Becoming A Cut Flower Grower

Welcome to 6 November 2026. 
I'm diving into some magical seed science in this episode, thanks to a strange comment I received recently on a reel about my self-seeded foxgloves on the field. I've always marvelled at the magic of seeds and germination. Every spring I get incredibly excited about how the process works and now that I'm doing autumn sowing I'm experiencing it all over again. 
I'll be talking about the important timing challenge faced by seeds prior to their germination, and the how (and why) seeds naturally keep themselves in a state of dormancy. I'll be looking at the physical, physiological, and morphological ways that they do this, with an example plant for each. I'll also be (briefly) getting into the nitty gritty of the hormones that either cause or break dormancy. It's very clever stuff.
I hope you enjoy today's episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Text The Podcast Here
Support the show
Connect with me
Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. 
Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk 
Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday. 
Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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.

Welcome to 3 November 2026. 
We're into November! Thank you very much if you've sent me a message about your cut flower journey or left a review on Apple Podcasts. I've just found some lovely reviews that actually made me cry a little bit (in a good way): I'm very touched that the podcast is resonating with you. 
Today I've got an update on my greenhouse seedlings. They're growing much faster than I thought they would, which is making me wonder whether they should go out on the field now, rather than in spring? I'm also now leaving the door open during the day to help with ventilation - thanks to a reel I saw on instagram from @rainesflowersuk which reminded me that I need to do this.
News from the field includes all the plants I've either been digging up or transplanting over the weekend. This is the perfect time of year (if you're in the UK) to shift things around, remove what doesn't fit - or that doesn't sell well - and make space for new things which fit the brief for my target customer. I'll also be talking about what I've been labelling on the field.
Finally, I'm sharing more details of my rose plan for 2027 including the details I'm collecting and storing on their dedicated spreadsheet, the numbers I've been crunching to justify the amount of money I'm planning on spending to acquire them, plus the pdf colour wheel I've made and shared with some of my clients to make sure I'm buying what they might want.
I hope you enjoy today's episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Text The Podcast Here
Support the show
Connect with me
Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. 
Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk 
Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday. 
Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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.

Welcome to Friday 30 October 2026. 
This week I discovered that I have been unwittingly recreating one of the great tragedies of Greek mythology (Sisyphus and his boulder), only I've been doing it with two IBCs, a submersible pump and a rather expensive electricity supply. If you're storing water (or planning to) then a crash course in siphoning is probably a good idea. 
I'm discussing personal branding: what it is, why it's important, why customers buy into a person (not just the product), the 5 things that differentiate me from another grower, how personal branding builds familiarity and trust (and why this matters), questions to ask to help define what makes your business unique, simple changes you could make today to your instagram bio to get started, and - most importantly - a reminder that personal branding isn't about vanity or showing off. 
I'm sharing details of how my seedlings in the greenhouse are getting on. I'm definitely loving autumn sowing: it's really joyful seeing new plants growing at a time of year that I normally associate with plants winding down for the winter. 
Finally I'm doing my plant profile of the week and it's Asters/Michaelmas daisies. They're fabulous perennials and I'm a bit surprised I haven't thought of growing any until now. I'll be buying some in 2027 and I'm talking about why.
Where I'm going to buy my Michaelmas daisies:
https://www.oldcourtnurseries.co.uk/
I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Text The Podcast Here
Support the show
Connect with me
Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. 
Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk 
Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday. 
Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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.

Welcome to Tuesday 27 October 2026. 
I've spent the morning on the field transplanting my hydrangeas and some perennials. In this episode I'm sharing the details of how and why I've transplanted what I have, plus the technique I use to make autumn bed prep easier. I've had alot of rain in the last week so the IBC storage tanks are filling up nicely. 
I've also bitten the bullet and finally setup my online shop. I've done it in my existing website because it was easier and cheaper, and I'll talk through the details with you. I've also been learning how to setup and run zoom meetings for future interviews (there's alot to learn) and use a calendar app to arrange the calls. I'm not joking when I say that growing flowers is just a small element of selling cut flowers...
I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Text The Podcast Here
Support the show
Connect with me
Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. 
Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk 
Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday. 
Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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.

Welcome to Friday 23 October 2026. 
I've had a very mixed week: car battery failure, an actual car accident, lost earnings due to the torrential rain, a one-day cold and a missed visit to a fellow grower due to the flat battery. Phew. On the plus side, it's been a truly great week for my new autumn-sown seedlings and tonight I'll be talking about the ones doing well in the greenhouse and on the field. 
I'll also be discussing the impact of the annual worming treatment of my hens for parasites this week, the knock-on effect on the soil ecology and the steps I take to protect the soil, my flowers and my customers. 
The main part of the episode is an analysis of my sales per flower variety by stem number for 2026. I'll be counting down the performance of the 40 varieties I grew, with an analysis of each one. The no. 1 top performer of the year is a real surprise! 
I hope you enjoy the episode - please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.
Text The Podcast Here
Support the show
Connect with me
Join me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. 
Find out more on my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk 
Drop me an email lydia@henhillcutflowers.co.uk.
New episodes are available every Tuesday and Friday. 
Please take a minute to leave a rating or review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast. 
Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving 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.