Table of contents for The Flower Patch in The Flower Patch

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 yourself, the pleasure is doubled. Such is my need to recapture the childhood magic of picking sweet peas, I once grew them on the window ledge of a third-floor flat where aged sash windows made picking nigh-on impossible. Access is less of a problem these days as I have a flower patch on an allotment. It’s only small but I still furnish my home (and friends) with blooms all summer long. My inspiration has come from pioneering grower and florist Sarah Raven, so…

SARAH RAVEN'S GUIDE TO… 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 arranging them for my botaniser father to have on his desk to love too. Through my twenties I wanted a flower shop, and my birthday present from my now husband, Adam, was to go to the wholesale cut flower market at Nine Elms and buy enough freesias, lilies, hyacinths and Paper Whites to fill our West London house. I loved that week of flowers in every room, but once I lived in the country it made…

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 petals in the deepest crimson. I have also added ‘Sahara’ to my must-have list with its subtle mix of colours from café-au-lait to crimson, with some greens in the mix. There was a time you’d find Rudbeckias in florist shops stripped down to their bald central heads. The petals were removed as they’re too delicate for transit and would be past their best before they reached the customer. All the more reason to grow your own! Keep cutting them and they’ll keep coming. And if space is limited, they grow very well in…

Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ (Honeywort) has silvery leaves with purple hanging bells, and is one of the best annual foliage plants. I absolutely love this plant, and it gently self-sows, so after your initial investment you never need buy it again. Start sowing early and you may even get a self-seeded second crop this year. It’s superb as a garden plant and cut flower, and absolutely loved by butterflies and bees (hence its common name), so is a particularly wildlife-friendly option. Its pleasing nodding heads give arrangements an informal look and it’s a good foliage base for most colours. More mature stems will produce a lot of side shoots which, when cut as a whole stem, make a great framework for a display If you sear the stems in boiling water…

TAP HERE FOR YOUR WALL ART PERFECT PLANNING Once you’ve picked your favourite flowers from our guide, use the wallplanner to work out where and when to sow and harvest your floral bounty. Tap the link below then print the three pages and stick them together. COLD COMFORT Plants marked as half-hardy annuals can’t withstand frost, so don’t plant them out until at least late May. Hardy annuals are a bit sturdier and can be planted out from April, unless it’s unseasonably cold. TAP HERE FOR YOUR PLANTING PLANNER…

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 cutting. If your patch only has space for one colour, plump for ‘Liberty Classic Crimson’, a rich velvety variation. You can afford to plant snapdragons a little closer together than the seed packets suggest as a bit of competition for light will help plants maximise their height. Pick regularly and they’ll go on flowering well into the autumn. Snapdragons are one of the best ‘flower spikes’ to give height to an arrangement, not to mention the rush of childhood nostalgia that they can evoke – who can resist pressing…

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 brilliant acid-green flowers and bold, strong shapes. It’s really a short-lived perennial, but it flowers best in its first year, so we treat it as a hardy annual. I use this with anything and everything. The upright stems and vivid, acid-green flower bracts provide the perfect contrast to all colours from pastels to the richest tones. Have gloves to hand when it comes to cutting this one, as it’s a skin and eye irritant. Searing the stems in boiling water for 30 seconds should stop the sticky…

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 collections, which should contain all these shades. I love all of them but the very best is ‘Benary’s Giant Lime’. Mix it with contrasting deep crimsons and reds or arrange one or two stems simply on their own to appreciate its exquisite and dramatic but calming colour. Zinnia elegans is one of my very favourite families for cutting, with a long picking season and excellent vase life. These plants really benefit from pinching out the top bloom. Make the sacrifice and you’ll be rewarded with many more flowers.…

Think in manageable squares as even a small piece of ground can make you feel unsure where to start. For the sake of easy maths, I divide my patch into squares of 25x25cm. So my 2x2m plot becomes a grid of eight by eight squares. I draw this out on a piece of paper as a start. Next I look through my list of flowers and note the recommended planting distances (see our pull-out chart on page 34). Now I have the idea of what will fit in a grid square. With something as large as a dahlia – at least 45cm between plants – I’ll have to give it four squares all to itself, whereas a panicum seedling will only need one square. Once I’ve done this for all…

1 THE ESSENTIAL TOTE BAG Beautiful and practical, this woven tote bag is just the thing to take into your flower patch to transport freshly picked blooms back to the house ready to be arranged. Sturdy and spaciously designed, each bag is individually handmade so no two are the same. £50 philippacraddock.com 2 MAKING A CLEAN CUT Whether you’re growing your own or arranging bought blooms, these stainless steel flower scissors will make life very easy. Designed with a serrated edge on one blade to increase the cutting power, they’ll make it a doddle to deal with multiple stems in a larger bouquet. The smooth handle is comfortable to grip and they can be clipped closed when you’ve finished using them. £18.50 gardentrading.co.uk 3 COLLECTABLES… THE FLOWER FROG Very little…

JO FLOWERS Be inspired by the romantic, natural blooms that are featured on Norfolk-based florist and grower Jo Rodwell’s feed. @joflowers THE BLUE CARROT Gorgeous images of natural designs can be found on Cornish florist and flower-grower Susanne Hatwood’s account. @the_blue_carrot FLORET US-based farmer-florist Erin Benzakein posts stunning photos of her flowers and farm. Check out her beautiful book too, Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden. @floretflower GREEN AND GORGEOUS Sharing images from behind the scenes of their idyllic flower farm in Oxfordshire are Rachel Siegfried and her partner Ashley Pearson. @ gandgorgeousflowers THE FLOWER HUNTER North Wales-based flower grower, florist and landscape designer Lucy Hunter showcases exquisitely styled photos of her floral designs, together with captivating captions. @lucytheflowerhunter THE GARDEN GATE FLOWER COMPANY Creating artful arrangements with flowers and foliage…

Fresh petal confetti is a fantastic alternative to the shop-bought, paper variety. It’s equally effective with a mix of shades and shapes or with just one colour. Flowers that work particularly well are roses, individual delphinium heads and sweet peas. Fresh confetti is best prepared on the big day, but the petals will be fine if you prepare them the day before and store them in the fridge overnight. Making confetti is a lovely simple job for someone at a loose end on the wedding morning: simply pluck the petals from the flowers and place into a container, basket or paper cone. The Flower Appreciation Society: An A-Z Of All Things Floral by Anna Day and Ellie Jauncey is published by Sphere (RRP £20). Find out more about the Flower…

Floristry courses and workshops are the best way to expand your skills, and they come with the bonus that you’ll meet others who share your new obsession. Learning comes in all sorts of formats, so we called on the expert help of Rachel Wardley, founder of the Tallulah Rose Flower School, to guide us through the options available. Rachel is incredibly passionate about sharing floral knowledge and launched her Bath-based flower school back in 2009. “Think in reverse about what you want from a course,” she advises. “What do you want to do with your flowers? Do you want to learn to make a bouquet, or is it more about a day out with friends, to be taught about flowers and how to care for them? Do you like to…

When to pick 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 of the evening is good too. Carry a bucket of water with you and plunge the stems straight into it as soon as they’re cut. It’s best not to wait for a flower to be fully out to pick it. It will have a longer life and give an interesting, changing effect to displays if you cut it as it starts to open. You need to judge when the bud isn’t so tight that it won’t…

SARAH RAVEN 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 PETHERAM Rachel is an artisan florist, gardener and teacher who grows cut flowers in a walled kitchen garden in Lincolnshire. She uses her knowledge to run floristry courses and is a very experienced wedding florist. catkinflowers.com ANNA DAY & ELLIE JAUNCEY Anna and Ellie founded The Flower Appreciation Society after bonding over a shared love of flowers, and now grow their own flowers in an urban London patch. theflowerappreciationsociety.co.uk CINEAD McTERNAN Cinead has worked in horticulture for over a decade, writing books and features as well as researching for BBC2’s Gardener’s World. She’s passionate about her small…

1 COPPER GARDEN TOOLS 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 comes with a personalised drawstring bag, making it a thoughtful gift too. £35 jonnyssister.co.uk 2 GROW YOUR OWN CONFETTI The sky’s the limit when it comes to the variety of flowers you can grow in your own cutting patch, whether it’s in a border or a container. While that’s exciting, it can also be a little daunting. Thankfully, there are lots of companies that have done the hard work for you by creating special seed collections around a particular occasion or theme.…

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 this will prolong vase life. Think about where you’ll put your vase too, as warmer places will encourage the flowers to drop. Strip all the bottom leaves and some higher ones otherwise they’ll turn yellow before the flowers have finished blooming, spoiling the look of an arrangement. Cut the stems short to display with sweet peas, nigella and poppies or use full length by itself in a stained glass vase. For a special occasion, cut stems to 30cm to cover an oasis globe…

Cosmos is one of my absolute favourite plants. It gives you the highest square-inch productivity of any cut flower, so for every square foot that you plant, you’ll get more buckets of cut flowers from that square foot than you will with any other plant. Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity’ has large, open flowers of pure white, with delicate apple-green foliage. It’s the classic cut flower and a supremely lovely garden plant that no one should be without. For a belt of brightness try Cosmos ‘Dazzler’, which has large, open, buttercup-like flowers of carmine with delicate, feathery foliage – it’s beautiful, tall and airy. Cosmos lasts 10 days in a vase, produces at least two buckets of cut flowers a week from a one-metre-square patch and is in bloom from late June…

One of my favourites, Amaranthus caudatus produces long, soft tassels. You may have seen the widespread crimson version that gives it its common name but try the fresh, acid-green ‘Viridis’ as a much better mixer – it subtly enhances whites and blues, or contrasts dramatically with oranges, crimsons and scarlets. It won’t reach its full promise until late summer or early autumn but will continue to flower to the early part of the winter – one of the last flowers to be picked. And don’t let the spindly seedlings fool you – feeding this plant can produce 1.5m (5ft) giants. Love-lies-bleeding makes one of the best upper level foliage plants for an elegant, mixed arrangement as it’s perfect with dahlias, or arranging in a large vase on its own. You’ll…

Panicum elegans is a beautiful, airy grass that forms great puffs of green. It’s one of the most productive foliage plants you can add to your cutting patch and one of the best upper-storey foliage plants for cutting. Just add three to five stems to any arrangement to transform a vase. Experiment with cutting this at different stages: at first it will open to reveal tight, upright tassels of green. If allowed to grow on it will ‘explode’ to project incredibly fine stems with tiny bobbles on the ends that look like fibre optics. Try the ‘Frosted Explosion’ variety for stunning effects. Panicum is a wonderful foil for many flowers as it takes on the colour of the other blooms in your displays. It also dries well, which gives it…

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 can pick the individual colours separately for combining with other plants. Cleomes are an elegant and ethereal, very long-lasting and statuesque annual. They’re a must for the summer and autumn garden, going on flowering longer than all the other half-hardies. I’ve discovered that this germinates best with lots of temperature fluctuations from hot to cold, so sow this one early. The only downside to cleomes is their thorns, but they’re easy to remove when you come to harvest them as a…

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 recommend its rich red sibling Helianthus annuus ‘Claret’. Rather than aiming for the traditional height for your flower patch, stunt the plants to increase the production of flowers. To do this, pinch out the growing tips. When they’re about 20cm (8in) tall, remove the tip between your thumb and forefinger. It feels brutal, but within a week you’ll see lots of buds breaking from the space between the remaining leaves and central stem. Rather than producing one ‘king flower’ and 10 or 15 sub flowers, you’ll quadruple the number of blooms, each with a perfect…

Cultivating a flower patch is inexpensive and eco-friendly, so replacing plastic seedling pots with recycled paper versions is sure to appeal. Each pot takes less than two minutes to make, and when it’s time to plant out your seedlings you can simply plant the whole pot in the ground where it will degrade quite happily, letting roots grow freely where they will. The optimum pot size is 3in (7.5cm) square. This is easy to make and is a good size for most seedlings. Any larger and the structure turns a little flimsy; any smaller and it’s fiddly to make the folds. We favour the famous pale pink of the Financial Times but any matte paper will do the trick. Don’t use glossy pages from a magazine as shiny paper won’t…

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 you plenty of time to make plans if you’d like to grow your own wedding flowers. Why grow wedding flowers? There are several reasons why you might want to grow your own blooms. The obvious ones are the cost savings, a love of gardening and the fact that it’s an exciting challenge. These days, couples in the UK can expect to spend, on average, somewhere in the region of £1,500 to £2,000 on flowers for their wedding. The flower budget alone can…

1 TAKE COVER This pretty ‘Wellesley Blossom’ tablet cover comes in Cath Kidston’s trademark (and oh so practical) wipe-clean oilcloth – perfect if you’re out in the garden taking pictures, surfing the web for planting advice or typing up some notes for next year’s planting scheme. Muddy fingers won’t matter! From £20 cathkidston.com 2 PASSION GARDENING JOURNAL Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just starting out, keeping a journal is a great way to collate ideas, jot down inspirational flower combinations and make seasonal observations of your plot. While a notebook will do the job perfectly well, why not treat yourself to a Moleskine Gardening Journal, with all the bells and whistles that the clever designers have included. With information on plants, pots, hardiness, zones, grids and spaces for plant…

THE CUT FLOWER PATCH By Louise Curley Frances Lincoln Limited Through years of experience on her own cutting patch, Louise (AKA blogger ‘wellywoman’) is able to advise with confidence on the flower varieties that are most abundant, easiest to grow and which last well when cut. We were particularly taken with the chapter on planning your patch, especially the beautifully illustrated planting plans that show exactly how to lay out a patch, along with shopping lists that indicate the type and number of plants to use. Louise calls it “creating a patchwork of flowery colour”. The 224 pages are packed and take you beyond planting and enjoying your flowers. Louise extends the season with ideas for growing flowers with attractive seed heads. She also tackles foraging as a way to…

“Garden-grown flowers are quirky, whimsical, unique. If they were a person they’d be dancing round barefoot with long, wild hair.” 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, locally grown, seasonal flowers connect us with many things we hold dear. The past, the countryside, the seasons and our community. Buying flowers from an artisan grower who contributes to the local economy, whose garden provides a haven for wildlife and whose flowers are unique is more than just buying a bunch of flowers. It connects us to a person, to a place…

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 will look great. It’s a hardy salvia, with tiny flowers but enlarged and brilliantly coloured flower bracts of purple-blue (bracts aren’t ‘true’ flowers but brightly coloured leaves). Considering its rather delicate appearance, it’s a treat to find it still standing after the first frosts. It’s very easy to grow and lasts wonderfully well once cut. It looks particularly striking grouped into mini bunches among other blooms. This makes a great dried flower too, as it keeps its colour well. DISPLAY ADVICE Mini bunches of clary…

Dahlias are the highlight of the late summer. Keep picking them and one dahlia tuber will produce hundreds of flowers. I grow dahlias in nearly all their shapes and forms, from delicate singles to the gravity-defying ‘dinner plate’ varieties. Dahlias are among the lowest maintenance, highest production cut flowers you can grow. In a good year, they’ll flower from late June to early December (particularly in a sheltered spot). They come in all shapes and sizes, and are available in most of the best flower colours. They are some my favourite ever garden plants. They can be grown from seed but for the best choice and vase life buy them as tubers. Their root structures look like a bunch of salamis gathered together on a stem. You can pot them…

The marigold is many people’s least favourite plant for some reason. I admit I used to be a subscriber to the ‘anti orange and yellow in your garden’ club, but once I was arranging flowers regularly I joined the opposite camp – the more bright, easy-to-grow cottage garden plants the better. I love marigolds in the garden and the cutting patch. Calendula officinalis ‘Indian Prince’ is a deep orange, with the buds and backs of the petals in crimson. I use them in brilliant-coloured arrangements and eat the petals in salads. Arrange them jumbled together in a blue ceramic jug for the kitchen, or make up in a tightly tied posy mixing the oranges with bright blue cornflowers. Expect a vase life of five to seven days if you strip…

If you’re thinking of choosing scabious seeds (also known as pincushion flower), the mauves, dark oranges, whites and pinks of a collection such as ‘Tall Double Mix’ are pretty for informal bunches, but it’s the deep crimson form I like best. They live up to their common name well, with little pin-like flecks standing above the velvety cushion of petals. One of the longest-flowering and most glamorous hardy annual cut flowers, this grows well on any soil and if I keep picking it it flowers from June until Christmas in my garden. These pincushion flowers are gently scented. You may need to stake this plant but if you let it grow unsupported the curving stems make a fun feature that’s well suited to the contemporary style of relaxed floral display.…

20% OFF YOUR ORDER FROM 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 garden at Perch Hill to make sure they’re the most beautiful and productive. Our exclusive collections of seeds and plants make it easier for you to enjoy perfectly matched combinations of colour and texture. We also stock all the kit you’ll need to get started with your flower patch, from seed trays to secateurs. We only sell items we know will stand the test of time, to make sure you get years of use from them. We also send a free…

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 about the fragrance than their appearance. I do simple blind tests every year with 20 stems held in a bunch. I get as many people as I can around the kitchen table and then one by one I pass the bunches round. Without looking at the flower, just using their noses and judging the strength of smell, everyone gives them a mark out of ten for each one. Only the ‘eight out of tens’ or above make it and they’re the ones that…

It’s the wettest day of the winter when we visit Hartley Farm near Bradford-on-Avon. We’ve come to meet Grace Farrimond, co-owner of Young Blooms, a gem of a florists adopted by the renowned farm shop. Almost there, we pass Grace’s growing patch, the Not So Secret Garden. Right now the beds are empty and dark with the rain, but an air of promise hangs over the plot. From the veranda in front of Grace’s shop, we peer out at the quarter-acre she took on only three years ago. Why the name? “The Secret Garden was one of my favourite books as a child,” Grace explains. “It was typical of me that I made up the name on the spot – the garden’s so blatantly out in the open!” The ground…

The vases we use for our arrangements are as important as the flowers we select to put into them. We look for containers, vessels and vases all over the place – car boots, charity shops, eBay, the flower market, antique shops, flea markets… When we were first setting up and needed to grow our collection, we would meet up most Sundays and go hunting. It was such a fun part of the job! When buying containers it’s useful to think about what kind of shape you want to create, and how many flowers you’ll have to arrange with. If flower budgets are tight, it’s best to aim for narrow-necked vases or bottles as they’ll require far fewer stems than wide-brimmed vessels. We’ve built up a 150-strong collection of old cutor…

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 privilege and so inspiring. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to look back at a visual diary of how your own flower patch has progressed? From that very first time that you started sowing, to witnessing seedlings sprout, planting out, nurturing and gathering your floral bounty, and finally proudly displaying your beautiful creations in your home. Well, a very easy way to document your flower journey is by using Instagram. Why use Instagram? If you’re new to Instagram, it’s an app that enables you to share pictures and videos…

1 SHARE THE LOVE “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 wellbeing. Founded in 2013, Grace Alexander Flowers grows in just a third of an acre in Somerset, where seeds for subtle shades of flowers are packed in beautiful natural envelopes, ready to be delivered to your door. Grace can personalise the envelopes to create beautiful wedding favours too. gracealexanderflowers.co.uk 2 PUT YOUR STAMP ON IT Inspired by a love of nature and old folklore, textile artist and designer Nula Shearing has created these beautiful handmade stamps at her home on the south coast of England. We love her…

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 structure and character of each of the flowers and foliage. This is when you’ve got to think in 3D more than ever, bearing in mind when you’re designing it that your arrangement will largely be seen from below. Big, open peonies really come into their own in a large arrangement like this – they’re great for acting as the main focus as well as for filling space. Another bonus is their incredible array of changing colours. Other large summer flowers that would work well…

Roses are arguably some of the best (I would say the best, of course) of all garden plants. After all, what else can potentially have a beautiful flower, a wonderful fragrance, be easy to look after and flower for five or six months of the year? I certainly wouldn’t be without them nor would my partner, Rosie, who, amazingly, didn’t like them when I first met her – although it took her some time to admit it! Not only do they look beautiful in our garden we also love to cut them for arrangements. I do try to take a few home from our garden here at David Austin Roses, although sometimes it’s two or three bucket loads if we’ve been doing a photoshoot and then the house gets filled…

CHOOSING A GOOD SPOT Your flower patch will be beautiful to look at but you should think of it as a place to harvest a crop. To maximise your haul, you’ll need to consider these points when choosing where to plant… * A sunny situation is a must, with a minimum of six hours direct light a day. * Check it’s not overshadowed – watch how shadows fall on the area during the day. * Avoid being too close to hedges and trees as their roots will compete for water. * A bit of shelter is good if possible. Nearby shrubs will offer protection from breezes. * Choose somewhere you can reach with a hose, unless you value an arm work-out with watering cans. TOOLS There’s no need for a…

Searing means immersing your flower stems in hot water after they’ve been picked but before they’re left to soak before being arranged. Most soft-stemmed plants will respond well to this technique and some woody stems too if you’ve been able to forage some extra foliage to go with your blooms. Opinion about water temperature varies. Sarah Raven is a fan of ‘searing’ stems, which means a very quick dip in boiling water. Martha Stewart, in her new book, Martha Stewart Flowers, is an advocate of a longer plunge in slightly cooler water, and for dahlias she has the following advice: “Place them in very hot water in the vase and let it cool. Warm water transfers up the stem faster and is especially important with dinner plate dahlias to ensure…