Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

It's Tuesday 13 May 2025: welcome to today's episode. Beautiful sunshine but still no rain. I'm running low on water so it's a bit of a tense time. Tonight I'm on the plot talking about how I'm managing my seedlings in the hot and dry conditions. Some plants are doing fine but I really wish I had more water right now.The digger man is booked for tomorrow and I'm very excited. Having more turf lifted will double my planting area so I can't wait but I'm slightly holding my breath until he arrives and does the work. The dahlias are outside now and doing really well. I've found some gall on one of the tubers which is disappointing but not the end of the world. More seedlings have been planted out but now watering them is becoming a bit scary: do I have enough water to last until it rains? I also talk about an idea I've just heard on another podcast about selling single varieties of stems at local markets rather than mixed bouquets so I'm giving serious thought to doing this. It's an extremely busy time and there's alot going on. I do hope you enjoy the episode. In this episode, join me for an update on the plot. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ How the dahlias are doing ✅ Why I've just mulched my Verbena bonariensis✅ Dahlia gall: what to do with infected plants and tubers ✅ Why you should buy good quality hosepipe fittings  ✅ Thoughts on selling at my local market ✅  Digger man update  🌻 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 9 May 2025 and another gorgeous evening. I've recorded this episode at home tonight, out of the wind, so the audio quality is much better than the last episode (sorry about that one). Executive decision: the dahlias are finally moving outside this weekend! They have had enough of being inside (and I want my living room back) so they're going out to be hardened off before being planted out on the plot. I talk about the importance of data collection for my cut flowers and how I'm getting on with collecting information like the time it takes me to sow/plant out/water. I know it will be useful information when it comes to calculating stem prices and productivity later on. I analyse what's going on with my nigella seedlings and why I don't think I'm going to grow them in 2026 (unless they sell really well). Some of my seedlings are doing brilliantly (like the cornflowers) but the nigella are not happy. There's an update on my 'lookbook' for showcasing my flowers to florists: are you doing anything similar? I'd love to know. There's a bit of a discussion about a marketing idea I have for persuading brides to ask their wedding florists for local and seasonal blooms (rather than imports) in the hope that it increases demand for British blooms. Finally I have a bit of a rant about competition from other growers (I'm in favour), through the prism of growers who have a leg up in the setup of their business. I'm only jealous because I've been doing things the hard way. Despite my moaning, I hope that we can all lift and support each other in this crazy business and I wish everyone the very best (even if I am green with envy sometimes). In this episode, join me for a chat about what's going on this week. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ Still no rain...✅ My seedlings are still on the inside-outside carousel   ✅ Why my dahlias are finally going outside this weekend✅ How I'm watering my sweetpeas✅ The importance of recording time spent sowing and planting out ✅ How my flower "lookbook" is progressing ✅ Why I want to start marketing to brides ✅ Competition from fellow growers: good or bad? ✅ Clockwise or anticlockwise: which way do your climbers want to go?🌻 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 8:30pm on Tuesday 6 May 2025 and a really beautiful evening.You join me for this episode on the plot as I'm planting out some of my hardy annual seedlings (calendula, orlaya and scabious). It's been a busy bank holiday weekend for me and I haven't had as much time on the plot as I would like so I'm up here this evening getting things done and sharing this with you.I've spent today thinking about tulips for 2026: it's never too soon to start planning for them. I've decided to only grow certain types (parrot, viridiflora and Rembrandt) as they're very dramatic and showy and I hope that they will sell well. They will go in the dahlia beds when the tubers get lifted in November. I will need to order them in August so I need to start compiling a list very soon. It's important to keep planning ahead. I had some microphone problems tonight: the first half seems to be ok but the second half sounds like I'm on the hard shoulder of a windy motorway (I'm not) so I hope you can still hear me. If you have a minute, I'd be over the moon if you left a rating or review - not only would it mean so much to me but it really helps other people to decide whether or not they should listen to the podcast and I'd love to share my journey with as many people like you as possible. Thank you. In this episode, join me on the plot for an update on my seedlings and more. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ How my seedlings are doing on the plot ✅ Why I need to keep an eye out for squirrels and pigeons   ✅ Why I'm not weeding around my seedlings this year   ✅ My tulip plans for 2026✅ I'm excited about the last of my dahlia cuttings arriving next week✅ Why I'm going to start learning to do hand-tied bouquets ✅ Why you need to talk to like-minded people when times are tough 🌻 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 8:30am on Friday 2 May 2025 and it's another beautiful sunny day.What a busy week! I've been juggling a lot of things this week and it got me thinking about what I've learned about starting to grow cut flowers and what no-one tells you! So I have created quite a long list of things I'm learning the hard way and I'd like to share them with you. From not having enough money, time or water to the many demands on your time in every aspect of your life, I'm talking about it all. The seedlings all have different needs and the fifty-six dahlias are like small children! As well as focusing on the here-and-now I'm also trying not to forget what I need to be doing in six months/one year/five years hence. So from the collapse of my social life and neglecting friends to a lack of understanding from others about the pressures you're under, to worries about what's coming down the line and exhausting days, it's a tough time of year. But it will pass and in a couple of months everything will calm down (I hope!). This episode is a really honest take on what I've been thinking about this week and I hope that you find it interesting. If you have a minute, I'd be over the moon if you left a rating or review - not only would it mean so much to me but it really helps other people to decide whether or not they should listen to the podcast and I'd love to share my journey with as many people like you as possible. Thank you. In this episode, join me for a frank discussion about what no-one tells you about starting a cut flower business!What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ The different needs of my seedlings ✅ There aren't enough hours in the day for everything  ✅ How my social life has taken a nose-dive  ✅ Pressures around lack of money are stressful✅ Why you still need to be thinking 1 year/5 years ahead✅ How time management is really crucial right now ✅ Why you spend your days checking weather apps 🌻 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. 

The chickens are back on the podcast! It's Tuesday 29 April 2025 and it's very hot.Join me for this episode on a really beautiful spring day, which started off well then turned out to be a bit too busy and fraught for my liking. I am in charge of the diary so that's entirely my fault. While I'm letting the hens out this morning I talk about water (again), the planting out of my nigella seedlings, and my tough-love watering policy to ensure that plants get their roots down quickly and don't become reliant on me constantly watering them.The second part of the episode is me trying to unwind on the plot this evening after a really busy day. I spent my (brief) lunch break quickly moving my seedlings out of the heat of the greenhouse and taking panes out of the framework to cool it down. I answer a couple of questions I've received: one about my mini-digger plans and the other about my sweetpea spacings. I end with some thoughts about the importance of carving out time for yourself during this busy period of the year in order to stay calm and focused. As always, it's just me talking directly to you on my cut flower journey. I really hope you enjoy the episode. The chickens make a few noisy interruptions too!In this episode, join me on a hot spring day for chickens and a Q&A What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ How the newly-planted out nigella seedlings are getting on ✅ My tough-love policy when watering new seedlings and perennials ✅ How I cool my greenhouse down ✅ Seedling heat tolerance: who loves it hot and who doesn't?✅ How I reconcile using a mini-digger with my No-dig policy✅ Problems you can get with planting too close together✅ Why it's so important to carve out time for yourself during busy times🌻 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. 

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.