Before we had this spell of hot sunny weather I’d been buying the odd bunch of flowers to brighten the house up. But they were quite expensive, didn’t last that long and some came from the other side of the world! So I decided to start picking my own until the cut flower area of our garden was ready. Living in the countryside means there are lots of verges and fields to pick flowers from. Some are probably weeds but I don’t mind as long as they have nice flowers, I’m not picky 🙂 I found some buttercups. Unbelievably bright.
I picked these from the lane opposite the house and put them on the table when we had a bbq with our neighbours. Apart from the daisy, I can’t tell you what any of them are but they smelt great.
Most of them were only tall enough to sit in a jam jar.
I’ve picked wild daisies and cow parsley a few times, they look great together. Both grow everywhere around here so I can cut away without robbing the countryside of plants.
And then the cut flower garden flowered! Hooray! I planted a few things with cutting in mind; cornflowers, chamomile, stocks and sweet peas. Not a great deal has happened with the stocks. I’ve had one cut stalk which smelt like patchouli and lasted for nearly 2 weeks on the kitchen windowsill.
The bunch below contains: cornflowers, lavender, chamomile, blue cornflowers, white cornflowers, a lupin and sweet peas. When the lupins start going to seed at the bottom I cut them off, remove the lower buds and put them in a jar with the other flowers.
The cut flowers are perfect for giving away as small gifts and adding a little bit of homemade fabric ribbon makes them look a bit more special.
I’m loving the sweet peas at the moment. They smell so perfumed and are growing like triffids. One day Scott will come out to find me cocooned!
I want to grow them again next year but I’ve realised the ones in the garden are annuals. Does anyone know if perennial/everlasting sweet peas smell as good? Or is it better just to get a new plant each year? Do you have any favourite plants for cut flowers?
Lots has been happening in the veg patch, will share with you next week!
P.S. I’m finally on Instagram (a bit late to the party I know). I’m ‘gemmagarner‘ if you want to add me!
Oh my goodness, these are gorgeous! The cut flowers are beautiful, a gorgeous selection
I always feel bad buying flowers, now if I do I always get the ones closer to the end of their shelf life, cheaper yet still pretty and at least they don’t get tossed in a dump before they are appreciated.
Yes, I’m a fan of bargain flower too. If they only cost 50p, it’s not so bad if they only last a few days! 🙂
Yes, I’m a fan of bargain flowers too. If they only cost 50p, it’s not so bad if they only last a few days! 🙂
Your sweet peas are gorgeous, I’m definitely going to try and grow some next year. Wild flowers are so perfectly dainty aren’t they. Buttercups are my all time favourite, the field behind my Grandma’s house used to be covered in them during the summer!
Ah that sounds amazing. I’m definitely going to pick more buttercups next year as they bridge that empty gap before everything else starts flowering.
Oooh, how gorgeous. I love the idea of picking ‘weeds’ to have in jam jars. I always worry about picking flowers (even if they are growing by the side of the road), but may have to cultivate more weeds in my garden-what a fantastic excuse!
Haha! I’ve had some great surprises letting weeds do their thing this year. Now I know for next year what to leave and what to pull up.
Oh be still my beating sweetpea-lovin heart!
Just the prettiest thing – and such a lovely gift idea too. Alas the only flower growing in my garden is a courgette one and I’m more likely to eat that! Next year will be the year of my garden, post-impending extension work, I can’t wait to grow my own sweetpeas at last.
I want to come and live with you *packs suitcase*
Thanks for joining in again sausage x
Well I’d definitely eat that too. I bet it’s practically screaming to be stuffed with cheese and fried! We’ve got a big cupboard under the staires, you can live in there. Or the shed 😀
how lovely! i love all the different mix of flowers and colors
Thank you Claudia, I like that too!
just lovely! i too am jumping on the sweetpea bandwagon next year! you all have me convinced that i need them in my life!
Do, they smell amazing and they keep on coming. I’m going to buy extra plants next year!
Oh I just love your floral photographs… so beautiful 🙂
Thanks Jenna 🙂
They are gorgeous! I would rather have that than some chrysanthemums from tescos any day!
Me too! The nice thing about picking your own is you can have exactly what you want!
Oh how gorgeous they all look! So impressed that you’ve grown so many. My cornflowers completely failed to do anything this year, along with my poppies. But I have a got a bed full of nigellas that are about to flower soon I think.
I have a perennial sweet pea in my front garden which has just flowered (I actually forgot I planted any perennials so was a bit surprised to see it put its head above ground a few months ago)… I’ve not given it a smell yet (it’s just past the bins to access on foot, so a bit offputting, ha ha — the reason I grew my annuals in a different place this year!) and it’s raining right now, but I’ll head out once it stops and report back.
My poppies didn’t do very well either. I wondered if they might spring up next year. I think my favourite thing about sweet peas is the smell so if the perennials don’t smell of much I’ll probably stick to annuals. Nigellas are beautiful! Look forward to your photos of them.
So very very pretty. I have jars of sweet peas around the house at the min, they smell divine (perennial sweet peas have no smell though as far as I am aware) I love the buttercups, so simple and effective
It’s amazing how many flowers you get from one plant. I’m filling our house up with jars of flowers too 🙂
They are lovely and cute! love the ribbon too! Everything is pretty! #hdygg
Thanks Merlinda 🙂 The ribbon was just some vintage fabric I had laying around!
These arrangements are darling! I love how bright the buttercups are. I would never think of bringing them in, but I will now. I have often thought about trying to get an allotment even if it’s just for growing flowers for picking as I’ve never had much success with veggies.
I only picked them because I was desperate for colour in the house but they looked really nice once in a jar. An allotment just for growing flowers would be amazing!
that is so pretty and so vintage looking im so jelous my sweetpeas got munched by mice
Naughty mice! Perhaps you need to leave some cheese out to distract them 😉
I’m a massive fan of sweet peas – I really miss them now that they’re not in my Dad’s garden. Your little jars of ‘weed’ flowers really remind me of being a child, when I would put clover and daisies in the little milk bottles we had at school – really pretty.
Our neighbouring borough of Rotherham has decided to sow wildflowers this year instead of mowing the grass verges. It really is a joy to drive through. I haven’t found anywhere safe to park up yet but now I’m even more determined to try!