Flower Growing Tips from a Florist’s Garden in Bedfordshire

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to grow the flowers that end up in hand-tied bouquets, wedding arrangements, or on the workbenches at Bedfordshire Flower School — this post is for you. In this behind-the-scenes look at our cutting garden, I’m sharing some real-life flower growing tips from a florist’s garden in Bedfordshire. From early wins and compost triumphs to cucumber fails and overly ambitious seed hauls, this year has been full of lessons — and I hope a few of them help you on your own growing journey, whether you’re a total beginner or just flower-curious.

From Garden to Bouquet: How 2025 Has Deepened My Love of Growing

Some of you may have been following along since 2020, when a national lockdown saw many of us turning to our gardens and green spaces. Back then, I started sharing flower growing tips on how to grow your own — whether you had a garden, a balcony, or just wanted to decorate a sunny windowsill. That season was the beginning of something much bigger for me. Gardening quickly became more than a hobby — it became a source of nourishment, creativity and calm.

Fast forward to 2025, and life looks a little different. I now have a two-year-old “assistant gardener” who’s very keen on helping (mostly involving muddy hands and pulling things up before they’re ready with undetured enthusiasm). We’ve moved into a home with a much bigger garden — and slowly but surely, I’ve been building a truly productive space.

The dream? A garden that feeds our family and fills our flower shop vases.

We now grow an ever-expanding selection of fruit, vegetables and flowers — many of which end up in your bouquets, on your tables at weddings, and in our hands-on floristry classes at Bedfordshire Flower School. It’s a full-circle kind of joy, and this year especially, I’ve felt that connection to the land and the seasons more than ever.

Of course, it hasn’t all been idyllic…

A Few Honest Gardening Fails

Starting seeds too early

In February, full of excitement and impatience, I sowed far more seeds than I had space for. With no greenhouse yet (it was still on order!), our poor windowsills were overwhelmed — much to my partner’s dismay. Many seedlings outgrew their trays and didn’t survive the wait for warmer days. Lesson learned: patience is just as important as compost.

The great cucumber disaster

Despite getting a head start with 16 cucumber seedlings, none of them made it. I rushed the hardening-off process and underestimated how sensitive they are to temperature swings. I’ve since learned cucumbers prefer to stay under glass until they’re much more established. Next year, we’ll try again — this time, with less haste and more greenhouse time.

Neighbourhood cats

We discovered (the hard way) that cats seem to love freshly planted raised beds. One even made off with a young broccoli plant! Now, we net the beds or use twig barriers until seedlings are strong enough to stand their ground.

Flower Growing Tip Wins

No-dig gardening

This year, I fully embraced the no-dig method in my florists' garden. We reused old sleeper beds from Facebook Marketplace, built some raised beds with reclaimed wood, and treated ourselves to a few dreamy buttermilk cream steel planters from Rinkit. The whole system has made the garden easier to maintain and more adaptable.

Bulk buying compost + DIY setup

Buying compost by the tonne has been a game changer. It's more cost-effective, and we’re even trying to make our own now — using green waste, cardboard and kitchen scraps. My partner built us a compost bay, and I’m excited to see what nutrient-rich goodness we can create.

Learning from others
Joining online growing communities — especially Facebook groups and following growers like Farmer Gracy and Hampshire Seed Company — has given me so many flower growing tips. Companion planting has been another huge help: marigolds near tomatoes, onions with carrots, garlic around our flower beds. It really works.

What’s Thriving in the Garden This Year
Here’s what we’ve successfully grown (and often used in studio bouquets or flower school sessions):

• Strawberries from plug plants
• Tumbling Tom tomatoes, spring onions and carrots from seed
• Marris Piper potatoes
• White onions, tenderstem broccoli, sweet peppers
• A selection of cut flowers: cornflowers, nigella, cosmos, stocks, tanacetum, marigolds and dahlias from tubers
• Herbs including sage, mint, thyme and lemon balm, which are thriving in our new kitchen herb garden

Some of these have made their way into bouquets you’ve taken home, and many feature in our floristry classes — where you can learn how to work with seasonal stems straight from our garden.

British Flowers Floristry Classes

British Flower Arrangement Workshop | July 10th | £55 per person

Pick & Mix Flower Bar: Advanced Floristry 10am and 12pm | August 9th | £40 per person

Wildflower BQ Floristry Evening Class | August 14th | £65 per person

Garden Style Dahlia Bouquet Making Class | 21st August | £65 per person

Seasonal British Flower Bouquets 

The following Flower bouquets in our collection always endevour to include local British grown cut flowers:

Country Sunflower Bouquet From £45

Bright Summer Flower delivery From £100

The Gardeners Bouquet From £48

This year has taught me that gardening is never just about results. It’s about patience, presence, and joy. Whether it's a perfectly bloomed dahlia or a broccoli plant stolen by a neighbourhood cat, it all plays a part in the journey.

And the best part? Getting to share my flower growing tips from a florists garden in Bedfordshire with you — whether through our flower deliveries, your wedding flowers, or during a hands-on workshop at the studio.

Let’s keep growing together.

— Kirsty