Heatwave No. 3 is Here, My Shower is Full of Annabelles, Difficult Growing Conditions Mean Difficult Choices & Why I Don't Want to Sell my Nigella

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

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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.