Garden and Woodland weddings
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
How romantic to hold your wedding ceremony outside!  All you need is a lovely garden, village green or indeed a wood - and, ideally, a Plan B.   Flowers in the garden need to be big, bold and robust to hold their own both visually and to physically stand up to the various types of weather - be it bright sunshine, drying wind or a downpour. They must look very natural too to stay in keeping with their surroundings. I was delighted to be involved with 4 outdoor weddings in 2016 throughout the summer - one in each of May, June, July and August. For the florist, garde ..read more
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Christmas is coming
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
I have been gradually gathering everything together for some wreath making. Dried artichoke heads, teasels, hydrangeas and honesty have come out of the airing cupboard. Greenery of all description has been gathered along with bare stems, fir cones, bracken, willow for 'skinny wreaths', moss for keeping a degree of moisture, string, ribbons... spray paint! The artichokes with a bit of bronze spray are my favourite at the moment.   No two wreaths are the same – when we hold our Wreath Workshops I am always amazed at how different they all despite the same materials ..read more
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Digging up dahlias
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
This year the dry autumn has encouraged me to dig up my dahlia patch for some reorganisation and rejuvenation. Historically the advice was to dig up dahlias every year and to store the tubers in a frost-free shed until replanting the following late spring. Latterly we have been having much milder winters and – with the protection of a hefty layer of straw, mulch and plastic – the tubers have generally survived the winter in the ground and resprouted in situ.  Dahlias growing earlier this summer Digging them all up has been quite a job. The tubers have become very big and heavy ..read more
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A good year for zinnias
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
The zinnias have loved the hot dry weather we have had this August and September.  They are half hardy annuals and dislike being transplanted so they are generally the last thing which I sow each spring. I do not direct sow (which is often recommended) but the seeds germinate very quickly so if sown at the end of May and quickly moved into their final growing space they should thrive.  The plants should be 'pinched out' to encourage the growth of lots of stems and they must have plenty of space. This year they sulked through the very wet June but eventually emerged full of ..read more
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On decorating churches
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
There is something very special about decorating a church for a wedding. This year I have spent some happy and thoughtful hours in various churches, mostly in Suffolk. Sometimes busy with visitors, sometimes deeply quiet, sometimes very chilly. From a decorating point of view I love finding places to ‘flower’.  A floral arch or font full of flowers always looks beautiful and bountiful, but a little vase on a ledge can be just as striking, drawing attention to some forgotten carving or inscription. The occasional church is set up with hooks in all the right places but, if n ..read more
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The Netherlands in April
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
A couple of very sunny days in and around Amsterdam worshiping the tulip.  From the Hortus Bulborum where ancient types are still preserved by a team of volunteers, to the futuristic looking flower auctions in Aalsmeer.  I thought that I was prepared for the extraordinary excesses of the Kerkenhof  display gardens - but in fact still found them to be overwhelming and inspiring in a way that I had not expected.  The beautiful park like setting with the sun shining through the emerging leaves of the mature trees somehow allows beds bursting with nothing but bulbs to avoid bei ..read more
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Watching out for wildlife
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
Spending so much time outside means that we see a lot of wildlife. Every morning we walk past the pond on the way to the yard where the flowers are. It is a draw for all sorts of things – ducks and moorhens, an occasional heron, very occasionally blue flash of a kingfisher, frogs, newts, grass snakes and fish. Not to mention the adorable water voles plopping into the water from their holes on the bank. We had the most exciting otter display last August when a pair raced and played about in the water before retreating to the thicket for a snack – accompanied by the sound of crunching fish bones ..read more
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The Beast has been tamed for another year
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
Two beasts, in fact: a pair of climbing 'Etoile de Hollande' roses growing either side of the garden door and arching over the top. It's a beautiful but brutish rose with deliciously scented, voluptuous red blooms which flower quite early and then sporadically through the summer. Its most frustrating habit is sending up huge new shoots early in the year, only to snap off at the whiff of a bit of string to tie them in...  Tackling it is one of those jobs that has to be done when in the right mood, preferably with the sun on my back, as today, and with the scent wafting up from th ..read more
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Self-sown seedlings
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
It is good to remember that many favourite plants are quite capable of growing themselves, although not necessarily where you might choose to sow them. In fact, the ammi majus are making their point by popping up between the cracks in the paving - they are happier here than in their new raised beds in the flower field or confined to small cells in the cold frame. As I transplanted them this morning into rows in their new home in the vegetable garden (one day it will be reclaimed for it's true purpose, but possibly not this year...), I thoroughly enjoyed imagining them in June - armfu ..read more
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How to cheer up January
Moat Farm Flowers: a flower farm in Suffolk
by Frances Boscawen
3y ago
  This week I have ordered some more dahlias. I cannot resist trying some new types so I ruthlessly got rid of a few - least favourite - in October to make way. That and looking through old photos, and finding this one of Harry modelling a whopper dahlia 'Ice cube' has been a very good cheering up exercise. I use the very reliable Rose Cottage Plants, based in Essex. Witheypitts Dahlias in Sussex are another excellent supplier ..read more
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