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    Cottage garden alstroemerias for a vase


    June 19th, 2022 - Summer gardening, Tips and inspiration

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    Alstroemerias as cut flowers

    cottage garden alstroemerias

    Pink and white in a Victorian cranberry vase

    Do you buy cut flowers for the house or to give to friends?  Do you buy them from a florist, supermarket, or online?

    I’ve tried them all over the years.  I’m always wishing I could buy flowers grown here in the UK and support our flower growers.

    So can I introduce you to

    Alstroemeria grower Ben Cross

    aka @Alstroemeriaben on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Crosslands Flower Nursery.

    I’ve just discovered his mail order boxes of flowers and want to show you some photos of what I’ve done with them.

    bunch of alstroemerias

    Four bunches like this are delivered

    This isn’t an advert and I have no connection with Ben but I am happy to be able to now buy cottage garden alstroemerias that have come from Sussex overnight rather than from a supermarket.

    Ben is a fourth generation grower and is strongly campaigning, like a Jamie Oliver of the flower world,  to spread the word that “British Flowers Rock”.  His Crosslands Nursery is sadly one of the last large growers left in the UK.

    Overnight delivery

    For a total of £25 (less outside London)  four bunches arrive in a big box first thing in the morning and I put them straight into deep water.

    flowers in a vase

    There are 4 bunches here

    I can specify what colours I want from a big range of colours – some dark and some pale.

    One bunch looks like this

    alstroemeria flowers

    On arrival they are closed

    I often put 3 or 4 stems in a small vase like this

    In the winter I use more artificial flowers for vases and have written about that here but when there are fresh flowers as lovely as these I may well rethink.

    Hints to keep flowers fresh

    The more leaves we take off the more energy goes back into the flower so I am now stripping off far more leaves than I used to.  If the leaves go yellow I just take them off.  Ben says his flowers can last over a month in cool conditions.  I need to change the water every 2/3 days and cut a tiny bit off the stems when I do that.

    cottage garden alstroemerias

    Three stems in a vintage vase

    Don’t leave them in direct sunlight and most importantly make sure the vases are clean.  I was using weak bleach and he said NO! just hand wash normally.

    Three days later

    This is what they look like today when they have started to open up.

    cottage garden alstroemerias

    Simple yellow in an antique cranberry vase

    cottage garden alstroemerias

    Lovely mixture of colours

    Growing cottage garden alstroemerias

    All my attempts have failed miserably.  I’ve bought them many times and they come with such promise. Some have never been seen again.  Some tried their best, which wasn’t much of a best.  I have some this year but I’ll be lucky to get a few stems per week plus they are all bent and wonky.

    I think that my closely packed garden style is too squashed for them.  They need space so as a compromise I will buy them as fresh flowers and grow something else.

    You can find Ben on Twitter and Instagram @Alstroemeriaben and on Facebook at Crosslands Flower Nursery.

    And you can subscribe to my intermittent blogs if you’d like to by putting your email in the box above.

    Thanks for reading and good gardening to all.

    Julie

     

     

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    12 comments on "Cottage garden alstroemerias for a vase"

    1. Ben Cross says:
      19th June 2022 at 10:42 am

      Thank you for the flowers awesome write up and for being a true British Flower Rocker!

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        19th June 2022 at 1:16 pm

        Thanks Ben. Very good wishes, Julie

        Reply
    2. Irene Hay says:
      19th June 2022 at 11:16 am

      I am attempting to grow Alstromeria but here in Australia the critters seem to like them too. Your cut flowers look lovely. Common Farm Flowers in Somerset on YouTube says people and florists are starting to appreciate British grown flowers.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        19th June 2022 at 1:17 pm

        Yes the slugs like them here too. Greetings from UK to you, so far away but possibly with the same kind of climate.

        Reply
    3. martiblack says:
      19th June 2022 at 3:05 pm

      these are absolutely gorgeous. it might sound sentimentally soppy, but a loved one died 12 days ago, and looking at these beautiful flowers cheered me up this morning. thank you, julie.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        19th June 2022 at 3:59 pm

        Oh that is so nice. Certainly not soppy at all. Sentimental is real emotion and how lovely that pictures of beautiful flowers have given you cheer. Very best wishes, Julie

        Reply
    4. beverly says:
      19th June 2022 at 4:20 pm

      They are beautiful. I may try to grow some…if not to the grocery I will go.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        20th June 2022 at 8:14 am

        Good idea. Both!

        Reply
    5. Paddy Tobin says:
      20th June 2022 at 9:40 am

      Wonderful plants though we have found some over-vigorous. I dug out a wheelbarrow full of roots a few weeks back but we have others which are very well behaved and are beautiful garden plants.

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        23rd June 2022 at 8:41 pm

        Oh boy sounds like they like growing for you. Mine are utterly pathetic. I really am going to give up on them this year. Thanks for your comment and lovely to hear from other gardeners. Julie

        Reply
    6. Julia Hearn says:
      20th June 2022 at 11:24 am

      These are stunning. I will definitely check Ben out on Instagram. I love your vases too!

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        23rd June 2022 at 8:42 pm

        Oh thankyou, yes my old vases are mainly from antique fairs and some from my Mum. His flowers are super so do hope you like them. Julie

        Reply

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