Hello and welcome. In this episode I talk about my “trial beds”: what they are and how they came about, including the massive crisis of confidence I had at the start of 2024 which meant that I ended up with trial beds in the first place. I describe the layout of the beds and explain how I created them, then I discuss how I made the paths (and what I learnt about paths the hard way!). I also talk about the challenges I had creating the beds including obstacles I put in the way myself (it’s those compost bins again!). Finally I talk briefly about some of the seeds that I used in the trial beds in 2024, and what I learnt about them that will be really useful for my 2025 growing season. Apologies for my overuse of the words "adore" and "masses" in this episode!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What my trial beds taught me  

✅ Easy-to-make compost bins for budget-conscious growers

✅ Mistakes I made laying paths 

✅ Where I sourced my seeds 

✅ The seeds that turned out to be something else entirely 

✅ What I learnt that will be essential for the 2025 growing season 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 my first episode of 2025. In this episode I brave the freezing temperatures and take a quick walk around the cut flower plot to see what’s going on and what is surviving the chill. I also discuss my compost bays including how I set them up, constructed and positioned them and what I add to keep them going. 

Are you dreaming of running your own cut flower farm or business? On a small or large scale? Would you love to go back to nature and grow flowers? Are you wondering how you might get started and what the challenges would be? Have you considered which cut flowers you should grow? 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What's going on at the plot on a freezing day in January 

✅ The importance of composting

✅ How I built my compost bins

✅ Where to position compost bins  

✅ How the rats are (sort of) helping with the compost  

✅ How and why I ended up with so many pallets

✅ What happened to my lovely chard and spinach (yes, it was the chickens)

✅ What happened to my gorgeous Cavalo Nero (destroyed by a squirrel...) 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. In this episode I bust some myths about what you do and don't need to get started growing cut flowers, plus a few things that would be ideal. If you're dreaming of starting your own cut flower business, you might be interested to hear about whether or not you really need to own your own land, what qualifications you should get, whether or not you need a greenhouse, and my thoughts on websites and social media. I also talk about resilience in the face of adversity (i.e. dealing with the British weather), confidence (or lack thereof), accepting rejection gracefully, having a sense of humour, loving the outdoors, as well as assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Plus, I discuss the benefits of a regular water supply, the need for compost bins and the blessing of some support when you really need it. It's all here.

In this episode, I’m diving into what I think you do and don't need to grow the best cut flowers. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The basic essentials you need

✅ Whether you really need a website or social media accounts 

✅ How a greenhouse can help (but it's not essential)

✅ If professional horticultural qualifications are needed

✅ The personality traits that will help enormously 

✅ Why you should have a compost bin

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. Join me on today's episode as I let the hens out into a chilly and misty morning and chat with you about the merits of tables, the importance of somewhere to sit on your plot, the benefits of making detailed notes about everything you do, and I answer a very good question about whether you actually need prior experience of sowing and growing before you start with cut flowers. I go into details about my own water storage facilities and the serious mistake I made in 2024 that meant I nearly ran out of water. Finally I talk about the importance of making goals and how I use them to help with planning my year of growing, measure my progress, and stay focused. It's also fun to watch a few of them whizzing by as I'm inevitably thwarted by the weather, squirrels, or my own mistakes!

In this episode, I’m talking about goals and some useful things you might need. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why goals are so important

✅ If prior experience of sowing seeds is essential

✅ The importance of water storage facilities 

✅ Why you definitely need a seat on your plot 

✅ Why taking notes is so useful

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

In today's episode I review the cut flowers I grew in my 2024 trial beds. I talk about what cut flowers I planned to grow and why, what I actually ended up growing, which cut flowers turned out well and why, what the florists loved, what I didn't like, where I sourced my cut flower seeds, the seeds which flourished and those which either didn't germinate or turned out to be something else entirely, my cosmos disaster, the strawflowers that didn't have time to flower and everything in between. I don't pretend to be an expert because I'm absolutely not! There will be mistakes (and mice) and things I could have done differently. Above all, it's honest and real. And I never did find the lychnis. 

In this episode, I’m reviewing the cut flowers I grew in 2024. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What worked in 2024 and what didn't 

✅ Seed sourcing 

✅ The cosmos disaster 

✅ The strawflower disaster 

✅ Mice that kept eating my seeds

✅ The flowers that the florists really loved 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Dahlias are the queens of the cut flower world. They are achingly beautiful and come in a vast array of varieties, colours and shapes. Join me behind the scenes while I plan my 2025 dahlia beds. 

Today I talk about the nursery I visited in September 2024 to look at some selections (with obligatory notepad and pen), a brief bit about apprenticing with Richard Bailey (a top prize-winning dahlia exhibitor and a truly wonderful human being, more to come about him in future episodes), the dahlia nursery that I'm ordering from, the agonies of choosing (there are so many different dahlias available!), a brief outline of my plan for staking my dahlias this year, how my tuber 'Maggie C' is freaking me out by shooting already (help!) and all sorts of other thoughts including my Top 6 Dahlias for 2025 (plus the other Top 2 that I've already ordered)...

In this episode, I’m diving into how to select the best dahlias to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I've chosen my dahlias for 2025

✅ My chosen dahlia suppliers 

✅ Staking plans for 2025 

✅ Why ordering from a specialist grower is preferable 

✅ My Top 6 Dahlias for 2025 (plus 2 others that I've already ordered)

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 a rainy episode. Join me today as we let the chickens out first thing this morning for a warm scrambled egg breakfast (them, not me) and I talk about the perennials I grew on the plot in 2024. I'll share with you why perennials can form the low-maintenance backbone of your cut flower plot, and how to do this according to your own budget. Hear about where I sourced my perennials from, including the garden of a favourite client who sadly passed away, as well as plant sales, seed I've sown myself, and a very special one from my all-time favourite garden, Great Dixter in Kent. Hear about the inevitable disaster (duck damage), the successes, and the cheeky spreaders which I have to keep a very close eye on. I also talk about the different ways you can obtain perennials depending on your budget, and what's going to be new for me in 2025. 

* No hens were injured in the making of this episode! The noise you hear is them flying into my face as I opened their henhouse door this morning! *

In this episode, I’m talking about the best perennials to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why perennials make great cut flowers

✅ Easy-to-grow varieties that I love

✅ Sourcing perennials 

✅ Growing perennials from seed

✅ My new perennials for 2025

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

This week got off to a rather chilly, murky, and drizzly start. However there's nothing like the thought of hundreds of gloriously coloured and heavily scented sweetpeas to cheer me up.

My sweetpea story starts with a holiday outing to buy raw milk on a farm in Dorset which led to the discovery of a fantastic supplier of sweetpeas. I share the types of sweetpeas I ordered in 2024 for the 2025 season, why I have committed to removing tendrils this year (a challenge too far, perhaps?!?) and why I'm busy collecting and storing toilet roll tubes. I talk about how I'm going to stake my sweetpea plants this year and what happened when I had the chilling "Hang on, I don't have enough sweetpea seeds..." moment (answer: I'm going to have to buy more). 

In this episode I also answer a question from a listener about whether I am paid to mention suppliers and/or products and I also share a brainwave about how I plan to lay out my flowerbeds in 2025. I recorded this episode in my car today and it's just me talking directly to you. I hope you enjoy.

In this episode, I’m diving into how and why I'm selecting the best sweetpeas to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The difference between types of sweetpeas

✅ Why I'm planning on removing tendrils this year

✅ Why I'm collecting hundred of toilet rolls 

✅ How I found my sweetpea supplier  

✅ Which sweetpeas I'm growing in 2025

✅ Staking plans to avoid tangled stems

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Are you wondering which cut flowers you should grow? Are you confused by all the choices and not sure which will suit your needs or your budget? Are you thinking about the impact of vase life, stem length or scent? 

In this episode, I’m diving into how to select the best cut flowers to grow. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What makes a flower ideal for cutting

✅ Easy-to-grow varieties for budget-conscious growers

✅ The importance of understanding what your target market wants

✅ How to choose unique flowers to give yourself the edge 

✅ My tips if you’re new to growing or on a tight budget

✅ My Top 5 flowers that are perfect for cutting

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's February so let's talk about seeds! Collecting, drying, storing and saving, plus some seeds to avoid and the best seed compost. 

Everyone is talking about seeds right now and I'm certainly thinking about mine. In this episode I explain why seeds are saved from one year to the next and I cover the basics of how to store your seeds. Plus I talk about tricky seeds that need special conditions to germinate (and which are possibly best avoided if you're a novice). Finally I talk about how I make my own seed compost (and potting on compost) so that my seeds have the best possible start whilst not costing a fortune either. 

In this episode, I’m diving into how I store seeds for the best germination rates. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why saving seeds saves money

✅ My DO's and DON'Ts for storing and saving seeds 

✅ The importance of labelling seeds correctly 

✅ Why I make my own seed compost (and how you can too)

✅ Seeds to avoid if you're new to sowing 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Have you thought about exactly who you're going to sell your flowers to? Before you sow any seeds or buy any plants, start thinking about this crucial part of the process right now. Are you dreaming of turning your cut flowers into bouquets and selling directly to customers at a local market? Or would you prefer to sell to florists? What sort of florists do you have in your area and would they buy from you? How easy do you find rejection? Do you hate hearing the word "no"? There's a lot to get through in this episode so let's dive in and get started!

In this episode, I’m talking about how to find the right buyers for your cut flowers. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Who am I going to sell to?

✅ Should I sell direct to the public or to florists?

✅ The importance of understanding your customers

✅ How to choose a florist to sell to  

✅ My tips for selling at a local market 

✅ How to get used to rejection (and not take it personally)

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Join me on my frosty plot this morning as I let the hens out and find out if my young hen Kylie is still broody! In today's episode I'm answering a really great question from a listener about weeds: love them or hate them, you're going to get some! It's never too early to start thinking about weeds and it's how you deal with them that matters: spend your time wisely! Whether you're going down the chemical route or not, decide your weed strategy early on. I talk about my refusal to use man-made chemicals when I garden and why I think growing chemical-free cut flowers is the best way forward. I want to protect my soil, the invertebrates that live in and on it, as well as the insects that visit my plants, and I really hope that you do too.

In this episode, I’m talking about how to deal effectively with weeds and why I won't use chemicals.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The weeds you must remove from your plot

✅ Why some weeds make great ground cover

✅ The importance of keeping your soil covered 

✅ Why I don't use any herbicides, pesticides or insecticides  

✅ How your use (or not) of chemicals is a unique selling point 

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's time to put our cards on the table and answer this question: what's stopping you from becoming a cut flower grower? 

It's been a rainy old week yet on the sunniest two days I wasn't around to get on the plot but as the ground is still so wet, it's not a huge problem. So I'm talking to you in this episode from the warmth and dryness of indoors, where I'm really analysing what sort of things hold us back from starting to grow and sell cut flowers. 

By challenging as many reasons as I could think of, ranging from lack of time or money (or both); to lack of knowledge or experience (or both); to lack of confidence (I've been there...); to the fears that we all get (everyday) like fear of failure/rejection/ridicule/pity/financial ruin... (the list goes on); to backing yourself and being your number one supporter, I'm smashing through these one by one. Towards the end of the episode there's a timely reminder of why I wanted to get into growing cut flowers and how I hope this is going to be a really fun and exciting enterprise. 

** When I was in the doldrums in 2024, I was lucky enough to have a few life coaching sessions from a very good friend of mine, Gina. This incredibly talented and wonderful lady is brilliant at what she does, and thanks to her I now have positive affirmations stuck all over my home (and in my head). And thanks to her (and some HRT patches) I'm feeling like a totally different woman. If you have the opportunity to work with a life coach, I highly recommend you take it. Please ask me if you'd like Gina's details. **

In this episode, I’m diving into what's holding you back.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why lack of money, experience or knowledge should NOT hold you back

✅ How to stop fear and lack of confidence halting your dreams

✅ The importance of being your own No. 1 supporter and advocate 

✅ How nature will always throw curve balls and test you 

✅ A reminder of why growing cut flowers is fantastic, exciting and magical

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's the last day of February today which means two things: one, I'll be moving home tomorrow and two, it's time to start sowing seeds! Yipee! Once I've unpacked and got settled, I'll be getting busy in the greenhouse...

Before all that fun, today's episode is me talking you through the 15 new varieties of flowers I'm going to grow this year from seed. Purchased last year (I was ahead of the curve, for once!) and itching to get going, these seeds are going to be my main focus of attention this summer. Ranging from a diminutive 45cm to a stonking 1.8m tall, I hope to have a selection of beautifully coloured, attractive and - most importantly - "sellable" cut flowers. 

In this episode, I’m sharing the new varieties of seed I'm sowing in 2025.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Names and details of 15 x new seeds I'm sowing this year

✅ How and why I've selected these seeds 

✅ How I worked with a brilliant wedding florist to curate my seed list

✅ Heights and flower descriptions of these seeds

✅ How to know when to stop buying seed (spoiler: I still don't have the answer to this!)

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

I'm excited to tell you that I've spent today dismantling my newly acquired (third-hand) greenhouse and transporting it to my plot. It was hard work and very tiring but only three panes of glass got broken (not bad) and no injuries at all (even better!). This is my second greenhouse and in this episode I talk about the differences between this one and my original one, together with why greenhouses are really useful to growers. I talk about the layouts of my greenhouses, the types of base/floor I have and what I'm planning on doing in the new one. You'll hear about why growing in a controlled environment is so useful for getting a head start on the growing year, as well as protecting your seedlings from the weather and pests. 

The sun came out (at last!) so I got onto the plot and pruned my Verbena bonariensis plants which I grew from seed in 2024. I recorded the first part of this episode whilst working outside on my plot and it's just me talking to you and the Verbena. I hope you enjoy and find it useful.

In this episode, I’m making the case for getting a greenhouse.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The DO's and DON'Ts of positioning a greenhouse

✅ How a greenhouse extends your growing season

✅ Why aluminium framed greenhouses are game changers

✅ How my new greenhouse is going to help me in 2025

✅ Which base to use for your greenhouse (and why)

✅ Alternatives to a greenhouse

🌻 Subscribe & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

This week got off to an absolutely freezing (but beautiful) start. Unfortunately it was far too cold for me to be sowing seeds in the greenhouse so I have recorded a longer podcast instead.

In this episode I answer a question from a listener about exactly how I chose the seeds I'm growing for cut flowers and I explain my thought process. I clarify what I meant in episode 15 about 'filler flowers' and the different types of flowers you find in an arrangement. I also venture into my greenhouse (the old one) and see what has survived February and what has not made it.

Part of this podcast was recorded out in the cold on the plot and half inside in the warmth with a very runny nose. I hope you enjoy it, despite my frequent sniffing. 

In this episode, I’m explaining exactly how I chose my seeds to grow this year.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why chickens have had such a positive impact on my plot

✅ Why I didn't end up sowing seeds on Monday

✅ Thrillers, Fillers, and Spillers: do you know the difference?

✅ What's inside my greenhouse right now  

✅ My methodology for choosing the seeds I'm growing for cut flowers 

✅ Why a teasel wreath seemed a good idea... but was it?

✅ About my new Facebook group and an apology to new members

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

I was SO looking forward to getting started on my seed sowing this week! And then I was thwarted by a really nasty cold so I ended up sleeping a lot, watching Netflix and endlessly re-reading the latest David Austin rose catalogue. So the first half of this episode is me with a rather croaky voice and a bunged-up nose talking about that. 

Luckily the second half improves when I was well enough to get into the greenhouse and start sowing my sweetpeas! And the word I was struggling to remember when discussing why I wanted to grow my sweetpeas straight up the fence panels is: tendrils!! I could not think of that word when I was talking and then of course as soon as I finished recording, I remembered it.

In this episode, join me as I sow my first seeds of 2025: sweetpeas!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What happened when I was ill and couldn't get out of bed?

✅ How to recycle toilet roll tubes to sow some types of seeds

✅ My top 10 favourite David Austin roses

✅ What I learnt from watching 'With Love, Meghan' on Netflix  

✅ Why sweetpeas really need toilet roll tubes or root trainers 

✅ Why I'm elevating my everyday dinner ingredients tonight

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Tuesday 10 March 2025 and I'm in the greenhouse this afternoon, sowing more cut flower seeds. Come and join me as I'm sowing Achillea, Cephalaria, Centaurea, Crespedia, Zinnia and Orlaya. It's much cooler this week: the weekend was positively balmy and it was wonderful to have so much sunshine. It really felt like Spring had arrived. And then it cooled rapidly!

As I'm sowing I talk about what containers I'm sowing into this year (and why it's different to previous years), how I clean my labels, the beauty of cornflower seeds (little rockets!!), the work I got done on the plot over the weekend, the thinking behind sowing smaller trays of seeds and bringing them indoors to get them germinated - then potting them on later, and how I accidentally bought another fruit tree yesterday. It's my longest episode so far and I really hope that you enjoy it.

In this episode, I’m talking to you from inside my greenhouse as I continue to sow my cut flower seeds.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why (and how) I'm sowing differently this year

✅ The benefits of recycling empty food containers from your kitchen

✅ The importance of successional sowing

✅ A quick basic tip for identifying which seeds need covering and which don't 

✅ The difference between vermiculite and perlite 

✅ The amount of land I'll have under cultivation this year

✅ An update on my baby hens, Kiki D and Dani Minogue 

✅ Why I can't stop buying fruit trees

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

I went to the garden centre just to buy a ball of string to finish marking out the new cut flower beds and came home with some lovely new flowers seeds!

In this first part of this episode I'm back in the greenhouse on a warm and bright afternoon sowing more of my cut flower seeds as well as the new ones that I picked up in the garden centre. As I'm sowing (you can hear me rummaging in the background as I fill up trays with compost) I have a moan about podcast adverts, I talk about why I'm sowing much smaller batches of seeds successionally this year, and I discuss my new Scabious seeds and whether they could actually be focal flowers rather than fillers. I also talk about why I don't start sowing seeds until March. Someone stole the padlock chain from the gates of my plot on Monday and I talk briefly about this. 

In the second part I'm inside in the warm and I give a brief recap on the second part of the week including standing my sweetpea loo rolls upright, getting caught in a hailstorm, having a hog roast at my plant wholesaler's spring open day, and breaking news: I made a very nice quiche and then ate it.

In this episode, I’m still in the greenhouse sowing more cut flower seeds.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ New seeds from the garden centre I'm sowing this week

✅ Why I'm sowing smaller batches of seeds more often this year

✅ Scabious: focal flower or filler? 

✅ Why I don't start sowing seeds before March 

✅ What happens with security on your plot when you don't own it?

✅ Genius hack for stopping loo rolls falling over and seeds falling out 

✅ I made a fantastic quiche! 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's a beautiful week and I've been busy. It's a bit overwhelming at times: I feel like I have so many things to do all at the same time and sometimes it's hard to work out what I should be doing first. Normally I'm pretty good at prioritising but at this time of year it's challenging...

In this episode I take a breather from digging up nettles and do a brief review of what's happening on the plot this week including: admiring the coppiced hazel poles, conserving water in the bowsers, enjoying the naturally-growing daffodils, PLUS what I've been doing with my dahlias to wake them up and the seeds I've been sowing this week. 

I also talk about taking Maggie C to see Richard (my super-amazing dahlia-expert teacher) and an update on Kylie, my broody hen. Finally I discuss planning for lean times of the year (i.e. Feb/March/April) in terms of what to grow to bring in some money, and the importance of planning ahead for this so you're prepared for these lean times. 

The first half of this podcast was recorded out on the plot and the second half inside in the warmth. I hope you enjoy it, despite some background traffic noise in the first half.

In this episode, I’m waking up dahlias and planning for lean times.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to make brilliant Nettle Liquid Fertiliser 

✅ Why I'm using "rebar" to grow (some of) my sweetpeas up this year

✅ Technique for waking dahlias up and getting them going 

✅ What I've been sowing over the weekend  

✅ Skip-diving: always ask permission before taking anything! 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

What a gorgeous week: it's been very warm and sunny in the last couple of days, which has made me feel very excited about spring. And also slightly overwhelmed. I look at my seed trays and simultaneously think "Oh there are SO MANY!" and also "Oh I don't have enough!". But it's all fine: it's just what happens at this time of year.

Lots of updates for you in this episode including the progress of my seed germination, some vegetable seed sowing, the fate of the Victoria plum, and what I've been doing with my compost at the plot.

In part 2 I answer some listener questions plus one from me about the most profitable cut flower stems to grow (I've been wondering a lot about this). So join me as I talk about direct sowing, not getting lonely even when you spend a lot of time alone, why I can't really sell direct to customers and my thoughts on the most profitable cut flowers to grow.

In this episode, I'm having a Q&A session with myself.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Seed germination updates

✅ What are the challenges of direct sowing?

✅ Homemade compost update   

✅ Why I struggle to sell directly to customers

✅ What is the most profitable cut flower stem to grow? 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review – it really does help more cut flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's been a really busy few days: some of the new seeds that were sown last week have germinated, the new beds have been marked out with string, a whole new planting area has been created, I finally found my missing broad bean seeds (yipeeeeee!), more seeds have been sown, the sun has been shining and it's warming up nicely.

I've been thinking a lot over the weekend about a backup plan: what happens if my main cut flower buyer for 2025 can't take my flowers? What would I do? Where else would I sell them? I need a plan for a worst-case-scenario. I really hope it won't happen but it's always good to be prepared... do listen to this episode to find out more. 

In this episode, let's talk about the importance of having a backup plan.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Which seeds have germinated

✅ The new seeds that I've sown this week

✅ Perennials I still need to plant 

✅ How to find a florist who you vibe with   

✅ Why you need a backup plan for your cut flowers

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review – it really does help more cut flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

I've had an epiphany! I've been listening to a new podcast and it's made me think really hard about the "business" side of what I'm doing so I have paused with the seed sowing for a moment to give this some thought. I've been learning about production costs, overheads, profit margins, and calculating profitability per square metre. I'm a data nerd so I'm suddenly really excited about all of this data collection and analysis: I love it and I can't wait to see what it tells me about what I'm doing on the plot.

I've grouped my flowers into "priority groups" so it helps me when it comes to allocating space and time. I realised that I don't want to be spending too much time or allocating too much space to flowers which don't sell for a lot of money. We will see if this technique pays off later this year!

Also exciting news: Kylie my baby hen has (finally!) become a Mum of three gorgeous while fluffy baby chicks. Well done, Kylie.

Here's the podcast I'm talking about in this episode: Six Figure Flower Farming, created by Jenny Marks. I nearly didn't listen to it because I thought it wouldn't apply to me (I won't be earning six figures this year!) but I'm really glad I did. Lots of incredibly useful info about the business-side of things. 

In this episode, join me as I'm having an epiphany!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it's vital to calculate production costs for each flower variety

✅ How production costs help to calculate profitability per sqm 

✅ The importance of researching pricing 

✅ My embarrassing experience of selling/pricing in 2024  

✅ What I learnt about shrinkage and how it applies to my flowers 

✅ Why I need to think in a much more business-like manner!

✅ How interning with a florist could really help you 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

There's a lot going on at the moment! Join me on the plot in the fabulous sunshine today, Tuesday 1 April (how is it April already???) as I update you on what I've been upto, including seed sowing, monitoring production costs, ordering more seeds, selecting new dahlias, making new beds, rearranging fence panels, moving the contents of the compost heap into an empty bay plus a whole lot more. 

This weather is proving wonderful for germination: my seeds are coming up really quickly so I have a bit of a merry-go-round system going with seeds germinating inside and then the hardy ones going out into the greenhouse. I hope that you're having success with your seeds this year!

It was windy on the plot this afternoon so the audio is a little bit up and down. I hope this doesn't detract - I much prefer talking from the plot rather than indoors.

In this episode, join me for a catchup in the glorious sunshine.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it's important to position dahlias near a source of water 

✅ How working out what's going where will help me calculate production costs

✅ Seeds I've been sowing today 

✅ I've finally ordered my dahlias from Halls of Heddon!

✅ Why I'm growing Helichrysum this year and its dual uses

✅ New seeds I've ordered for 2025 (I couldn't help myself!)

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Friday 4 April 2025 and if you're a dahlia-fan then this is the episode for you. Join me as I share everything I learnt this beautifully sunny morning from my dahlia mentor, Richard Bailey, including tips and tricks for success with these beautiful plants. 

Richard is a prize-winning dahlia exhibitor and a Vice President of the National Dahlia Society in the UK. He's been exhibiting for years with much success, having learnt from some of the most eminent UK dahlia exhibitors himself. Richard is very generous with his time and he loves nothing more than sharing his dahlia knowledge with enthusiasts. I'm very grateful for his expertise and delighted to share it with you in this episode. 

What Richard knows is just as applicable to growing cut flowers as exhibiting:  to produce the most beautiful and high value blooms you need to know the techniques that the pros use. 

In this episode, join me to hear valuable hints and tips for growing dahlias.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to wake up your dahlia tubers after their winter sleep 

✅ To sieve or not to sieve compost?

✅ Why dahlias need bottom heat and darkness to wake up (not light)

✅ How to take dahlia cuttings 

✅ Checking for gall on dahlia crowns: what to look for and how to deal with it

✅ Sow dahlia seeds and see what new colours appear! 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's another glorious week of sunshine and dry weather and the shed doors are finally on! 

Today it's Tuesday 8 April 2025 and I'm pleased to update you on what's been going on since my last episode. I've been busy planting out foxgloves, peonies and raspberries, plus I made a new access path for the plot (and hung a new gate that I made myself, which I'm very proud of!). 

I talk about storing water, even if you're on the mains. You can't really store enough water and I'm a big fan of water butts, IBCs, guttering on all buildings/sheds, reusing grey water, and then covering any exposed water sources so that birds can't fall in and drown. 

I had to buy more Orlaya seeds and while I was ordering I ended up buying some Helichrysum (strawflowers), Limonium (statice), Matthiola (stocks) and Cosmos. I've sown these already and I can't wait to see the flowers. I'm monitoring my dahlia tubers very closely for dahlia gall and if you have tubers it's important that you check yours carefully and take action, if necessary.

In the second part of the episode I share with you my honest thoughts about managing my fears and having imposter syndrome. Even though it sounds like things are going great for me, I'd like you to know that behind the scenes I'm quite stressed and pretty overwhelmed with many fears which I worry about all the time, including fear of failure, desperate lack of funds, imposter syndrome, concerns that I can't deliver what's needed when it's required, weddings being cancelled (totally out of my hands but a huge worry if my flowers aren't required) plus a whole load more. It's exhausting trying to stay positive and doing so much work without any income coming in. If you're in a similar situation, you might relate to this. 

In this episode, join me for a frank conversation about managing fear.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How and why you need to store as much water as possible 

✅ The new seeds I've ordered this week (I know.... more seeds)

✅ Why dahlia gall is a serious problem that can have costly implications 

✅ How fear and imposter syndrome is so debilitating  

✅ How I try to overcome my fear of failure

✅ Why it's so important to back yourself and believe in yourself

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Friday 11 April 2025 and another incredibly sunny day. Still no rain but hopefully it's coming next week.

I'll be updating you on what I've been sowing this week and the new sowing chart that I've made to help me remember when to sow the next batch (it's all about successional sowing this year). I discuss my morning feeling routine and how I work out which seedlings get to spend the day where, depending on the day's temperature and their stage of growth. I usually do this with a coffee (see photo on insta @henhillcutflowers) and I water them at this time too. 

I share my thoughts about plant spacings with reference to cut flowers and how I've worked this out. It's all in theory at the moment so I need to actually get on the plot and walk it out. Then there's a discussion about staking the cornflowers and how to get this right in 2025, using various options including metal fencing wire or string. It's all a learning curve and very much depends on the materials I have to hand on the plot and my soil conditions.

In this episode, join me for an update on what I've been doing this week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How to measure distances if you lose your tape measure 

✅ The seeds I've sown this week

✅ Why a seed sowing chart helps with successional sowing

✅ How I've worked out plant spacings for my cornflowers 

✅ Fence posts vs road pins 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Tuesday 15 April 2025 and this week has started really badly: I left a tap running last night and managed to drain my two full water bowsers. Overnight I've lost over a thousand litres of water. The timing is awful and I'm very disappointed in myself.

I also managed to forget to close the greenhouse door last night, which is not like me. Luckily we didn't have a frost so everyone was fine but it could have been a lot worse. So this episode is a bit low-key as you'll probably be able to tell from my voice that I'm really sad about the water loss. 

I have managed to successfully split many of my dahlia tubers from my dahlia mentor, Richard Bailey, and there's more to do today. I've planted out my cornflowers (there's a reel on insta @henhillcutflowers) and also my sweetpeas, which had lovely roots sticking out of the bottom of their toilet rolls. I've also sown more zinnias and cornflowers.

Other dramas this week include the difficulty of finding a 4m-long pole saw in the South of England (it's impossible) and an issue with my little dog. The episode ends on a more positive note with my plans for potting up the final few dahlia tubers and the seeds I will be succession sowing this afternoon using my new (and very clever) sowing chart. 

In this episode, join me for the first of the disasters on the plot.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I managed to lose 1,400 litres of rainwater overnight 

✅ The dahlia tubers I've been splitting 

✅ What to do when you don't have sulfur powder to cover cuts on tubers 

✅ How grateful I am to hear from you and why your messages are so lovely  

✅ Where you can see a video of my cornflower seedlings (@henhillcutflowers) 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Happy Easter! It's 8pm on Good Friday, 18 April 2025 and I'm on the plot.

It has definitely not been my week! After the water debacle on Tuesday I managed to get a tummy bug which has been unpleasant and this afternoon I wasn't even able to leave the house because of it. And whilst I've had tummy trouble all week I've had to do some regular gardening to get some cash in the door which has meant that I haven't been sowing any more seed this week. 

I haven't done a review of what's growing on the plot for a while so this episode is me chatting through what's doing what. I talk about my perennials and where I got them from, plus how to grow your own perennials on a budget. I chat about the importance of keeping mint contained (mint makes great foliage), espaliering apple trees and interplanting flowers with garlic bulbs to maximise planting opportunities.

In this episode, join me for a review of what's growing on the plot this week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How this week has really turned out not to be my week!

✅ A review of what's growing on the plot 

✅ How to acquire perennials if you don't have much money 

✅ Whether or not I should sow more Verbena bonariensis  

✅ Why Agapanthus need to be grown in pots rather than the ground

✅ How interplanting flowers with garlic bulbs is a great space-saving idea 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's a sunny lunchtime on Tuesday 22 April 2025 and I'm basking in the warmth of the greenhouse.

I'm busy sowing more seeds and today I'm discussing the pros and cons of two different sowing styles: scattergun approach or straight lines. Which one do you use? I prefer the straight lines method as I can count how many plants I have and each plant can stay in its tray for longer before going on the plot, which saves time. But you can't fit as many seeds in each tray so you end up needing more trays which takes up more space.

Prepping beds: everyone has their own technique. I do the "no dig" method to avoid disturbing the soil structure but I always remove perennial weeds first, even if I'm only sowing annuals. Then I add lots of organic material, either compost or old chicken bedding. I answer a question about when I plant my dahlias outside and talk about a different technique that a pro-grower in the UK uses and why. There are pros and cons to all of this and I'll talk about them. 

I talk about a wedding that the florist I'm going to be selling to this year has just done and how amazing the flowers looked. She is an incredibly talented florist. Are my flowers going to be good enough for her? YES! They are! 

I end with an update of what's happened on the plot since the last episode and why I'm so excited about my zinnias this year. I hope that your growing week is going brilliantly!

In this episode, join me to discuss some pros and cons of things.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What's your sowing style: scattergun or straight lines? 

✅ How I prep my beds on the plot

✅ Benefits of "no dig" method  

✅ When to plant dahlias outside   

✅ Keep reminding yourself of your Unique Selling Point

✅ Why Zinnias make great cut flowers   

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Great excitement: I've just been speaking to a landscaper about using a mini-digger to lift some turf for me to really expand my growing space. I can't wait! I recorded this episode on Thursday 24 April 2025 in the afternoon and it's cool and breezy today.

I did a reconciliation of how many seedlings I have and it's ALOT! It made me realise that I need more growing space urgently so I've decided to hire a landscaper to remove some turf for me. I can't physically do any more myself.

In this episode I'm talking about my encounter with the mini-digger man, plus the seeds I'm still sowing. Plus there's an update on my visit to my dahlia expert grower, Richard Bailey, last Tuesday, where we split some tubers and took some cuttings. I also clarified what he told me about using cuttings with hollow stems (it's good news). 

Once again, thank you so much for your comments on my instagram @henhillcutflowers - it really does mean the world to me. I hope you're enjoying joining me on my cut flower journey and if you're new to the podcast then welcome.

In this episode, join me as I get very excited about mini-diggers!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How many seedlings I have right now

✅ Why I need a mini-digger to expand my growing space

✅ Why some dahlia tubers can be planted out now but mine can't 

✅ Hollow stemmed dahlia cuttings: to keep or not?   

✅ When it's time to stop sowing seeds 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

The chickens are back on the podcast! It's Tuesday 29 April 2025 and it's very hot.

Join me for this episode on a really beautiful spring day, which started off well then turned out to be a bit too busy and fraught for my liking. I am in charge of the diary so that's entirely my fault. While I'm letting the hens out this morning I talk about water (again), the planting out of my nigella seedlings, and my tough-love watering policy to ensure that plants get their roots down quickly and don't become reliant on me constantly watering them.

The second part of the episode is me trying to unwind on the plot this evening after a really busy day. I spent my (brief) lunch break quickly moving my seedlings out of the heat of the greenhouse and taking panes out of the framework to cool it down. I answer a couple of questions I've received: one about my mini-digger plans and the other about my sweetpea spacings. I end with some thoughts about the importance of carving out time for yourself during this busy period of the year in order to stay calm and focused. 

As always, it's just me talking directly to you on my cut flower journey. I really hope you enjoy the episode. The chickens make a few noisy interruptions too!

In this episode, join me on a hot spring day for chickens and a Q&A 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How the newly-planted out nigella seedlings are getting on 

✅ My tough-love policy when watering new seedlings and perennials 

✅ How I cool my greenhouse down 

✅ Seedling heat tolerance: who loves it hot and who doesn't?

✅ How I reconcile using a mini-digger with my No-dig policy

✅ Problems you can get with planting too close together

✅ Why it's so important to carve out time for yourself during busy times

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's 8:30am on Friday 2 May 2025 and it's another beautiful sunny day.

What a busy week! I've been juggling a lot of things this week and it got me thinking about what I've learned about starting to grow cut flowers and what no-one tells you! So I have created quite a long list of things I'm learning the hard way and I'd like to share them with you. 

From not having enough money, time or water to the many demands on your time in every aspect of your life, I'm talking about it all. The seedlings all have different needs and the fifty-six dahlias are like small children! As well as focusing on the here-and-now I'm also trying not to forget what I need to be doing in six months/one year/five years hence. 

So from the collapse of my social life and neglecting friends to a lack of understanding from others about the pressures you're under, to worries about what's coming down the line and exhausting days, it's a tough time of year. But it will pass and in a couple of months everything will calm down (I hope!). This episode is a really honest take on what I've been thinking about this week and I hope that you find it interesting. 

If you have a minute, I'd be over the moon if you left a rating or review - not only would it mean so much to me but it really helps other people to decide whether or not they should listen to the podcast and I'd love to share my journey with as many people like you as possible. Thank you. 

In this episode, join me for a frank discussion about what no-one tells you about starting a cut flower business!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The different needs of my seedlings 

✅ There aren't enough hours in the day for everything  

✅ How my social life has taken a nose-dive  

✅ Pressures around lack of money are stressful

✅ Why you still need to be thinking 1 year/5 years ahead

✅ How time management is really crucial right now 

✅ Why you spend your days checking weather apps 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's 8:30pm on Tuesday 6 May 2025 and a really beautiful evening.

You join me for this episode on the plot as I'm planting out some of my hardy annual seedlings (calendula, orlaya and scabious). It's been a busy bank holiday weekend for me and I haven't had as much time on the plot as I would like so I'm up here this evening getting things done and sharing this with you.

I've spent today thinking about tulips for 2026: it's never too soon to start planning for them. I've decided to only grow certain types (parrot, viridiflora and Rembrandt) as they're very dramatic and showy and I hope that they will sell well. They will go in the dahlia beds when the tubers get lifted in November. I will need to order them in August so I need to start compiling a list very soon. It's important to keep planning ahead. 

I had some microphone problems tonight: the first half seems to be ok but the second half sounds like I'm on the hard shoulder of a windy motorway (I'm not) so I hope you can still hear me. 

If you have a minute, I'd be over the moon if you left a rating or review - not only would it mean so much to me but it really helps other people to decide whether or not they should listen to the podcast and I'd love to share my journey with as many people like you as possible. Thank you. 

In this episode, join me on the plot for an update on my seedlings and more. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How my seedlings are doing on the plot 

✅ Why I need to keep an eye out for squirrels and pigeons   

✅ Why I'm not weeding around my seedlings this year   

✅ My tulip plans for 2026

✅ I'm excited about the last of my dahlia cuttings arriving next week

✅ Why I'm going to start learning to do hand-tied bouquets 

✅ Why you need to talk to like-minded people when times are tough 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Friday 9 May 2025 and another gorgeous evening. I've recorded this episode at home tonight, out of the wind, so the audio quality is much better than the last episode (sorry about that one). 

Executive decision: the dahlias are finally moving outside this weekend! They have had enough of being inside (and I want my living room back) so they're going out to be hardened off before being planted out on the plot. I talk about the importance of data collection for my cut flowers and how I'm getting on with collecting information like the time it takes me to sow/plant out/water. I know it will be useful information when it comes to calculating stem prices and productivity later on. 

I analyse what's going on with my nigella seedlings and why I don't think I'm going to grow them in 2026 (unless they sell really well). Some of my seedlings are doing brilliantly (like the cornflowers) but the nigella are not happy. There's an update on my 'lookbook' for showcasing my flowers to florists: are you doing anything similar? I'd love to know. There's a bit of a discussion about a marketing idea I have for persuading brides to ask their wedding florists for local and seasonal blooms (rather than imports) in the hope that it increases demand for British blooms. 

Finally I have a bit of a rant about competition from other growers (I'm in favour), through the prism of growers who have a leg up in the setup of their business. I'm only jealous because I've been doing things the hard way. Despite my moaning, I hope that we can all lift and support each other in this crazy business and I wish everyone the very best (even if I am green with envy sometimes). 

In this episode, join me for a chat about what's going on this week. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Still no rain...

✅ My seedlings are still on the inside-outside carousel   

✅ Why my dahlias are finally going outside this weekend

✅ How I'm watering my sweetpeas

✅ The importance of recording time spent sowing and planting out 

✅ How my flower "lookbook" is progressing 

✅ Why I want to start marketing to brides 

✅ Competition from fellow growers: good or bad? 

✅ Clockwise or anticlockwise: which way do your climbers want to go?

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

It's Tuesday 13 May 2025: welcome to today's episode. 

Beautiful sunshine but still no rain. I'm running low on water so it's a bit of a tense time. Tonight I'm on the plot talking about how I'm managing my seedlings in the hot and dry conditions. Some plants are doing fine but I really wish I had more water right now.

The digger man is booked for tomorrow and I'm very excited. Having more turf lifted will double my planting area so I can't wait but I'm slightly holding my breath until he arrives and does the work. The dahlias are outside now and doing really well. I've found some gall on one of the tubers which is disappointing but not the end of the world. 

More seedlings have been planted out but now watering them is becoming a bit scary: do I have enough water to last until it rains? I also talk about an idea I've just heard on another podcast about selling single varieties of stems at local markets rather than mixed bouquets so I'm giving serious thought to doing this. It's an extremely busy time and there's alot going on. I do hope you enjoy the episode. 

In this episode, join me for an update on the plot. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How the dahlias are doing 

✅ Why I've just mulched my Verbena bonariensis

✅ Dahlia gall: what to do with infected plants and tubers 

✅ Why you should buy good quality hosepipe fittings  

✅ Thoughts on selling at my local market 

✅  Digger man update  

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. It's Thursday 15 May 2025 and I'm talking to you from the plot. 

Exciting news that the Digger Man, Nigel, came yesterday to lift the turf on my plot and it' amazing to have more growing space. Quite a lot more, in fact: an additional 171 square metres. He did an excellent job and was a very nice man. 

I had an emergency with one of my chickens just before he arrived so this is a really quick episode to update you on the turf-lifting and then I'll have more to tell you next week. 

In this episode, join me for Digger Man news

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How the digger man got on

✅ The size of my new cultivatable growing area

✅ How I've broken yet another water bowser tap fitting 

✅ My emergency visit to the vet on Wednesday  

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. It's Tuesday 20 May 2025, it's 10pm and I'm recording this while boiling spaghetti and microwaving some bolognese sauce. Batch cooking (and reheating) is the only way I get to eat properly right now.

I have lots to share with you as I've been really busy on the plot since the last episode. Seedlings have been going out, including zinnias, orlaya, nigella and snaps (plus courgettes, broad beans, peas and sweetcorn). And I finally got to use the recycled steel 'rebar' trellis for my peas - very excited about that. 

The larger of the two new growing areas needs some TLC: I've bought packets of green manure seeds, peas and a wildflower annual mix to cover the soil and (hopefully) regenerate it. I'm now dreaming of filling the whole area with beautiful roses: all I need is some money to buy them when the bare-root season opens. And my dahlia cuttings from Halls of Heddon are finally on their way and due for delivery tomorrow: I can't wait to see them!

A massive thank you for your lovely comments asking about Goose (my poorly hen) and also those about my reel on insta (@henhillcutflowers) with Nigel turf-lifting. I LOVE hearing from you, it makes me so happy. I really hope you enjoy the episode and I hope that your growing season is going well.

In this episode, join me for all the news from HenHill Cut Flowers - and there's a lot!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How April 2025 in the UK has been the warmest driest spring for 100 years

✅ Why some climbers find textured support easier to grow up 

✅ How I'm prepping the new growing areas

✅ Why I'm sowing green manure on the soil 

✅ How perennials give you a head start with flowers to cut early on

✅ Bark mulch: the verbena bonariensis are loving it and finally growing 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 this episode, recorded on Friday 23 May 2025. 

It's been a really busy few days since my last episode: I've been planting out my dahlia tubers plus some seedlings, weeding around my perennials, and tidying up my living paths. Sometimes I'm in two minds about living paths: are they a good idea or not? They need maintaining, which takes time, but I do like them. I also love bark paths which don't need maintaining, so I'm a bit on the fence but overall I think I will keep some of my living paths and replace others with bark.

The Cephalaria have been planted out. These were a bit flaky to germinate and I very nearly threw some of the cells out when it didn't look like anything was happening. Good job I didn't. My dahlia cuttings arrived on Wednesday and I potted them on straightaway. They're in very good condition and I'm so excited to see their flowers. 

There's a quick update on my poorly hen, Goose, who is doing really well. Also doing very well at the moment are the greenfly, who have arrived in vast numbers. Some ladybirds have also arrived but they have been a bit distracted and not eating as much as I'd like: there's a couple of videos of the ladybirds on my instagram @henhillcutflowers, do check them out!

Finally I give a full and detailed description of my water capture and storage system on the plot: I hope it makes sense. I list all the containers I have and how they're connected, plus info about gutters and syphoning water. I don't think you can ever have too much water stored so it's worth setting up as much water capture as you can, in whatever sort of containers you can use. 

In this episode, join me as the dahlias get planted out on the plot.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The expert advice I followed to plant my dahlia tubers

✅ The importance of patience when germinating seeds

✅ How I've dealt with my new dahlia cuttings 

✅ I'm under siege from greenfly and the ladybirds aren't helping 

✅ How my water storage system is constructed and operates

✅ Pros and cons of living paths between your cut flowers

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. It's Wednesday 28 May 2025 and I'm very happy to welcome you to this episode.

There's so much to share with you today including an update on my dahlias, what happened to the cornflowers and the leucanthemum in the wind, and how I've been dealing with a blackfly invasion. I've also taken a headcount of the seedlings which still need to be planted out and it's quite daunting: there aren't enough hours in the day.

Today I saw Rosa 'Juliet' for the first time. It's a stunning David Austin rose created specifically for their wedding and event cut flower collection. The rose plant itself is not available to buy: only the cut stems are available for florists. It cost GBP 3 million to produce!! The particular stems that I saw today had just flown over from Ecuador, a whopping 5,726 miles away, and you could tell because they looked a little exhausted. Seeing these stems close up made me even more determined to grow roses myself because I know that I could offer a beautiful locally-grown rose that's scented and just as gorgeous as Juliet (well, almost). Let's hope that I can make some money this year and then buy some bare-root roses this autumn.

After attending the funeral of a wonderful former gardening client of mine, I share some thoughts on what arrangements I could make for my plants in the event of my death. It's not morbid to think of these things: none of us know what's going to happen in the future and it doesn't hurt to put arrangements in place. I hope the you find the episode interesting.

In this episode, join me for all the latest news.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why I've had to stake my cornflowers 

✅ How I'm removing blackfly

✅ How many seedlings still have to be planted out (it's a lot...) 

✅ Why I'm going to be mulching my dahlias with chipped bark 

✅ How many flowers I've sold so far this year

✅ Rosa Juliet is the ultimate wedding flower: my thoughts on it 

✅ What would happen to your plants if you died? 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Hi! It's Friday 30 May 2025: welcome to today's episode!

It's the end of another busy week and (finally!) the end of May, which I'm quite pleased about. Roll on, June! News from the plot includes the hiccups getting the dahlias in the ground, a couple of zinnias damping off, cornflower staking experiments and another lack-of-water issue. I also managed to spill lots of Roundup in the back of my car which has been a pain to sort out: I'm 100% chemical free (and always have been) and was doing a favour for someone in transporting it. Big mistake! Huge! Roundup (glyphosate) is a herbicide and it's non-selective which means it kills everything it comes in contact with so I had a proper dilemma trying to work out how to sort it out. 

I share more thoughts on not having anything ready to sell at the moment and I keep telling myself that it's ok. And it is ok! I always said I would grow seasonally and I need to keep reminding myself of this. I don't want to use a heated greenhouse or a polytunnel with the aim of forcing things to be ready before they naturally are. Finally, some thoughts on why my dog does not look like other growers' dogs on their instagram.

I'm so glad that you're joining me on this journey and I really hope that you enjoy this episode. Please consider taking a minute to leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts - it really does help other people (just like you) to find the podcast.

In this episode, join me for updates on my cut flower seedlings.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it's taking me so long to plant my dahlias out  

✅ How I'm changing my plant spacings for my successional cornflowers

✅ Dilemma: how to safely get rid of a Roundup (glyphosate) spillage

✅ Who attacked Goose: the security camera reveals all 

✅ Nothing for sale? Why it's time to stop beating myself up about this 

✅ Seasonal means seasonal: it will be ready when it's ready!

✅ Insta envy: why are other people's dogs so well behaved (and mine isn't)?

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Good evening. It's Tuesday 3 June 2025 and I'm talking to you from the plot. 

We've had rain! Not enough by far but it's very welcome and the seedlings have really enjoyed it. The water levels in the IBCs are critically low but I'm hopeful that the rain still to come later this week will help. 

Lots of updates from the plot: all of the dahlias are in and I've been making some new beds on the newly-lifted turf area and adding old waste material from the duck house which has rotted down. I'm not digging it in: it gets laid on the soil surface and will slowly amalgamate into the ground. There's a pests update with the latest news on my blackly, greenfly, slugs and pigeons. 

Finally I end with an update on the latest with the hens, who are an integral part of the plot in that they fertilise my soil, sort through my compost and help to control pest numbers. I do hope you enjoy the episode and thank you for joining me on my cut flower journey. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why it rains as soon as I buy a proper pair on sunglasses   

✅ I've finally got all the dahlias planted out on the plot

✅ How I've made my new beds and added a compost mulch 

✅ Who attacked Goose: the security camera reveals all 

✅ Seedlings that have just gone in the ground  

✅ Pests update: who is doing what and where 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 a very warm welcome to this episode. It's Friday 6 June 2025 and I'm talking to you from the plot. 

I don't know where this week has gone: it's been busy. We had a whole day of rain which has been an enormous help for the plants. This happened after I manually topped up the IBCs with water from home, which was a whole big drama. 

Everything on the plot is doing fine and I'm excited to see that the cornflowers are just about to burst into flower. I've been pinching out the calendulas and snaps, which is something you need to do with branching plants because it encourages lots more flowering stems. 

I do hope you enjoy the episode: it's a bit shorter than normal because I'm rushing around trying to get some seedlings planted on the plot but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I manually topped up the IBCs on the plot

✅ Why I've been pinching out the branching plants 

✅ How much rain we've had this week  

✅ What I've been watching on the internet this week 

✅ Why I'm feeling so much better about doing hand-ties for markets  

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

Heatwave! Good evening, it's Friday 20 June 2025 and it's very hot! 

Good news: I've just sold my first stems! I was beginning to wonder if this would ever happen and now it has. All the news about this including how I priced it and the stresses of physically delivering them (it's harder than it looks). 

It's a long episode because I have so much to tell you including useful tips from my expert dahlia grower, Richard, what I've been cutting from the plot this week, how I've been getting on making hand-ties (badly), plus my report from the visit I made to a cut flower grower in Cornwall and lots of things I learnt. Massive thank you to Rowena at Grey and Green Flowers near Boscastle for being so generous with her time and for sharing so much really useful information with me ( and for letting me pass it on to you).

Finally I answer a great question from a listener about what tulips I'm going to be buying for 2026 including how to work out what to choose taking into account stem length, flowering time, and colour schemes. I also list some varieties that I have short-listed. I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy the episode.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How I priced my recent stem order   

✅ Delivering my stems: how I transported them 

✅ What I learnt from my dahlia expert this week (i.e what to do now)

✅  How I got on making hand-tied bouquets 

✅  What I've been cutting this week

✅  Hints and tips from an experienced Cornish grower

✅  How I'm choosing tulips for 2026

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. 

I'm back from my break and delighted to welcome you to the latest episode. It's Tuesday 17 June 2025 and it's been a super hot day.

I was in Cornwall last week but I still have so much to share with you today including why it's not a good idea to take a break during the flowering season, what happened in my absence and what's happening now that I'm back. 

I talk about the plants that are flowering on the plot right now and those that are just about to flower, plus how big my weeds are, and my plans for some of my zinnias. There's a quick update on the hens (I now have four broody girls) and some sad news about one of the ducks. 

There's so much to tell you that I have split this episode into two parts and in the next episode on Friday I'll tell you the super-useful hints and tips I learnt from a Cornish cut flower grower that I had the pleasure of meeting last week: it's really helpful information so I do hope that you'll join me to hear how an established grower runs their plot. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Where I went last week on my break 

✅ What's flowering right now on the plot 

✅ Bug update: where have they gone?

✅  Plant spacings: have I got it right or not?

✅  What happened to my sweetpeas in my absence 

✅  Seedlings that have been planted out tonight 

✅  Why my first zinnia flower is such a disaster  

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 the latest episode: it's Tuesday 24 June 2025. The heatwave is over (thankfully) and now it's just annoyingly windy.

First off, a clarification of my position on cut flower farm tours that give you lunch.  I'm not knocking them - they're brilliant. I talk about the farm tour that I went on before I started growing and it was so inspiring. Here's the details of what I did and I highly recommend it: https://www.plantpassion.co.uk/field-tour

Plot update: what's doing well, what's flowering, an Ammi and Nigella update, and the sweetpea situation after the ducks ate loads of the tops through the fence panels. I had a strange man at the gates over the weekend which was really unnerving: it's always a challenge dealing with strangers when you're working alone. 

I'm buying some rudbeckia hirta plants tomorrow and I urgently need to find a suitable place for them where the soil is good enough to support them. It's also time to start thinking about ranunculus for 2026 and I also talk through my daffodil choices for next year, so there's a lot to tell you!

As always, thank you if you've sent me a message via my instagram @henhillcutflowers. I really do love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy the episode. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What I spent my calendula money on    

✅ How I got on pitching to supply bud vase flowers to a local pub

✅ What's going on with my sweetpeas after the ducks ate them 

✅  How I'm storing my harvested cut flowers to keep them cool

✅  My experience of doing a cut flower farm tour 

✅  How refining your planting techniques improves efficiency

✅  My daffodil choices for 2026

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. It's Friday 27 June 2025 and the mercury is rising once again.

In this episode I talk about how the first six months of 2025 have been for me as a new cut flower grower and I hope you find it interesting. If you've been listening from the start then you'll recognise some of the issues raised, like the time I left a tap running and emptied out my own water storage tanks overnight. I discuss the highs and lows so far ranging from the excitement of actually selling stems to what to do with the ones I haven't sold, to pests, my high-maintenance cornflowers, and everything in between.

I talk about some of the things I've learned in the first half of this year and what I'd do differently in future, including improvements to staking, earlier sowings and reduced plant spacings. It's a fairly detailed review of what's worked and what hasn't, together with some pretty honest reflections on how I'm feeling right now. 

One things that's definitely a high point is this podcast: it's a real source of joy in my life, particularly connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this review episode!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ My highs and lows from January 2025 to June 2025      

✅ How I felt when I saw my first cut flowers featured in a bridal bouquet

✅ What's actually gone well and what hasn't

✅  How my cornflowers have literally taken over my life 

✅  How feeling overwhelmed is draining and stressful

✅  What I'll be doing differently in 2026 

✅  Why I can never have enough perennials, shrubs and foliage

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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. It's Tuesday 1 July 2025 and I'm sweltering, even at 8am.

Lots to tell you: we made some new gates to enter the plot over the weekend so that I don't have to go into Roland's enclosure every time. It's an improvement but then I managed to step on a bit of metal and injured my foot. Highs and lows! The sweetpeas are incredible and smell so good: they are a real success. It's such a busy time on the plot with all the watering, deadheading, weeding, and staking. 

Exciting news: I'm officially joining my local flower growing hub! I can't wait! In this episode I talk about how the meeting went yesterday, hosted by Fenella at Flower Fields in Cookham. I share everything that we talked about, what we ate and drank (it's all in the details), how the hub will work, when it's kicking off, and what Fenella is growing on her land. I believe that the hub will be really beneficial for all local growers, particularly me, and that it will open me up to lots more florists to showcase what I'm growing. I'll keep you updated. 

Here's Fenella's website: https://www.flower-fields.co.uk/

I'm really loving connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this episode.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ The joys of having hot flushes in a heatwave     

✅ How much water I've brought on site over the weekend

✅ All the details of my shiny new gates into the plot

✅ The joys of my sweetpeas

✅ How I'm preparing to supply for a wedding this weekend 

✅ All the news from my flower hub meeting 

✅ Why joining a flower hub could be a game changer for me 

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 Friday 4 July 2025 and it's my birthday! And Happy American Independence Day if you're celebrating that today!

I'm on a massive high after selling 100 stems of cut flowers to my lovely event florist, Jo, so I chat about this and how I managed to get everything delivered without breaking anything or spilling any water (a miracle). There's a photo on my insta @henhillcutflowers so you can see one of the buckets. 

It's been quite a busy week as I took a day out to go to the beach with my other half to celebrate his birthday. I hate the thought of going anywhere these days but I'm really glad I went because we had a lovely time and discovered that the dog is not a fan of the sea. 

Everything on the plot is doing fine and some things are flowering beautifully including the heleniums, cornflowers, sweetpeas and calendulas. The nigella have finally started flowering and they're stunning. My snaps are about to flower too (finally!) together with the didiscus and scabious. Lots of forward planning going on including next weekend's flowers and choosing sweetpeas for 2026. I've got a really long to-do list as well so there will be lots to tell you about next Tuesday!

I'm really loving connecting with you on instagram @henhillcutflowers. I love hearing from you and if you have any questions then I'm always very happy to answer them. I do hope you enjoy this episode!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ I'm celebrating selling 100 stems to my florist!     

✅ What cut flowers I sold today 

✅ News from the plot this week

✅ What's flowering and what's just about to flower 

✅ Making the plot safe for a visit from my florist next week

✅ Choosing sweetpeas for 2026

✅ What I'll be doing over the weekend on the plot

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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 this episode. It's a hot Tuesday 8 July 2025. 

I've been very busy on the field with dahlia staking (thanks to my birthday present of road pins), deadheading, staking and weeding. I really must sort the staking out earlier next year as it's a nightmare trying to do it when the plants are big and flowering. No dahlia flowers yet but any day now...

I've also been busy on a big planting job for a couple of days which was nerve-wracking and either my hormones or my bolognese sauce conspired to make it even harder. I have an entire shower tray of Hydrangea Annabelles which I acquired quite by accident and which I'm trying to keep cool and hydrated as we enter Heatwave Number 3 of the year. It's not an easy task. And I desperately need a shower now so they have to be relocated urgently.

Lots of challenges for growers across the UK at the moment due to the lack of rainfall and excess heat so if you're having problems, you're not alone. Finally I've been prepping for a visit to the field from my wedding florist and hopefully she likes what she sees. The rest of the week is looking busy so I'll have plenty to share with you on Friday - please come back and join me. 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why I can't take a shower right now

✅ The impact of the weather on UK growers this summer

✅ How proud I was to see photos of my flowers in wedding photos 

✅ Why I don't want to sell my nigella

✅ How the craspedia have grown but no golf balls yet...

✅ What I did to my statice yesterday

✅ Peri-menopause: you don't have to be "old" to experience it so seek help if you are struggling, regardless of your actual age

🌻 Follow & Stay Connected!

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review – it really does help more flower lovers find the show. 

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. I'm going to give 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.