Wylde HQ
Well, I've been busy. I've been prepping my growing space, building raised beds and rolling in 50 tonnes of compost, planting my little seedling in their homes, tucking spring bulbs in and soaking bare root roses galore.
I'm focusing on building a space jam packed with plants flowering for the longest period possible. A mix of colours, some muted tones for my florists for their event work and a mix of brighter tones for retail bunches at the gate and delivery. Great spikes of flowers, disc shaped daisy like blooms, big fancies and weird and wonderful types that I hope will make people say, 'what is that???'
So, a mix of perennials, biennials and annuals with a few shrubs, some bulbs corms and tubers. I've started planting out the perennials, hoping they get their roots down before the real cold of winter kicks in. A great mix, I'm hoping they survive the beds, I have some drainage issues at my site, even with added grit and sand the water pools... I've planted 40 roses, mostly in the tunnel to protect their delicate blooms from the rain. Thousands of tulips have been planted out, a fabulous, scented mix of narcissus, hundreds of alliums, giant snowflakes, fritillarias, and ixia. I've shoved out my wallflowers and dianthus to fend for themselves, popped in some anemones too (I found one decapitated today so I'll need to get mesh out asap).
The polytunnel is filling up, the roses I mentioned before, a mix of hybrid tea and DA shrubs. The 700 ranunculus are sprouting beautifully after too-thick coating of chilli flakes and garlic granules turned mouldy. Daucus 'Dara' and Orlaya grandiflora are looking so green and healthy, today I planted out 200 stocks. I'm doing zoe woodwards pink/apricot next to chilterns pink/apricot to see if there's any difference between the batches. Plus, a wonderful looking rich vintage brown.
I've thrown in some tulip bulbs in crates for an earlier batch, just to extend the season a touch. I've also got some anemones in large pots (some under roses too) and I have mixed smaller allium bulbs through the roses and ranunculus to try and deter aphids. Allium sphaerocephalon which I think also gets called drumstick. it' blooms later than most alliums so should help for a bit longer. A friend at Fearless Robin recommended garlic in with the roses, I'll shove a clove or two in as back up, garlic will definitely never be excess to requirement in my house.
I have a few trays of colibri poppies, sweet peas and antirrhinums in the poli wating to get a bit bigger before they go in their big beds. I do some in the tunnel and some outside too to extend, extend the season.
Home Garden
As far as my home garden goes, I have put up some low caterpillar tunnels to protect some of the hardy annuals. I've got cerinthe, larkspur (lots of gorgeous new varieties for me), antirrhinums, stocks, clarkia, campanula medium, cynoglossum (pink and blue) oh, and more orlaya. Can't help but think there was somthing else... My ammi, calendula, cornflowers, nigella plus a few others are still waiting in the greenhouse to go out.
I've decided to stop sowing seeds now - it's too late. A few extra poppies, some more sweet peas and silene 'blushing lanterns' are the last. Definitely the last.
Outside at home there are still some roses blooming, Eustacia Vye and Bathsheba, beautiful. Lots of new growth on the bearded iris, looking great for next year. A personal indulgence, not so good for the cut flower business but they're just so incredible I can't not grow them. The quaking grass has taken over once again, seedlings shooting up all over. I'll dig them up and relocate them. I have back up ranunculus in my raised beds here too, it'll be interesting to see if there's much difference between my growing space and along the road when it comes to bloom times and survival rates.
I've been caught by the sales and orders another few hundred ranunculus, a few hundred anemones and MORE TULIPS. Even though there is definitely no space for them. I'll squeeze them in somewhere.
Happy November 15th Wylde Ones x