In The Moment1 min read
Snapdragon
Snapdragons are invaluable for their full flower spikes, which last well over a week in water. Look out for the elegant, single-colour florist’s varieties and avoid dwarf forms (often sold as bedding plants) as the stem won’t be long enough for cutti
In The Moment1 min read
Creating A Fan Display
What’s so lovely about arranging in this shape container is that you can make the display quite low and place it as a centrepiece on a table, but also go taller and use it on a mantelpiece, bar or windowsill. We particularly like adding a splash of c
In The Moment1 min readArchitecture
Troubleshooting Your Flower Patch
Gardening clubs are a way to share plant knowledge locally. Search on rhs.org.uk to help you find one. Growers are a friendly bunch and enjoy sharing their knowledge and experience. If you need a little extra help, try visiting gardenersworld.com/for
In The Moment1 min read
Spider Flower
Cleome seeds can be bought in a variety of shades. ‘Colour Mix’ has elegant flowers of white, pink and purple, which look rather like daddy long legs on a stem. These look good in the garden and mixed up together in a jumble in a large vase, or you c
In The Moment4 min read
Recording Your Flower Journey
As a flower writer and photographer, immersing myself in the incredible array of beautiful floral images on Instagram is something I just can’t resist. And to follow the personal stories of my favourite Instagrammers, week by week, is such a privileg
In The Moment4 min read
CUTTING & CONDITIONING FLOWERS
Cutting a stem does cause a flower a certain amount of shock but there’s lots to do to give it a happy indoor life. One of the most helpful tricks is to gather your flowers early in the day, while it’s cooler and the bloom is full of energy. The cool
In The Moment1 min read
Welcome
Flowers in the home are a luxury, but I think they’re also a necessity – I agree with Vita Sackville-West’s view that ‘A flowerless room is a soulless room’. A display that makes you smile is worth its weight in gold, and if you grow the blooms yours
In The Moment1 min read
Sarah∗raven
At Sarah Raven, we’ve put years of flower-growing and floristry experience into practice to create a range of seeds, plants and bulbs that will help you plant and care for your perfect flower patch. We’ve tested all our varieties in Sarah’s own garde
In The Moment1 min readArchitecture
Be Inspired By Instagram
Be inspired by the romantic, natural blooms that are featured on Norfolk-based florist and grower Jo Rodwell’s feed. @joflowers Sharing images from behind the scenes of their idyllic flower farm in Oxfordshire are Rachel Siegfried and her partner Ash
In The Moment4 min read
Your Flower Arranging Kit
Secateurs are like heavy-duty scissors and are perfect for trimming thick or woody stems. Try to buy these in person as it’s good to get a feel for them and see if the handle shape suits your hand. Avoid temptation in the form of pretty patterned han
In The Moment2 min readArchitecture
Growing Notes
Currently on trend, copper tools not only look the part but are said to enrich the soil with copper trace elements that are beneficial to plants. We love that this trowel has depth marks, which is super helpful when you’re planting bulbs. It also com
In The Moment1 min read
Spurge
Euphorbia oblongata is the all-round best-looking, longest-flowering foliage plant you can find anywhere in the world. It forms the base of 95% of my floral arrangements, and lines most of the beds in my garden at Perch Hill. You never tire of its br
In The Moment1 min read
Pots Of Style
There’s a lot to be said for keeping your vases plain, to better show off the flowers within them, but this ingenious upcycling project shows how a decorated container can actually enhance your cut blooms. Designed by stylist Holly Becker, they’re a
In The Moment1 min readBiology
Your Summer of Planning, Planting & Arranging
Key: HHA – Half-Hardy Annual; HA – Hardy Annual. ■
In The Moment4 min read
Connect To The Season
When you’re given a gift of flowers, what’s the first thing you do? You bury your nose in them and inhale deeply. What we love about a bunch of flowers is the sensory experience – the colours, textures, shapes and luscious scent. But as well as that,
In The Moment1 min readArchitecture
Sunflower
Sunflowers make the most glamorous cut flowers, and are hugely prolific and long-flowering. For daintier displays try Helianthus debilis ‘Vanilla Ice’ which has smaller, creamy white flowers, which are wonderful for hand-tied bunches. I’d also recomm
In The Moment2 min read
Giving Notes
“Seeds are the perfect gift for pretty much everyone. Tiny fragments of hope and potential and happiness waiting to happen.” So says psychologist turned seed supplier Grace Alexander, who truly understands the benefit of seed planting for our wellbei
In The Moment1 min read
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JENNY DIXON Editor CHARLOTTE MARTYN Managing Editor JULIAN DACE Senior Art Editor BENEDICT BLYTH Deputy Art Editor ROBIN COOMBER Contributing Art Editor OLIVIA WATKINS Art Assistant DAVE CAUDERY Photography BECKI CLARK Illustration Group Advertising
In The Moment3 min readArchitecture
Perfect Plants For Your Flower Patch
When I first moved from London to Perch Hill, a small farm in East Sussex, I had a vague dream of giving up my job as a hospital doctor and staying at home to grow cut flowers. From the age of seven or eight, I’d loved picking flowers and then arrang
In The Moment1 min read
Sweet Pea
Sow as many sweet peas as you can. You won’t regret it – they’ll fill your life with colour and scent. Choosing which to grow is a task in itself, so start with monotone groups of your favourite colours – although, of course, sweet peas are more abou
In The Moment1 min readGardening
Floral Thanks
Hand tying is one of the best floristry tricks you can learn. It’s a very satisfying way to make a bouquet that suits just about any type of flower so long as it has a decent stem length. Not only does it look stunning to give, it also makes life eas
In The Moment1 min readArchitecture
Contributors
Sarah is an accomplished, award-winning writer and broadcaster, sharing her expertise and enthusiasm for gardening and floristry with audiences around the UK and at her farm in East Sussex. sarahraven.com Rachel is an artisan florist, gardener and te
In The Moment1 min read
Bishop’s Flower
Ammi majus has lacy flowers, rather like a more delicate form of cow parsley. It’s the best white filler-foliage you can grow and is spectacular arranged in a great cloud on its own. Aim to pick it just before the tiny white flowers are fully open as
In The Moment1 min read
Zinnia
There’s nothing nicer than the jumble of colours of these zinnia flowers in a jug on the kitchen table. The blooms are spectacular, huge and long-lasting, a wonderful mix of oranges, reds, pinks and yellows. Look out for ‘Giant Dahlia Mix’ seed colle
In The Moment4 min read
Growing For A Big Occasion
So the decision is made, the wedding is on. The next question is, of course, ‘When?’. It’s rare that I come across couples who are married within six weeks (as I was). Most people have six months to a year of planning time. And six months will give y
In The Moment1 min read
Clary Sage
While sage (salvia officinalis) is generally thought of as a culinary plant, this bold blue variety of clary sage packs a punch in flower beds from May to September. Use the variety Salvia viridis ‘Blue’ to line the edge of your cutting patch – it wi
In The Moment2 min read
My 10 Must-have Cut Flowers
∗ COSMOS ‘PURITY’ – the ever winning, ever productive cut flower classic. ∗ COSMOS ‘RUBENZA’ – shorter and therefore ideal for a pot or smaller garden. ∗ SALVIA VIRIDIS ‘BLUE’ – my replacement for lavender, which flowers for three times as long and l
In The Moment2 min read
Creating A Flower Chandelier
This is what we call a blockbuster! If you’re celebrating an important event and want something a bit different and extra-special, then this is the one. It’s a great way to show off some of the best flowers of the season and really play with the stru
In The Moment1 min read
Coneflower
Rudbeckias make truly wonderful, very long-flowering cut flowers. Belonging to the sunflower family, they come in a sumptuous mix of mahogany, nutmeg, yellow and burnt marmalade colours. Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’ is one of my favourite flowers, with
In The Moment2 min readArchitecture
Planning Your Flower Patch
As tempting as it might be to simply toss a selection of seeds into the soil for a random, ‘country meadow’ patch, a little planning will let you maximise the amount of flowers you can harvest, and will also keep your plants happy by ensuring they ha
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