Days of Dahlia • Flower Farm, Floristry Studio, Flower School

Locally grown flowers are the future, their soft, pastoral quality outshines any straight, characterless, scent less, mass manufactured bloom any day. They have all the vitality and romance of a wild garden or a flower meadow. They don’t wreck the planet with the kind of abandon and devastation we simply can’t afford. They are kind. Bees love them, and so do we. We are madly in love in fact. Growing a garden is a radical act, the very word radical comes from the Latin “radix” meaning root. To plant a seed is to make an investment in the future. Friends, now is the time to plant seeds, grow flowers, grow your own food, buy from local farmers, and join our flower revolution! Ps. If you grow this feverfew (the small daisies) then they will pop up everywhere around you year after year, forever more :) #seasonalfloweralliance #cultivatingplace #thefloralseasons #livinglifewithflowers #britishflowergrowers #aquietstyle _flowers #scottishflowers #britishflowers #gardengathered #gatheringslikethese #ihavethisthingwithflowers #gardenersofinstagram #bloomandgrow #organicflowers #sharingtheflorallove #cuttinggardencollective #inspiredbynature _ #grownnotflown #flowersfromthefarm #howmygardengrows #sustainablefloristry #fieldtovase #farmtovase #backtonature #growsomethinggreen

We celebrated 5 years of Days of Dahlia on 19 June 2023, thinking about all the flowers we have grown, all of the happiness we have shared, all of the happiness it has brought us, how much our lives have changed, the people we have met along the way, all the bees and birds we have fed, and all that’s to come! Thank you so much for being here with us! Special feature here of dad, who has been gardening and helping us so much this year and every year since we started. We call him the ‘generous gardener’ after his favourite David Austin rose we grow (slide 6). We built and are building a dream and a great love. As @olivialanguage put it in an article from 2021, words that have stayed with me since; “I often think while in the garden that the greatest happiness comes when I am in both states at once, working and dreaming together — which, now I think of it, makes gardening not so dissimilar from love itself.” Lauren & Louisina x

Visit our online shop for beautiful and functional tools and workwear for gardeners and flower arrangers 💫 𓇣 𓆱 𓎹 𓇚 𓍯 #seasonalfloweralliance #cultivatingplace #thefloralseasons #livinglifewithflowers #britishflowergrowers #underthefloralspell #aquietstyle #aquietstyle _flowers #britishflowers #seasonspoetry #gardengathered #gatheringslikethese #ihavethisthingwithflowers #gatherandcurate #stylingtheseasons #gardenersofinstagram #bloomandgrow #organicflowers #sharingtheflorallove #cuttinggardencollective #inspiredbynature _ #botanicalcreativity #grownnotflown #thatvelvetfeeling #gardeninspo #flowersfromthefarm #howmygardengrows #sustainablefloristry #fieldtovase #farmtovase

The stages of a poppy flower and their fascinating structure. The darker spots on the petals are called ‘honey guides’ and are a visual marker for pollinators to let them know where to land. Almost like lights on an airport runway. I am in awe by all of these highly specialised and evolved relationships between plants and creatures; an often fragile interdependence that exists between all species, us included. What a beautiful, mutually beneficial relationship we can all tap into - go and sow yourself some poppies friends! #mywildflowergarden #flowermagic #flowerboostchallenge #flowermessengers #flowers #flowerlovers #localflowerfarmers #flowersforthefuture #floweroftheday #flowerfarming #naturecaptures #pollenators #rhs #seasonalflowers #seasonalfloweralliance #scotland #flowerfarmglasgow

We hosted two Floristry 1-2-1 Masterclasses in May and looking back, it is amazing to see the change in the season from early May with the ranunculus, iris, bluebells, and tulips, and late May with the buttercups, poppies, roses, and allium. In such a short span of time the feel of the season changes so much, but remains so beautiful in its own way. Both of our masterclass participants wanted to learn how to create a bouquet in our gently arranged, gestural style; one for creating her own wedding bouquets and the other to make more accomplished looking arrangements with her own garden flowers and for her own enjoyment. It’s a joy to see people with such a passion for flowers thrive, shed any apprehension of their own abilities as an arranger, and create an arrangement they are really proud of. Dare I say, they also leave us a little more in love with flowers than when they came. And I identify with that ever deepening love because I feel it too. More pix from our latest workshops for you in stories friends, hope you enjoy! #flowerschoolglasgow #floristryclassesglasgow #flowerschool #sustainablefloristry #learnsustainablefloristry #flowerfarm #glasgow #scotland #grownnotflown #cuttinggarden #sustainablefloristryschool

Last Chelsea post, just one more! I wanted to share what my camera saw across the week, there were so many people who couldn’t make it so hopefully you get a good sense through some of my favourite parts of the show :) It’s such a sensory overload of beautiful sights, scents and sounds, it really takes a while to resonate. I felt really lucky being there since Friday before anything had opened, seeing everything take shape, and getting to spend lots of time wandering without the crowds. In order; 1. @kentwildflowerseeds x @ffern.co advocating a place for native wildflowers in garden planting schemes with meadow bench and painted backdrop by @clairebasler , this whole set up was magical and so carefully conceived, I kept going back to look again and again. 2. Exquisite and intricate willow waves by Tom Hare @sticksnapper in the @freedomfromtorture show garden, there was something so rich about the change in texture and materials, and the language of twisted willow resembling birds nests, so many notions of home, devoted care and protection here 3. Iris and cow parsley, a match made in heaven 4. Sweet rocket clouds, growing wild in the show grounds 5. Single foxglove, swaying through sun beams and leaves 6. Jenny @studio_seapink chilling in the @wateraid show garden, it was hard to tear ourselves away from this Eden 7. Willow dens and rampant rambling roses 8. Traditional olla pots, clay vessels used for capillary irrigation, a 4000 year old system used across Asia, Africa and South America in the @freedomfromtorture garden 9. Martagon lily obsession 10. Little moon and single pink cloud heralding goodnight on the opening night Thank you for reading friends and more pix in stories :) @the_rhs @rhschelsea #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow #rhschelseaflowershow2024

Last one I promise! I wanted to share the details of our Chelsea exhibit “The cracks which appear and the things that grow from them”. There were so many special flowers displayed in the piece and our intention was to showcase each of their characters, unique architecture, and special auras. Western flower arranging is so often about volume or using flowers to create blocks of colour or sculptural forms by using flowers on mass. Not to say this isn’t successful or interesting but I believe less is more, and I really went to town on this belief here! It’s amazing when you isolate a flower, how much they draw you in, and make your mind feel quiet. I have been thinking a lot about why this is and doing some research. I found that from an evolutionary perspective, flowers are thought to have indicated to our ancient ancestors that an environment was suitable for human habitation. If they are growing in this spot, we can grow here too. In turn, when looking at flowers our modern brains still feel this sense of security and feel this deep connection as a relief from stress. Flowers make us feel “at home”. From a neurological standpoint, flowers are key signallers to our safety and survival. I feel this so deeply. I guess we need each other after all :) Do you feel at peace when you look at flowers?

My mum charming the crowds on the first day :) one of the best things about Chelsea was the day the doors opened to the public and so many people sought us out because of Gardeners World or that they were from Scotland or that they already knew us or they stumbled upon us and were intrigued. Whatever brought them, people engaged with the exhibit in so many exciting ways and the beautiful thing about those numerous interpretations, is that it makes the meaning of the piece become myriad and extend far beyond our intentions. Some that I remember are that it looked like a Victorian book of botanical drawings which has come to life, it looks like a 3D page of pressed flowers, it’s like opening your curtains in the morning to a garden full of flowers, many people likened it to a drawing, and so many said they found it restful. Someone said, it caught their eye like making eye contact with someone you know in a crowd. Someone else showed me their photos of it and requested I made wallpaper out of prints of it! There were also those who spent so much time photographing it and I love that it lives on in so many camera rolls around the country. I will be sharing some more details because those to me are the best bits and the most difficult to see online. Thank you to everyone who came to see it and for stopping to talk and share these beautiful interpretations. A very special thank you to our sponsor @equigrowltd for their support and for the gold star compost they supply us with, and for taking time out of the farm to come and spend the evening with us on this day during biblical rain showers! @the_rhs @rhschelsea #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow

We’re home! Nourished and exhausted in equal measure. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show was a wonderful, beautiful, busy, dizzying, complex, and exhilarating bubble; a thought provoking experience that we are still gathering and reflecting on. We are really thankful and grateful to be part of 2024’s show, thankful for the time we had and all the people we met and shared it with. We would like to thank our incredible team; Jenny @studio_seapink , Nicole @culpn , and Isobel. Thank you so much for your hard work, time, care, artistry, council, snacks, and laughs. We feel your love, support and investment in what we do so wholeheartedly and thank you endlessly. Thank you to Helen @grow_cook_inspire for her support in reaching a bigger audience, flying the flag for the Scottish horticultural scene, and for her passion and belief in us. Thank you the @gardenersworldtv team and crew for an unforgettable experience and for creating such thoughtful telly and for giving us a platform to tell our story. Thank you to the @the_rhs and @rhschelsea for inviting us to create something different and experimental at this year’s show. The show is an amazing network of hardworking individuals that make this behemoth of flowers, plants and people run so smoothly. It truly is an amazing feat of organisation and spirit. Thank you to Nicola @gentleblooms for her knowledge and comprehensive advice in the lead up to the show about how to navigate all the logistics, and for saving me when I was lost without a charged phone. Thank you to all the people who came to talk to us, sent messages and shared images. Your observations, thoughts and feelings about our exhibit made its interpretation myriad and even more meaningful. Thank you to our family and friends for hyping us up, travelling to London to see us and cheering from afar, we feel very loved and supported! Lastly thank you to my dad Derek, the gentle gardener, for being by our sides in all things and looking after our farm single handedly while we were away. We came back to the most beautiful RHS-worthy show garden full of life and with renewed eyes, looking even more vital, alive and crucial. Continued in comments 💕

“The cracks which appear and the things that grow from them”, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024; steel, botanically dyed peace silk, glass, jute, water, flowers. Glass vials of flowers are suspended from a metal armature which has been draped with silk panels dyed with the flowers they display. The mechanics that hydrate the flowers are deliberately exposed through an intricate network of glass, they chink as they knock against one another like a musical instrument. One happy accident of making the piece. We were told this noise was making everyone around us feel more calm as they were setting up their work which I loved. We hoped to reframe a zero waste approach to floristry, inviting a different type of beauty, intrigue, and an openness to strangeness and experimentation. The way we have assembled the piece is a statement that extends beyond the practicality and function of keeping flowers alive during their short lives, becoming part of the affective architecture of the sculpture as a whole live entity. The metal armature is softened by the weight of the water, the botanical colours of the fabric are alive and changing containing the pigments of the flowers on display, every flower was reared by our own hands from tiny specks of seed, bulb, root, tuber, they are changing shape, bending to the light, emerging from the fabric or hidden within its layers. The whole piece is moving as I come to terms with it, a shift, a process, a personal language of layers, a way of thinking that became a flower growing practice 6 years ago, became production, and has now become a way of reflecting, the ability to juggle subjects and objects, explore a sustained political, enjoying feeling and experiencing things more than knowing them, making flowers discursive in myriad ways as they give cursory glances to passers by. We have a lot of thank yous which will come later but I have loved hearing how visitors to the show are engaging with it, one of my favourites being the woman who told me it reminded her of a book of Victorian botanical drawings. @the_rhs @rhschelsea #rhs #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow

Tonight’s the night! Friends we welcomed the crew from BBC Gardener’s World to Days of Dahlia world on 30 April and we will be featured on tonight’s show, BBC2 8pm! I hope you can tune in! This was an experience I will never forget, it was fun, terrifying, exhilarating, and exhausting. I have so much respect for all those who work in TV both in front of and behind the camera; the complexity, the moving parts, the tech, expertise, skills, knowledge, support, care, and ability to get the best out of a rather dumbstruck subject (me!) and supporting us to tell our story. Thank you so much to Polly, Dick, Wendy, Richard, and Richard from @gardenersworldtv for inviting us to be part of this special programme. I am currently in the passenger side of a van on the way down to London with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ahead of us, what an adventure! Do tell us if you watch the programme tonight :) #bbcgardenersworld #rhs #rhschelsea

Dear friends, we dropped flowers off in Eaglesham this morning with Di @vgc_eaglesham , it’s hot! Please go and give them a good home to cool down in :) All grown by us on the Eaglesham moor, just 2 miles away from Di’s shop. This beautiful moment is all about the iris which were covered in white and blue butterflies yesterday, a butterfly I have never seen in our field before. I was so excited, I ran to get my camera and they were gone. Whoever you are, you can stick around!