Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

• Big Problem: The Greenfly Are Back, Ridiculously Wrong Plant Spacings, Dahlia Labelling Disaster & My First Florist Plot Visit

  Hello and welcome! It's the evening of Friday 11 July 2025 and I'm recording from the plot so the audio quality is a little bit up and down. I hope it doesn't bother you too much. It's so much nicer talking amongst the flowers than at home. Today's episode is a gentle evening walk-round of the plot and a chat about what's going on with everything I have, starting from the entrance gates and ending up at the far end. I'm talking about everything that I have growing on the plot and assessing the successes and the not-so-good ones. I've got the dog with me tonight because it's too hot to leave her at home and I'll also be filling you in on my Wednesday visit from my event florist. I really hope you enjoy the episode and that you'll come back and join me next week too.Follow & ConnectIf you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and if you enjoy this episode, please could you take a minute to 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. 

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• Heatwave No. 3 is Here, My Shower is Full of Annabelles, Difficult Growing Conditions Mean Difficult Choices & Why I Don't Want to Sell my Nigella

  Hello and welcome to this episode. It's a hot Tuesday 8 July 2025. I've been very busy on the field with dahlia staking (thanks to my birthday present of road pins), deadheading, staking and weeding. I really must sort the staking out earlier next year as it's a nightmare trying to do it when the plants are big and flowering. No dahlia flowers yet but any day now...I've also been busy on a big planting job for a couple of days which was nerve-wracking and either my hormones or my bolognese sauce conspired to make it even harder. I have an entire shower tray of Hydrangea Annabelles which I acquired quite by accident and which I'm trying to keep cool and hydrated as we enter Heatwave Number 3 of the year. It's not an easy task. And I desperately need a shower now so they have to be relocated urgently.Lots of challenges for growers across the UK at the moment due to the lack of rainfall and excess heat so if you're having problems, you're not alone. Finally I've been prepping for a visit to the field from my wedding florist and hopefully she likes what she sees. The rest of the week is looking busy so I'll have plenty to share with you on Friday - please come back and join me. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ Why I can't take a shower right now✅ The impact of the weather on UK growers this summer✅ How proud I was to see photos of my flowers in wedding photos ✅ Why I don't want to sell my nigella✅ How the craspedia have grown but no golf balls yet...✅ What I did to my statice yesterday✅ Peri-menopause: you don't have to be "old" to experience it so seek help if you are struggling, regardless of your actual age🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to 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. 

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• Selling Has Finally Started, Nigella Finally Flowering, Zinnias Driving Me Mad, No Rain Yet, and It's My Birthday!

  Hello and welcome! It's Friday 4 July 2025 and it's my birthday! And Happy American Independence Day if you're celebrating that today!I'm on a massive high after selling 100 stems of cut flowers to my lovely event florist, Jo, so I chat about this and how I managed to get everything delivered without breaking anything or spilling any water (a miracle). There's a photo on my insta @henhillcutflowers so you can see one of the buckets. It's been quite a busy week as I took a day out to go to the beach with my other half to celebrate his birthday. I hate the thought of going anywhere these days but I'm really glad I went because we had a lovely time and discovered that the dog is not a fan of the sea. Everything on the plot is doing fine and some things are flowering beautifully including the heleniums, cornflowers, sweetpeas and calendulas. The nigella have finally started flowering and they're stunning. My snaps are about to flower too (finally!) together with the didiscus and scabious. Lots of forward planning going on including next weekend's flowers and choosing sweetpeas for 2026. I've got a really long to-do list as well so there will be lots to tell you about next Tuesday!I'm really loving connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this episode!What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ I'm celebrating selling 100 stems to my florist!     ✅ What cut flowers I sold today ✅ News from the plot this week✅ What's flowering and what's just about to flower ✅ Making the plot safe for a visit from my florist next week✅ Choosing sweetpeas for 2026✅ What I'll be doing over the weekend on the plot🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to 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. 

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• Hot Flushes in a Heatwave (not fun!), New Gates, Prepping for a Wedding Order, Flower Hub News (it's very exciting!)

  Hello. It's Tuesday 1 July 2025 and I'm sweltering, even at 8am.Lots to tell you: we made some new gates to enter the plot over the weekend so that I don't have to go into Roland's enclosure every time. It's an improvement but then I managed to step on a bit of metal and injured my foot. Highs and lows! The sweetpeas are incredible and smell so good: they are a real success. It's such a busy time on the plot with all the watering, deadheading, weeding, and staking. Exciting news: I'm officially joining my local flower growing hub! I can't wait! In this episode I talk about how the meeting went yesterday, hosted by Fenella at Flower Fields in Cookham. I share everything that we talked about, what we ate and drank (it's all in the details), how the hub will work, when it's kicking off, and what Fenella is growing on her land. I believe that the hub will be really beneficial for all local growers, particularly me, and that it will open me up to lots more florists to showcase what I'm growing. I'll keep you updated. Here's Fenella's website: https://www.flower-fields.co.uk/I'm really loving connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this episode.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ The joys of having hot flushes in a heatwave     ✅ How much water I've brought on site over the weekend✅ All the details of my shiny new gates into the plot✅ The joys of my sweetpeas✅ How I'm preparing to supply for a wedding this weekend ✅ All the news from my flower hub meeting ✅ Why joining a flower hub could be a game changer for me 🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to 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. 

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• Six-Month Review: Good Times, Disasters, Cornflower Overload, What I've Learnt, Drought, Heatwaves, It's Been Alot!

  Hello. It's Friday 27 June 2025 and the mercury is rising once again.In this episode I talk about how the first six months of 2025 have been for me as a new cut flower grower and I hope you find it interesting. If you've been listening from the start then you'll recognise some of the issues raised, like the time I left a tap running and emptied out my own water storage tanks overnight. I discuss the highs and lows so far ranging from the excitement of actually selling stems to what to do with the ones I haven't sold, to pests, my high-maintenance cornflowers, and everything in between.I talk about some of the things I've learned in the first half of this year and what I'd do differently in future, including improvements to staking, earlier sowings and reduced plant spacings. It's a fairly detailed review of what's worked and what hasn't, together with some pretty honest reflections on how I'm feeling right now. One things that's definitely a high point is this podcast: it's a real source of joy in my life, particularly connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this review episode!What You’ll Learn in This Episode:✅ My highs and lows from January 2025 to June 2025      ✅ How I felt when I saw my first cut flowers featured in a bridal bouquet✅ What's actually gone well and what hasn't✅  How my cornflowers have literally taken over my life ✅  How feeling overwhelmed is draining and stressful✅  What I'll be doing differently in 2026 ✅  Why I can never have enough perennials, shrubs and foliage🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to 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. 

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