Buckets and bouquets of seasonal cut flowers, homegrown on the Isle of Man
My name is June Whiteman and I have a small cut-flower patch in the grounds of a beautiful Mansion House near Castletown on the Isle of Man.
Let me introduce you to Blossom Broadbean, who it turns out, has been lying dormant within me for the best part of 50 years.
Blossom emerged in a fantastical flowery flourish whilst I was reading an article about a flower farmer. As I turned the pages of the magazine, I felt my heart beat faster as I viewed beds billowing with colourful flowers, I wanted a cut-flower garden just like it.
Through the article, I discovered Flowers from the Farm and learnt that flower farmers are generous folk willing to share their knowledge to encourage others to grow and create a biodiverse and sustainable environment.
That was the summer of 2018 and since then my small back garden has been transformed. What was then two vegetable beds and a lot of lawn, is now 4 good sized flower beds and no lawn and I have a draughty greenhouse that lets the rain in.
Everything I grow, I treat as a happy experiment and learn something new everyday from the wealth of experience shared by other cut flower growers.
Sowing a seed is life affirming and I watch them germinate with a sense of wonder and excitement. Although they are doing what seeds are designed to do, I still feel a sense of achievement that I have played a part in providing the right conditions to help them grow.
Flowers bring me so much joy and I can’t wait to share my buckets and bouquets with you. Please join me on What’s Growing Now where I will share what to look forward to in the weeks ahead.
Blossom in the garden
This short video was filmed in our daughter’s garden in Holland in the summer of 2021.
All credit to Frank the cameraman (who happens to be our son-in-law), who captured these precious memories.
Why growing cut flowers is important to me
The cut flower industry is worth millions and as beautiful as flowers are, the practice behind getting pristine blooms, with little or no fragrance, into our shops and garage forecourts, is less than charming.
The carbon footprint is massive and the chemicals used to keep the flowers alive on their journey is not good for us or the environment.
By growing flowers on island I believe I am doing my bit to reduce air miles and create a supply of fresh, fragrant blooms throughout the growing season.
In addition, my cutting patch is a haven for pollinators and birds, the soil is healthy and I don’t use chemicals.
Why re-energising the soil is important to me
Composting is the perfect way to close the circle on garden waste.
Used as a mulch, the resultant nutrient-rich mix returns loads of goodness to the soil and prevents valuable organic matter from going to the tip.
To create your own compost, add any uncooked organic kitchen waste to the garden clippings in your compost heap or bin and you will soon be well on your way to creating “black gold”.
My compost bin is tucked into a sheltered spot in the garden. It has a lid but no bottom as worm activity is essential to the process.
You will find a recipe on how to make compost in Weekly Snippets.