June news from the farm...or slow down and smell the roses

Well when I say slow down I don’t mean relax and catch a few zzzzs. I love June because the garden is at full explosion. In May the flowers seem impossibly beautiful because they are the first froth after the winter, but in June the abundance is quite astonishing. Despite this funny hot, dry spring we’ve had, there’s been enough rain to stop everything quite drying out, to keep the grass green enough, and the roses, now in full flower are stop-you-in-your-tracks amazing.

Luckily we have lots of weddings booked in for June for which the crop will be harvested, as well as our three day floral masterclass extravaganza focusing on eco flowers and which is really a retreat for those wanting to immerse themselves in our flowers, learn all kinds of eco floristry skills, and spend three days (or one or two days if they prefer,) stepping away from the noise and clamour of the real world into our world of flowers. It’s always a great week, with a small group of floral enthusiasts. Still time to book your spot if you can’t resist! And yes, we will be using some of the mechanics we used to create our Gold medal award winning display at The Chelsea Flower Show a few weeks back. I believe strongly in sharing all mechanics because every time I do it makes it easier for people to avoid plastic, floral foam and wire in their floristry.

The orchids have been more numerous than ever too this spring and they are at their peak now, reaching through the buttercups, pink points so hard to see in photographs, so great in real life. Walking down the field yesterday I could see the next phase of the meadow, its blue period, with meadow cranesbill and the scabious, field and devil’s bit, fattening up nicely. I’ll use the devil’s bit scabious in floristry - it makes tall, elegant spires in large and small arrangements.

We’ve been having lots of fun with our online demos during May and now into June. I try and demonstrate the various constituent parts of all the floristry you might like to make yourself for weddings or events throughout the early season so that you can learn or practice for fun or for an event you’re planning for in real life - do have a look and see if there’s anything you would like to learn to make. Last evening’s online flower crown demo created a piece I loved so much I could hardly bear to take it off.

Our demos take a break during the busy months of July and August when we have lots of weddings to flower up but never fear we’ll be back again in the autumn. Nicola and I had a bit of a session with the calendar yesterday and we’ve scheduled autumn wreathing and Christmas demos now, as well as beginning to take a look at the 2026 season as people are already asking for dates. We do have students flying in from the USA, Australia and New Zealand so we know it’s important to get the big dates in the calendar well in advance for you.

Meanwhile wedding season 2026 is booking up too. I love that people come to us for DIY buckets so that they can arrange their own flowers. And it’s fun posting a round up of May 2025 on instagram for a bride who is choosing colours and forms for their event in 2026.

And so with 2026 in mind I do have one more round of seed sowing to get done before the end of June. Its biennials sowing season. I’ve ordered my seed from Higgledy Garden and I have some top tips and clever ideas for you during my biennials seed sowing demo at the end of next week, so order your seeds, book your spot, and be ready to have a garden full of amazing early spring flowers thanks to your seed sowing in the next week or two. I always feel as though the day I sow biennial seed in summer is the day I commit to another year of flower farming. So off we go again. Next year will be sixteen years since we founded Common Farm Flowers on our marshy patch of land in sunny Somerset.

Finally, after a pause for the school holidays our live chats are back this week, for Clubbers (that is, paid subscribers here on Substack.) You can see the sessions that are still to come this term here, starting this week with ‘curating your cut flower patch’. How on earth do any of us, whether we grow for profit or pleasure, choose from all the millions of plants available to us? It’s a great topic suggested by one of the clubbers and I’m looking forward to taking your questions on this and answering them. Thursday 5pm, here on Substack!

Georgie x