Autumn in the Cutting Garden

Autumn is a great point in the year to turn your attention to growing cut flowers. In our warm climate, it’s the perfect time to sow seed and put in new plants. Whether you’re growing in pots on a balcony or have a large garden, we’ll share our tips and tricks to ensure you’ll have plenty to choose from when cutting flowers.

Part 1: Success with growing from Seed

Many of the best cut flowers can only be grown from seed, but gardeners in warm climates often struggle - a tray of seedlings can be fried in an afternoon under a hot sun. Autumn sowing changes this dynamic. Success rates are higher, you get a head-start on Spring and can even have lots of cut flowers throughout Winter, a time of slim pickings in the cutting garden. You’ll learn about:

• How to grow different varieties from seed, and their particular requirements. 
• the ‘soil blocking’ technique. A plastic free way of growing, much loved by US flower farmers.
• cold hardy annuals and biennials and why they’re so valuable.
• how to harden-off, plant out and protect baby plants once they’re in the ground.
• planning what to grow for future seasons

We’ll share with you packs of seed for Autumn sowing in your garden.

Part 2: Autumn Tasks

Next, we'll head out for a flower farm and greenhouse tour. We’ll demonstrate some of the major jobs in the cutting garden in Autumn and early Winter:

• drying surplus summer flowers
• digging and dividing dahlia tubers
• pruning roses for cut flowers
•  lifting and dividing perennials
• planting ranunculus corms
• saving seed for next year’s flowers
• taking cuttings of hydrangea and chrysanthemums 

Before going back to the flower studio you will grab a pair of snips and bucket. You will be free to wonder the flower farm to cut flowers for your arrangement.

Part 3: Autumn Flower Arrangement

Autumn is one of our favourite seasons in the cutting garden. Learn about:

• the best Autumn focal, filler flowers and foliage for cutting
• autumn flower recipes that you can replicate time after time at home – whether you’re using flowers from your cutting garden or those that you’ve bought in.

Then it’s time to get creative. You’ll make a big, beautiful Autumn bouquet.  We’ll teach you the spiral technique, and how to wrap your bouquet in paper to protect it as you take it home.

What’s Included:

Flower Farm tour, all course material, small group instruction.

Your big Autumn hand-tied bouquet of flowers.

Seeds to sow in Autumn.

The Location

The Flower Farm is located between Robe and Kingston SE. Only open to visitors attending our workshops, tour the working flower farm and learn how we grow thousands of flowers year-round. Workshops are held in our beautiful flower studio. We will send out directions and the address in your joining instructions after booking.

Notes:

Please wear closed toe shoes and bring a coat / sun protection with you. 

We will make a simple homegrown tomato soup with bread for lunch. Tea/coffee/water available. You are welcome to bring alternative / additional food.

A minimum of 4 people is required to run the event.

If you are unable to make the specified dates and can pull together a group of 4 of more, please get in touch. We will put on an additional event for you.