Cornish Country Flowers

How I make a Christmas Door Wreath

2011-11-20T02:10:00.000-06:00

What view in Cornwall is this

2011-10-15T08:16:00.000-05:00

Know where this is tell us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.221345747929293.55619.113896632007539&type=1&l=f3d4e926c6

Catching up from our farm ......

2011-10-14T04:45:00.003-05:00

What a summer we have had, it has been a while since my last post, I really don't know where the summer has gone, so here goes - this is what has been happening here on our Cornish farm.

Sweet Peas

These were a real treat this year, they had long thick stems and some lovely colours, a hot pink, peach, blush, lilac, cream and of course white. Demand for all of these colours was high for weddings throughout the Country - they were couriered as far as Scotland, used for local weddings by a top Cornish wedding florist and I have recently heard that they may be featured in a national Wedding magazine.

I was a little nervous each time whilst packing the sweet peas up for transit willing them to arrive at their destination in top condition and hoping that the couriers would deliver on time. But rest assured - the next day I would get a quick email or text to say how pleased the recipient was with them. One brides mother emailed me on the day of the wedding, then again a week after to say that they were still going strong and looking good.

Sweet pea planning for next year has started - we are adding a couple more colours - burgundy and a mauve. I am looking forward to them already.

Pinks

The flowers we started with, my parents grew pinks many years ago when they were very popular in markets such as Covent garden, I can remember boxes and boxes being packed up daily and sent away. There were a few varieties, some of those are still available but with some new ones that we grow as well. Now they are not so popular in the markets but demand is growing along with the continuing demand for British grown flowers. We renew our stock yearly with indexed plants from a nursery in Devon, this keeps the flowers strong and less prone to disease. It also make sure we have all the latest varieties and colours.

Our 2010 planting was outside, after the very cold winter the plants suffered quite badly, we put up a makeshift poly tunnel, they did make a very good comeback but we lost a large part of them. This years pinks are back inside, they will not have any heat over the winter but a much better chance if it is very cold.

Summer flowers

Mixed flower posy of double anemone, pinks, sweet peas and cosmos

We also grew other flowers such as cornflower, sunflowers, cosmos, nigella and antheum these have been really popular in our mixed posies and bunches.

Violets

Another highlight of the year so far is being featured in a The Birthday Cake book by Fiona Cairns. I had a phone call from her back in February requiring violets to go on a cake in her book for edible flowers. These were supplied for the photo shoot. The book was released in September 2011 and a few stems are on a heart shaped cake tied with ribbon, she has also used them on cupcakes in the book.

Our violets are now beginning to flower for this season. Here is a picture of our first stems.

And on the Farm.........

Cauliflower being planted at Hayle, Cornwall

This year they are growing cauliflower for the first time for five years, they are looking great, when they were planted back in July the ground was very dry. Everything has been done here by William and his dad from seeding and raising the plant in the tunnels, planting, hoeing and harvesting. They will then be taken to a local pack house where they will then distribute them to supermarkets to go on the shelves, just think when buying a cauliflower that it might have come from here.

The harvest was done before the rain. This year William drilled some corn in a small field at my parents for a Vintage working day, it was combined by two vintage combines, one that was pulled behind a tractor the other on an old New Holland combine, neither had an air conditioned cab like the modern combines, good job it was only a meadow. The straw was then baled by a vintage tractor and bailer.

But we got a modern combine in to do the rest............

And Now....

There has been so much happening this Summer, but now we are looking forward to our future flowers, time to plan and sort for 2012, within the next few weeks I will be finalising designs for our Christmas holly wreaths and starting to cut our hybrid anemone which I will be writing about very soon.

Lets hope that we don't get hard frosts this winter, will keep you posted.

Jenny

Bring me sunshine

2011-07-20T01:37:00.000-05:00

Double St Brigid Anemone

2011-06-29T06:09:00.000-05:00

Check out our vid

2011-05-12T01:20:00.000-05:00

Flower Cutting

2011-05-06T07:13:00.000-05:00

April was warm and sunny which helped our pinks along very nicely. We have now started to cut and have our fingers crossed for a nice steady crop with no fluctuations. The flowers are beautifully scented and we are cutting a nice range of colours.

Also the sweet peas are cutting, these are selling on our website and to wholesale and DIY Wedding flowers customers. We are still planting sweet peas to keep our supply constant over the summer. The flowers are selling well as they have long stems and are scented. The colours are also sought after for wedding flowers.

Our 4th poly tunnel is very much under construction - our biggest poly tunnel, the compact tractor has no problems getting in it, especially at the moment as it has no sheet!! This is all we are waiting for and are planting it with pinks for a light crop at the end of Summer 2011 and the Autumn. These will have a heavy crop spring 2012 to early summer 2012.

We have also started to plant out sunflowers, Cosmos and some summer anemone - these are double anemone and have a vintage look and colour.

Ploughing the Flower Field - Vintage Style

2011-04-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

It has been a beautiful sunny day here in Cornwall today. Our calf tally reached eight last night with plenty more to come. The cows have now been sorted into two fields one with expectant mothers and of course the Bull and the other with the new mothers and calves. They are all grazing on the recent growth of lush green grass.

In the flower field (Patch) things have started to be prepared, my dad has a collection of beautifully restored John Deere Prairie tractors that he is wanting to take to a working day at the weekend, so to 'shine up the ploughs' and blow out the cobwebs William decided that only vintage will do for the job. The modern plough is to big for the flower field.

One tractor is not enough - two will have to do!!!

William at the start with the John Deere 4320 was made in 1972 and is over 115 horse power playing with a four furrow dowdswell plough. Followed by Dad with his 6030 made in 1971, the biggest in the collection over 240 horse power!!!!!! and yes I have driven it to. He is ploughing with a John Deere five furrow semi mounted trailed plough - a total of 9 furrows in all.

Dads tractor collection consists of four American prairie John Deere's, one John Deere A (that has three wheels) and a John Deere R that has two engines. Two of the big Prairie tractors have been imported from Iowa, and another from Indiana, USA. My nephew is a John Deere technician and has helped restore the them. Maybe next time we could have all six of them in the field or there could even be seven.

Nice job being done!!

Whats this tea break!! Should have brought a flask.

So now the flower field has been ploughed 'Vintage Style' most definitely, we will start our spring plantings outside of Sunflower, Sweet William, Cornflower, Cosmos and Larkspur to name a few. We are looking forward to watching them grow. Oh and we need to decide on where to situate our next poly tunnel. Busy days................

The first calf on the Farm for 2011

2011-03-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

A surprise in the cow field this morning.

The first calf has arrived this morning for 2011. The day started with the usual check of the livestock to find the first new calf of the year. Born during the night the calf was already suckling from his mother. I find it amazing how soon the calves are up on their feet and drinking milk. It is healthier for the calves to be outside, when they are kept in they are prone to scouring and bugs etc.

They are observed to see that the calf is drinking and well and will only be taken out of the field if there is a problem at this stage. Luckily, for this calf all is well so the cow and calf are left quiet.

Our cows are suckler cows, they are very protective of their calves and could charge at anyone or anything posing any threat.

The mother cow was also born on the farm in April 2006, this is her third calf. As you can see in the photos she is watching what is going on around her at all times, my husband took these pictures as the cows are used to him around them.

Normally he would have to get very close to her to see her ear tag number to update the records and to create a passport for the newborn. Luckily her number has been caught on camera. All livestock on the farm have an invididual ear tag number that is linked with their passport. This document stays with whoever owns the animal throughout their lives.

After a quick photo session cow and calf have had enough and decide to find a suitable spot in the grass to spend the evening.

This however is just the start of the calving for the year on the farm, there is still a long way to go. Things have gone well with this calf today - fingers crossed for the rest of the heard. I will keep updating.

We have also been lucky to cut our first ranunculus for the year today as well!!! With the sun shining it has been a good day!!!

Is Spring on its way???

2011-03-02T07:56:00.002-06:00

Firstly I am showing you a picture of a make shift poly tunnel we have put over our outside pinks (Dianthus). They have suffered badly with the cold and wet weather and are in need of some warmer and drier conditions. We had some hoops ready for our 4th tunnel so have decided to use them along with a re-cycled sheet from a strawberry tunnel we brought in a farm sale last year - soon to be tunnel number 5. The holes in the sides are not giant mouse holes, or even dog holes for Rupert, but air holes that were already in the sheet, these will be good as the plants will benifit from air flowing through the tunnel.

Now to my next picture - and the answer to my question. Yes spring is on the way!!!!! This is a picture taken yesterday 1st March of the ranunculus - these are shown in an earlier post in January. These have also suffered with the cold, they were frozen solid for over 5 days in November last year but the buds are there and I can't wait to cut the first ranunculus flower. I have had alot of interest in these flowers so far so lets hope we have a good run on them and they will play there part on the British Flower market.

The first picture above shows the ground level trickle tape, this helps to prevent mildew. All of our water is environmentally friendly as it comes from our very own water supply.

On the farm the cows have been moooved into greener pastures. They will start calving very soon. This is always a tense time on the farm with regular checking both day and night. At the start of last years calving a visitor to the farm did remark that the cows have one of the most scenic maternity wards around!!!! Fingers crossed all will go well. I will keep you informed.

The maize that was harvested back in October 2010 is slowly being munched away, I have linked a you tube video taken by my parents of the harvesting on the farm. The maize harvester is a New Holland owned by a local contractor and one of the farm John Deere tractors. Enjoy

Today the fertilizer has also arrived to put on the grass for Spring silage cutting. With the ever increasing costs of fertilizers and fuel we really hope that Spring is around the corner and our grass and flowers will grow some more.

Pinks dianthus pictures and informaion on how we grow at Cornish Country Flowers

2011-02-23T01:55:00.000-06:00

Pinks dianthus pictures and informaion on how we grow at Cornish Country Flowers

Violets

2011-02-08T10:24:00.000-06:00

I took this picture earlier today.

Canadian Geese

2011-01-20T06:50:00.001-06:00

Something different from the cows in the field today - a flock of wild Canadian Geese!!!!!!! For a few years now these geese have flown over once or twice a day, they can be quite noisy. On Monday I could here them for most of the day then discovered they had taken up residence in the cow field. They have been there every day since. Sometimes about 20 of them, sometimes up to 60. Also sighted are red wings and egrets a Sky Lark in the picture as well.

A Cornish January day in the Sunshine

2011-01-18T11:04:00.000-06:00

After the very heavy rain of the past few days it has be a lovely crisp sunny day here on the farm in Cornwall. I managed to take a few snaps while I walked the dogs this afternoon that I thought I would share.

A small clump of snowdrops showing through - maybe spring is around the corner!!!

One of the Ranunculus plants in the tunnel - colour is greening up now, when we had the hard frosts back in November/December the ground was frozen. Pleased they have come through.

The view across a daffodil field with our poly tunnels at the end. Trencrom hills in the distance.

And of course Desmond and Rupert enjoying their walk in the sunshine.

Cornish Country Flowers

2011-01-11T01:32:00.001-06:00

We are based on our family farm at Hayle in Cornwall. Our packshed is 400 meters down a track that crosses a field from the road. The track has some spectacular views. Both the North and South Coasts can be seen with views of St Micheals Mount at Marazion to Penzance around to the point of St Ives then over to Godrevey Lighthouse and further up the north coast. Inland we can see Carn Brea around to both Godolphin and Tregonning hills.
In May 2008 we planted out our first polytunnel of Pinks and the business has grown since then - we now have two more polytunnels and grow our crops outside with another two polytunnels planned for 2011.
Since 2008 our pinks production has increased and we now grow a wider range of flowers including Sunflowers, Sweet Peas, Asters, Sweet William, Violets, Anemone and Ranunculus to name a few.
Along with the many direct postal customers we also supply flowers to wholesale customers in Cornwall and a local distribution company who sell our flowers all over the Country from Scotland throughout.
This year we have invested along with a small LAG grant in a pack house and refridgeration unit. This has been a great asset to us, with the hot summer we have been able to cut our flowers in the morning and put them into our refridgerator to cool them down and stop the buds developing so they get to the customer in a perfect condition. We also have a ribbon printing system that enables us to print any message onto poly ribbon - this can be quite fun and adds a personallised touch to the gift.
British Grown Flowers make a very special gift - they are better for the enviroment and supports the local economy.
Our flowers are not organic however we use the least sprays possible and bio control when we can. We also use dung from the cows on the farm in our tunnels and we have our own water supply watering the plants with fresh well water.