January flowers

When we started thinking about writing this book, my key "thing" was to let everyone know what flowers they could get hold of throughout the year. But our big question was, "should we start with January?" 

Yes it's the beginning of the calendar year, but there aren't any British flowers available, are there?..... 

Well, the range is a lot smaller in January. You have to think outside the box when designing, and foliage is a key element. But the flowers in January are worthwhile because there are so few of them. Plus there is scent to think about. Sarcoccoca, Viburnum, Rosemary.  Actually when we started counting up what we could put into our January colour scheme of green and whites, we found our 12 ingredients (6 flowers, 6 fillers/foliage) almost too easily, and we snuck extras in. So do take time to look around you this month. What is available in local gardens, what flowers are being posted on Instagram with the #britishflowers hashtag. You may be surprised by how many beautiful flowers there are out there.

Why we wrote this book

This is the British Flowers Book Blog,  Welcome. 

Hi I'm Claire. I'm a flower farmer based in Surrey, and my background is in horticulture, so I love growing all kinds of flowers, fillers and foliage. I sell my flowers to local florists and they are the reason that I've written this book. 

My most frequently asked questions are, "What will be flowering in pink in June?"(or many variations of that question with another colour and or month). "When will .... be flowering?"; or, "Will ..... be flowering at the same time as .....?".

Vanessa is one of my customers, and after a session several years ago of, "Will this rose be available in June"; or, "Will these dahlia be flowering by July?", she told me I needed to write a book, because there wasn't anything about when British flowers were available to florists.

Now, I've got years of records of when I've been selling particular varieties, and lists of what my florists have bought to go together. More importantly, thanks to Emma, I've got photos of all the things that I've grown and sold. So I can let you know that at the end of May, there will be ranunculus, but not yet peonies. That in June, you can have roses and sweet williams together, that in a good year antirrhinums will start by the beginning of July. That it is possible to grow sunflowers to display at the Hampton Court Flower Show (1st week of July), and that the frost date for when the outside flowers will come to a sudden and abrupt halt is usually mid way through November, but can be a lot earlier than that.

So that's what we've set out to let you know. What colour schemes can you use with all British blooms all through the year. Plus which flowers will be ideal for partnering together, and more importantly, are you likely to find at the same time at markets and artisan growers all over the country. The book is written, but we're tinkering..... adding photos, getting feedback from other growers and florists. So this blog is for now until you can get a physical version of our ideas in your hand.

Of course this is Britain. The weather conditions often conspire against us, and things will start flowering in the South West and Cornwall up to 4 weeks before those in the North and Scotland. Instagram has been a wonderful tool for me to see as a grower what state my flowers are at compared to others all over the country. The colour themes in the book will show you what is blooming at the same time wherever in the country you are, but the months refer to here in Surrey. So if you're down in Cornwall, you may be able to get the flowers are few weeks before, and if you are hosting an event in Scotland, for most of the year, you'll need to add on 3 weeks.

I hope you enjoy this wander through the flowers that are grown in this country for you to use in your floral arrangements and displays. Please do sign up, so that we can tell you about the progress of the Book, and when you'll be able to have a comprehensive handbook of British Flowers in your hand.