Hello and welcome to today's episode: it's Tuesday 19 August 2025.

Lots of successes over the weekend: the fat hose worked brilliantly to transfer water from the back of the van to IBC1; the fence panels are up around the newly-cleared area and they're secure; there is now a skirt of chicken wire around the fence panels to keep unwanted creatures out; and the dahlias are looking incredible and very big! Some bad news: the new flower hub launch has been postponed until September, and poorly Dolores the duck has been to the vet for treatment: fingers crossed that she will pull through.

I've been reading one of my new flowering farming books like a crazy person over the weekend and have realised just how much I don't know! As former US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, said in 2002 "There are known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns." Well, I have learnt a lot this weekend about the 'unknown unknowns'! In today's episode I list many of the things which I didn't know anything about and which have undoubtably contributed to me being in the current situation.

I'll be carrying on with the reading and learning this week and will let you know how I get on in the next episode: I very much hope that you'll come back and join me on Friday.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers like you find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.

Hello and welcome to tonight's episode on Friday 15 August 2025.

Lots to tell you! No more navel gazing about how badly I feel I'm doing! This week I was sent a message by a very kind listener from the USA with a book recommendation: Flower Farming for Profit by Lennie Larkin. I ordered the book, it arrived today and it looks brilliant and just what I need. I then did some more research and ordered another book by Lisa Mason Ziegler called The Cut Flower Handbook, which also arrived today and looks amazing. So I'll be reading these straight away and I'll report back to you.

I've been preparing my availability list for the Flower Festival I'm supplying at the end of August and liaising with the organiser. I can't wait for it to happen. It will be a big order for me and given the hot weather we've been having, it's important that I get all the flowers in the best possible condition. This evening I joined my dahlia expert, Richard Bailey, for his annual 'Dahlia Talk' on his allotment, which was lovely, and I talk about this too.

Finally, I end the episode with my Five Top Lessons for setting up a cut flower plot. Given that I'm a novice, these are just things I've learnt from bitter experience and I hope they're helpful. I really hope that you enjoy tonight's episode and that you'll come back and join me for the next one!

Books I Talk About Today (with links to their websites). It's always nice to buy books from your local independent bookshop but often this isn't possible, either because books are expensive (especially hardback ones) or if you live in a rural area you might not even be able to. And this is ok. Shop around for second-hand options and do what works for you and your budget.

Flower Farming for Profit by Lennie Larkin https://www.flowerfarmingforprofit.com/

The Cut Flower Handbook by Lisa Mason Ziegler https://thegardenersworkshop.com

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers like you find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.

Hello and welcome. It's Tuesday 11 August 2025 and it's really hot (yet again).

We're in the midst of heatwave no. 4 right now and so I've been busy watering and mulching with bark to keep the moisture locked into the soil and try to slow the weeds down. In many places on the plot I have the healthiest and best-looking nettles in the world right now.

I seriously considered quitting this weekend (partly because I had a cold from hell) but I refuse to be beaten by the weather and my inexperience so I'm ploughing on. I've been questioning the route that I decided to take (wholesale only) and then wondering how I would re-do my marketing plan if I tried selling elsewhere. I got well and truly stuck inside a whirlwind of indecision and overwhelm.

On a positive note, at the end of the episode I share some tips with you after I came to some realisations recently: I hope they're food for thought. I really hope you enjoy this episode and that you'll come back and join me for the next one.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers like you find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot.

Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.