Floral Language

After a couple of years living in the wasteland that was my allotment, my lavender plant has gone a little wayward and woody. The rosemary is the same way, really. They should have had an annual chop after flowering, to keep them nice and fresh. It’s possible that some serious remedial pruning later in the summer will shock them into more appropriate behaviour – but it’s not guaranteed. The garden wouldn’t be the same without rosemary and lavender (their flowers and their scents, their lovely flavours), but they’re easy plants to replace if they get out of control. (There’s nothing inherently wrong with a big, bushy lavender or rosemary, I just don’t have the space to let them grow.)

What kind of traveller are you? Do you prefer to lie in a hammock slung between two palm trees, reading the latest blockbuster novel? Or would I find you soaking up the local culture along with the sun? I’m more of the latter, and it helps to know a smattering of the local language if you go off the beaten track!

Amy Batog

Greenery is all very well but I like to see swathes of colourful flowers. I try to envisage how mixed planting will shape up in terms of colour but generally my minds eye falls short when it comes to the imagination department. The best tip is to keep it simple with only a very limited number of varieties chosen because they are due to flower around the same time.

August is a good time to trim your hedges and create a neat appearance for autumn and winter.

You may see a splash of yellow if the Fawn decides to take a spring dip in the pond. The skunk cabbages are reputed to stink but these Lysichiton americanus are also named swamp lanterns so they flower well near the boggy pond.

As befits a town with the sobriquet ‘Britain’s Floral Resort’ Harrogate is again a picture of vibrant colour in most of its green public spaces. Despite the crown (hotel and garden bed above ) it can not be called Royal Harrogate nor can it usurp Britain’s Floral Resort for it’s exclusive use.

The next time you come across a wire hanger in your closet, pull it out and use it for something other than clothes.

As I mentioned in my previous blog about the French style of floral design, I was inspired to create my Southern style arrangement using flowers and foliage from my own South Carolina landscape. The only floral items I purchased were a bouquet of fall floral mums and a bag of dried, sustainably gathered Spanish moss.

Come see me and Adam at the garden in Copake Falls, NY (directions here), before, in-between or after a workshop, demo or class at Tiny Hearts organic flower farm’s new studio or HGS Home Chef cooking school—and we’ll even have box lunches from local chefs for pre-order to make your day run smoothly.The day’s program includes:garden of margaret roach, copake falls10 AM-4 PM, garden open for self-guided tours (no ticket needed; donation to Garden Conservancy requested). Directions are posted on the Garden Conservancy Open Days site.10 AM-4 PM, plant sale by Broken Arrow Nursery, 10 AM-4 PM. Custom pre-orders from the nursery’s vast

No matter the time of year, freshly cut flowers will always bring a sense of joy and natural beauty into any room. Fresh bouquets in water — whether grown ourselves or gifted — are normally at their best for a couple of weeks, but blooms will be fleeting and are usually thrown away once they start to lose their colour and wilt. So, a question that I’m asked a lot is simply — ‘How can I make my flowers last longer?’ The answer lies in the art of drying flowers — a craft that I’ve been immersed in for the past seven years. Dried floral arrangements will bring a different aesthetic to interiors compared to fresh — they are not for everyone — but if you like the look, you can very easily prolong the beauty of your flowers by months — even years — by creating striking arrangements that celebrate floral structures and will add interest to mantelpieces, dining tables, sideboards — you name it — throughout the seasons.

Want to enjoy your flowers for years? Dry them and show them off indoors in a bouquet or a floral wreath! Here's a simple wreath that you can make with flowers you grow and dry, buy from a local flower farmer or pick up at the craft store. We asked Erin Howell-Conner of Howell's Greenhouse and Pumpkin Patch in Cumming, Iowa, to share her secrets for making dried-flower wreaths. She's be