May 09, 2025

The Importance of Data Collection, The Dahlias Are Moving Out, Get Comfortable with Competition & Encouraging Brides to Buy Seasonal Local Cut Flowers

27 minutes

It's Friday 9 May 2025 and another gorgeous evening. I've recorded this episode at home tonight, out of the wind, so the audio quality is much better than the last episode (sorry about that one).

Executive decision: the dahlias are finally moving outside this weekend! They have had enough of being inside (and I want my living room back) so they're going out to be hardened off before being planted out on the plot. I talk about the importance of data collection for my cut flowers and how I'm getting on with collecting information like the time it takes me to sow/plant out/water. I know it will be useful information when it comes to calculating stem prices and productivity later on.

I analyse what's going on with my nigella seedlings and why I don't think I'm going to grow them in 2026 (unless they sell really well). Some of my seedlings are doing brilliantly (like the cornflowers) but the nigella are not happy. There's an update on my 'lookbook' for showcasing my flowers to florists: are you doing anything similar? I'd love to know. There's a bit of a discussion about a marketing idea I have for persuading brides to ask their wedding florists for local and seasonal blooms (rather than imports) in the hope that it increases demand for British blooms.

Finally I have a bit of a rant about competition from other growers (I'm in favour), through the prism of growers who have a leg up in the setup of their business. I'm only jealous because I've been doing things the hard way. Despite my moaning, I hope that we can all lift and support each other in this crazy business and I wish everyone the very best (even if I am green with envy sometimes).

In this episode, join me for a chat about what's going on this week.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Still no rain...

✅ My seedlings are still on the inside-outside carousel

✅ Why my dahlias are finally going outside this weekend

✅ How I'm watering my sweetpeas

✅ The importance of recording time spent sowing and planting out

✅ How my flower "lookbook" is progressing

✅ Why I want to start marketing to brides

✅ Competition from fellow growers: good or bad?

✅ Clockwise or anticlockwise: which way do your climbers want to go?

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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.

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By Lydia Watson

22 ratings