Kelly-Jane Leach explains how she lovingly nurtured her very own cut flower kingdom
My passion for gardening, taking me from hobbyist to horticulturist, began eight years ago with a clay-filled, mare’s tail-ridden, shady allotment in Hertfordshire. Over the years I grew my own fruit and vegetables and have now moved to a larger community-based site that gives me increased freedom and more choices regarding what I want to grow and why.
Like a lot of modern-day gardeners, I live in a flat and don’t have an outdoor space apart from my allotment, so I decided to start bringing the outdoors in. This involved studying for my RHS Level 2 Diploma, which sparked my joy for growing cut flowers. In early 2023, I made the decision to be self-sustainable in cut flowers, which was a new challenge away from fruit and vegetable growing.
My flower growing was such a success - fellow allotment holders would often bring visitors to my ‘flower farm’ and most would leave the site laden with bunches of my flowers and a smile. I also pass the blooms onto my neighbours and love the sight of pulling into my road and seeing bunches of my home-grown flowers proudly displayed in the windows of the flats, brightening up this concrete paradise I call home.
There are so many advantages to growing your own flowers
Not least of all reducing your carbon footprint and supporting local wildlife. It was an ethical choice to grow my own as I couldn’t justify the need for roses from Africa out of season, for example, when our English climate is suited to growing them too, albeit at a different time. Appreciating seasonality became mindfully habitual, giving me a sense of hope for the future.
The wider benefits for wildlife
These come from the winter skeletons and hollow stems left behind after the summer season, as well as all the seeds from spent flowers that help keep the birds and smaller mammals fed. Open, single flowers are essential if you want to attract pollinators, as the nectar in these plants is easier for insects to extract, than in the more complicated ‘double’ flowers. I’ve now introduced spring and autumnblooming plants to extend my cutting season and support local wildlife, providing an extra boost to the biodiversity of my surroundings.
I chose to grow what I enjoy by seeing, feeling, and smelling.
There are so many great options when you’re short for space
Making the most of your growing area by using arches for climbers, or growing tall plants, will open up larger growing opportunities and also provide much-needed shade and wind protection if you’re growing on an open site like I am on an allotment.
I also made adaptations to my planting and grew French beans up my sunflowers, similar to the ancient ‘three sisters’ techniqu
