Pack of 2 Oasis Foam Wreath Rings 12" (31cm)

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By the age of 16, he was supplying plants to Covent Garden while selecting and breeding his own varieties. In amongst the chrysanths there’s some salvia Hot Lips which is still flowering its heart out on 27th November. She especially loved having flowers in the house as carers would always comment on how cheerful they were and how much they enjoyed visiting Joan and her husband Keith. I love the two-tone flowers and their delightful habit of twisting and turning as they grow towards the sun.

Today, the Queen leaves her home, Buckingham Palace, for the last time as her coffin travels to Westminster Hall for ‘lying in state’ ahead of her funeral on Monday. My hour or so was packed with information on growing the best cut flower varieties, how to condition stems, what materials to use, how to create everything from kitchen table flowers, to ‘all of the garden’ huge bouquets. When Keith was no longer able to garden, I took over the tradition on growing the yellow flowers for his wife, Joan. Sadly it has no scent, but it is a wonderful sight in June and then repeat flowers on a more modest level right through to November. Enjoy this week’s views of the garden and ramble along the back field footpath where there’s masses of white cow parsley and the last of the hawthorn blossom now festooned with ribbons of fragrant dog roses.Her cake tin -before dementia- was always full of flapjack, coconut chocolate squares, and fruit cake. That’s three uses of the word ‘hope,’ but under the circumstances, I think we all need some hope, don’t we. But she never forgot the names of the flowers, and my posies gave us something cheerful to talk about.

I do not pay for any advertising, and I’m always grateful to anyone who spreads the word and signs up to follow, via e mail. Natural string is used to tie them together, so at the end of their life, the whole lot can be shredded and composted.I join in on whichever day I can, and I love seeing what Cathy and others are growing for their cut flower vases. I started with the galvanised bucket which came from Jonathan Moseley and contained sunflowers last week.

We spent a year renovating it and now love sitting inside looking out at the different views of the garden. Physocarpus is worth growing for its white flower heads which are followed by these glossy maroon-red seed heads.

I’ve been quite heartbroken to lose someone who always stood by my side in whatever I was doing in life and supported me. The foam is soaked, then secured to the base bowl with stem tape and your flowers trimmed and inserted into the foam. A highlight of a particularly difficult and stormy day was suddenly finding six long-tailed tits, newly emerged from the nest- all gathered along a hazel branch, at eye level, fluffing up feathers, preening, eager darting eyes. The carrot turns green as it goes to seed, perfectly matching the green rim around the centre of the daisy flowers.

They are good for cut flowers, lasting at least a week to 10 days in a vase if you change the water each day.

It’s a glimpse back into past-times and an indication of how gardeners lived and worked when Calke Abbey was a family home. Oasis floral foam is used worldwide and this collection of foam pads and rings is great for round bunches of flowers (posies) and wreaths or rings of flowers.