March Focus – Haven Flowers

We made it Folks ! Out of the darkness of Winter and into the light of Spring , glorious Spring , yeyyy !

Adorable , simple , seasonal : Our native Primrose (Primula vulgaris ; the first Rose of Spring) with blue Muscari armeniacum (Grape Hyacinth)

The Primroses are out , as are the early Pollinators , buzzing around them , early Muscari , Scilla , and other precious Woodland Plants such as Cyclamen coum , Pulmonarias and , of course , our heavenly Hellebores.

A sea of Pulmonaria flowers ; adored by Bees , adored by Me !

Pulmonarias are adored by Bees , if You have a clump , chances are they will be buzzing with Bees visiting to feast on the nectar at their base of their trumpet Flowers. We can often see both pinks and blues in their Flowers , as they change colour as they age , whether this is due to pollination , or a signal to pollinators that the flower is ageing , is a subject of great scientific interest. The evolution of relationships between Plants and their Pollinators is so fascinating and wondrous.

Pulmonarias can make great cut flowers too ! I love to pick just a few from my Garden to create a small Spring posy for one of my favourite vases ; I call them my little ‘Jugs of Joy’.

Pulmonarias gathered from my Garden , with Teucrium and Hebe , make for a lovely little ‘Jug of Joy’

Hellebores are adorning our Gardens with their exquisite Flowers in all ranges of colours , apart from blue , as far as I am aware ! The H. orientalis hybrids are , possibly , the most endearing , due to their wide range of colour , form and combinations , be they hand-cultivated or naturally , I think it is always so exciting to see what the little seedlings will eventually grow-up to look like ; always beautiful.

Some of the exquisite forms and colours of Hellebores in my Client’s Woodland Garden

When cutting Hellebore Flowers for the Vase (if You can bear to) , their vase-life can be longer if they are cut once they have been fertilised and their seed-pods are developing. My thinking on this is that, because they are now producing seeds , they no longer need to hang their precious flower-heads in order to protect the more fragile stamens and pistils , or , indeed their petals , which are the nectaries around the base of the reproductive parts of the flower. Once fertilised , the stamens and nectaries can now drop away , so that all that are left are the sepals and the pistils, with their ovaries swelling with their developing seeds ! Amazing isn’t it.

These adorable Hellebore Flowers (‘Camelot’) are now producing their seed pods and their sepals are taking on a glorious , vintage sheen.

In addition , the stems can be cut vertically , and the stems can be seared for approximately 7 seconds in just boiled water , until you see fewer or no more air bubbles being released , then replace in cool water.

I was thrilled to create some natural , vase-arrangement Bouquets for Mother’s Day , using some of the Hellebores that I have been growing at Haven Flowers. Here are some that I chose , cut and conditioned , before the great create !

A Bucket of my heavenly Hellebores conditioning prior to being included in my Mother’s Day Bouquets

I added Garden grown Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) , which complimented the beautiful pink tones of the Hellebore Flowers , and created a more airy and dimensional form , plus it has lovely fresh , green foliage. The buds should open if picked close to opening , at which time they reveal their delightful pink and white pendulous flowers. The white cultivar of R. sanguineum ; ‘White Icicle’ , would also have made a beautiful addition.

Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) with lovely arching flower heads and fresh green foliage

For a lovely bit of fragrance and form , I also included Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ , whose gorgeous pink-red buds are just opening to their cream flowers with the most delicious scent.

Beautiful pink buds and white flowers just appearing on Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ ; these will release the most delicious , sweet scent in the Garden and the Vase .

To enhance the Hellebores with more Flowers , I added Smith & Munson Tulips ‘Supermodel’ and ‘White Marvel’ , from wholesaler James at Flowers by Clowance. Plus Garden grown Pittosporum and wholesale, British Grown Eucalyptus parvifolia for a final , foliage flourish ! I think the Bouquets were beautiful and I was thrilled to be able to offer them for such a precious occasion that is Mother’s Day.

Narcissus cultivars are continuing to flower in succession ; following on from February’s ‘Ice Follies’ and ‘Silver Standard’ (very early !) , are ‘St Patrick’s Day’ , ‘Obdam’ and ‘White Lion’ , plus the strongly-scented , multi-headed ‘Avalanche’, ‘Cheerfulness’ and ‘Geranium’* . Each of these bloomed beautifully for me, and for You, at Haven Flowers (*grown at Farmcote Flowers).

Easter was especially early this year , just peeking-in on the last weekend of March. I created some beautiful Bouquets of my field-grown Narcissi , garden-gathered Spiraea thunbergii and some stunning Smith & Munson Tulips called ‘Mango Charm’ and ‘Fun for Two’ , they blended beautifully to offer some Easter Delights. Thank you to All who purchased my Bouquets or Wraps , I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did creating them.