Becoming a Cut Flower Grower

Hello and welcome to Friday 17 April 2026. 
Lots to tell you about tonight: I experienced a strimming mishap with my Cephalaria (giant scabious), the other scabious have collapsed after they were moved last weekend, and I've busy trying to keep the greenhouse at a constant temperature, which is no mean feat.
This week I visited a fellow grower's plot together with some other members of my local growers group. It was brilliant to see what someone else is doing, share stories with my fellow growers, pick up some growing tips, and commiserate about the various issues that we're all having. It's wonderful to be part of a group like this and I'd highly recommend that you either join one or consider starting one because support from others is really helpful.
I have a funny pricing story for you whereby I wildly over-priced some Lily of the Valley stems and, needless to say, the florist didn't buy them. You live and learn and I will have to do much better next time. Spotify comments: I'm reading and loving them - thank you if you have left a comment. I'm answering a great one tonight about the difference between using vermiculite and perlite for seed sowing and I'll share what I do and why. 
I hope you enjoy tonight's episode: please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
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If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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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Hello, it's Tuesday 14 April 2026. 
I've had a busy weekend trying to divide my time between the field and the greenhouse, so there's lots to tell you tonight including news about mulching, weeding, transplanting, and staking. I've also just started sowing my half hardy annuals too, plus all my veg seeds, and I'll tell you why I'm using more vermiculite this year.
In other news I've given the website a revamp thanks to chatGPT. I use it regularly with all aspects of my life and I find it particularly helpful with work stuff, although it has just started being quite argumentative with me recently, and I'm not sure how that's even possible... 
The boys have some new nail shields to stop them damaging their girls and they look hilarious. Don't worry, it's quite safe and, fingers crossed, it will do the job. 
I hope you enjoy the episode: please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Connect with me
If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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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Hello, welcome to Friday 10 April 2026. 
We had a one-day heatwave this week and it was roasting! 24 degrees centigrade! Wow! And today it's back to 13 degrees - quite a change. It's musical chairs in the greenhouse with the seedlings: one minute they're in, then they're out, and keeping everyone moist is proving challenging. In tonight's episode I'll share with you the ones doing well, the slow ones, those giving me nightmares and the top performers.
I've been casting a critical eye over the shrubs in my garden and wondering which ones I should dig up and take to the field to be sold because they're so lovely. I'd be interested to know if you're growing any of the plants I talk about. 
I have an update from the field tonight too: I've been doing battle with creeping thistle, which is an issue for me. I don't think I'll be able to get rid of it so it's just a question of managing it. I'm also crossing my fingers and toes that the rats don't start eating my alliums (the only bulbs they haven't touched yet!).
Finally I touch on Chelsea Flower Show ticket prices (eye-watering), the new setup I have for saving dirty duck water, plus my Plant Profile of the week and tonight it's Hydrangea paniculate 'Limelight'. This is a terrific plant and I highly recommend it to you.
I hope you have a great weekend: please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.
Connect with me
If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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. 
Text The Podcast Here!
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Hello, welcome to Tuesday 7 April 2026. 
I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. I spent the weekend on the field and was mostly doing battle with nettles, clearing beds and making space for all the annual seedlings rapidly filling up my greenhouse. I can't wait to get them out onto the plot and growing away. The rats continue to test my patience: they've had a go at my final remaining batch of crated tulips which I finally planted in the ground. It's very unfair and I hope they all have indigestion.
My local hub has opened for 2026 and I'm looking forward to welcoming the owner of it to the field soon to show her what I'm growing this year. She set the bar very high when she invited growers to her plot last year so I'm doing a lot of tidying before she comes to mine.
Finally I answer a great listener message I received by DM on insta about pricing and I hope you find this of interest. Pricing is one of those topics that I continue to find challenging: I'm still working out how to do it and I like to share my thoughts with you. 
I love hearing from you so do get in touch and please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.
Connect with me
If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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. 
Text The Podcast Here!
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Hello, welcome to Friday 3 April 2026. Happy Good Friday!
Storm 'Dave' has landed and it's very windy here. My honeysuckle arch blew down, the cockerels are getting blown across the field and anything I put down gets whisked away.
I've spent most of today in the greenhouse sowing more hardy annuals and it went really well. I'm going to need a lot more shelves in there at this rate. I've also been sowing seed that I collected from some of my unsold flowers in 2025 and I can't wait to see how they turn out.
I recorded tonight's episode on the plot and a rat made a guest appearance as I was mid-sentence. I was planning to do a walk-around the field with you but it's too windy and the audio would have ben terrible. 
I hope you have a wonderful Easter or (if you're not celebrating it) then just a great long weekend. Please do come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.
Connect with me
If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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. 
Text The Podcast Here!
Support the show