud to bloom in midsummer. And that perfume from the lily flowers that just couldn’t resist opening and enticing us to purchase them. Rich, bronze chrysanthemums, heavy headed and opulent in late summer and autumn. Posies of Forget-me-nots and Lily-of-the-valley in spring. Juvenile Eucalyptus foliage and frothy Gypsophila to form a backdrop to the floral displays. And in winter, scented stems of orange Witch-hazel, and sprigs of Mistletoe.

Bright colours, subtle shades, monotones – flowers have a wonderful range of shades and tones; more so than Pantone. And underlying all, the green scent of foliage and cut stems; of satin ribbons and cellophane.

The wealth of British flowers used by florists is a perfect starting point for gardening and planting inspiration. To start with, a list of some British grown flowers which are in season now: –

Achillea
Agapanthus
Alchemilla mollis
Alstroemeria
Carnations
Cornflowers (annual)
Delphiniums
Dianthus (Pinks)
Freesias
Gerbera
Hollyhocks
Lilies
Lupins
Peonies
Ranunculus
Stocks
Sweet peas

You could grow all of these in your garden, presuming that you have the right aspect and soil. Oh, and in the case of Lupins and Delphiniums, not a large slug population! Indeed, if you have the right size planter or trough, it is possible to grow them all in containers as well as in the flower border.

British Flowers Week 2018 – Some Planting Combinations

Blue Agapanthus with Penstemon ‘Blackbird’ or Penstemon ‘Garnet’. The underlying blue tones of dark Penstemon ‘Blackbird’ ceate a subtle combination. Whilst the redder shade of purple in Penstemon ‘Garnet’ gives you a jewel-like planting scheme. The Penstemons will flower for longer than the Agapanthus, usually May to October. To make it a more romantic combination, plant frothy white Gypsophila in between. This scheme would also look lovely in a large lead or lead effect trough.

Red Lupins, red Poppies and the massed yellow-green flowers of Alchemilla mollis to pull the planting scheme together. This planting combination I spotted in Northern Scotland, where slugs and snails don’t eat Lupins, it seems. The Lupins and Poppies add height when in flower; and there are the seed heads of both Poppies and Alchemilla mollis to continue the interest after flowering. The ground covering Alchemilla mollis also has delicious soft green foliage, famous for catching raindrops and looking very arty.

And lastly, a flowering, perennial planting combination for containers. This particular Gerbera is known as Garvinia; Gerberas make excellent cut flowers and bloom for a long time in the garden. Now this particular Garvinia could be thought a difficult shade of pink to match up with anything other than white. Indeed, planted up with scented white Dianthus would give you a feminine scheme, lovely for a wedding or cottage garden. However, planted in combination with a bronze Ranunculus, you suddenly have a very grown up effect. I used grey streaked terracotta pots which worked very well.

Taking place in June, British Flowers Week 2018 serves as an inspiration for our gardens. There are some linked events happening during the week that sound fun to go to. For example, floral walls and floral installations in Edinburgh (selfies with flowers encouraged!) and at the Garden Museum in London.

If you would like help as well as further inspiration in creating a floriferous garden, please get in touch!
Plews offers Planting Designs if a full garden design is more than you need, including ‘design at a distance’ particularly for planting designs, making full use of zoom calls and live videos. Also Garden Consultancy visits and reports to advise on any problems with the selection of plants.

For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below.

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