Tuesday 16 June 2015

British Flower Week 2015

Photo from http://www.britishflowersweek.com/blog/
Just in case you weren't aware, this week is British Flowers Week, which is a 'week long celebration of British flowers and the UK cut flower industry'.  The dress above was made by Zita Elze, using larkspur.  not very practical, but absolutely stunning! Wouldn't it look lovely printed on chiffon? Of course, I do have some flowers in my own garden which I feel should be celebrated (although usually, I don't need a special week!), so without further ado, may I introduce...
Rose Frilly Cuff, new to me this year and planted in a pot.  The colour is a bit deeper than this in real life and it has a delicate fragrance.  I wanted to add some deeper colours of roses to my garden, as all the others seem to be pale pink, apart from one yellow.  This one has a beautiful colour and form.
Nigella or Love in a Mist.  I have always loved these flowers and remember them growing in every garden from my childhood.  I sowed seeds in the border, but the plants decided they would rather sow themselves in pots, which is what they did.  They are so lovely, I left them to grow where they wanted.
I have some nice shades of blues and whites in the Nigella.
My favourite rose, Gertrude Jekyll, with the most delicious fragrance.
A new rose again this year, Bright as a Button, a floribunda type, which has a very open flower and is again in a pot.  
The star of the week just has to be Oriental Poppy 'Checkers' which I grew from seed and which features annually on my blog.  I was concerned that the flowers would be totally battered by the heavy rain we had at the weekend, so dashed out to take a photo last Friday, just in case they were reduced to a soggy mass.
The flowers start off a very pale pink and then whiten as they age.  I'm pleased to say that they have survived the rain and are still looking lovely today.
There are more roses to come, with several new ones too and I shall also post a photo of the white peony if its buds open.
I hope British Flowers Week is a great success!

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful flowers! That poppy is stunning isn't it!! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amy. The poppy is beautiful, but a bit like the peonies in that it only flowers for a short time. However, nothing comes close when it does flower!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete
  2. Ooooh.
    Love them all, but you are right. That poppy is a star and a celebration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, EC. The poppy does a wonderful job, considering it really would like more space around it. I'm glad I managed to capture its beauty this year.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete
  3. The dress is certainly pretty special, but, as you quite rightly say, not very practical. I'm a real nigella fan, in a flower way, I have some just outside my back door which reseed themselves annually. The rest of your flowers look lovely.
    Joy x x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joy. I hope that the nigella will continue to seed about the place - somehow, wherever they put themselves, it works.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete
  4. Dear Ellie.
    I love Gertrude Jekyll, too, and what a wonderful oriental poppy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Poirot. I have lots of roses that I like, but Gertrude is always at the top of the list. The poppy has done well this year.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete
  5. Love those Nigella's too! I think they self seeded in our garden, but not a flower to be seen... So maybe it's something else ;-).Lots of love from Mirjam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mirjam. My nigella decided to flower in places where I hadn't sown it at all - perhaps yours will do the same.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete
  6. From what I've seen of the UK, every week is a flower week :-) Love it!
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amalia. The UK is quite a floriferous place and is lucky to have a very good growing climate, on the whole. May and June are my favourite times of year, because everything is still fresh and colourful. I love it too!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

      Delete