The Cottage Smallholder


stumbling self sufficiency in a small space

Flowers from the garden June 2012

Flowers from the garden in early June

Flowers from the garden in early June

Unless you have been reading this blog for a very long time you wouldn’t know that I used to spend £10 a week on flowers. Flowers have a transient beauty and this somehow makes them even more precious. A home without flowers always seemed rather a bleak place to me.

This Chinese proverb explains the need for beauty in our lives.
“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.”
Food for the body and food for the soul.

Back in January 1997 I decided to give up buying flowers from the supermarket. This step initially was to save money – if I wanted flowers I could grow them myself. What I hadn’t really taken on board was the difference between home grown and commercially produced flowers. Home grown flowers have a special softness and radiance. And of course they are not sprayed with chemicals to increase their shelf life.

Since that cold January day I haven’t bought flowers from a shop or supermarket ever again. Although, I must admit that I’m tempted every now and then. Instead I’ve invested time and energy in growing more flowers in our cottage garden.

For a few years I ran a monthly feature on this blog – flowers from the garden. When I picked this bunch yesterday Danny suggested that reinstate the old practice and share the beauty of the flowers with my readers.

So here you are. I’m already wondering what July will bring.


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18 Comments

  1. Izzy Bee

    Hi Fiona

    lovely bouquet ~ I was wondering what flowers are in it. Can identify a few but not all of them. Have you done a post on what to plant/sow to have flowers for the house throughout the season? Trying to get my garden to produce more flowers but some help would be very useful. Ix

  2. I love cut flowers at home but haven’t bought any for a long time primarily due to the cost. They seem to have gone up considerably! I’ve opted for silk flowers for the moment as I like to leave the flowers that I have in the garden.

    Your flowers though Fiona, I have to say, look beautiful and looks like a rather expensive bouquet of flowers!

    xx

  3. “When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.”
    Food for the body and food for the soul.

    I love this.

  4. Kooky Girl

    They are beautiful. All the best, Kg.

  5. Tanya @ Lovely Greens

    This post reminds me of a recent conversation I had with client: she had just been chewed out by her accountant for spending £10+ a week on fresh flowers for her shop. They do look lovely but that accounts to around £600 a year which isn’t the wisest way to spend money when you have a small business.

  6. mum of all trades

    Great idea, and something I have always tried to do. Although my current garden is only 2 years old so is lacking in an abundance of flowers. But even just a bunch of berried branches in Autumn makes a beautiful display. This bunch from yours is really pretty, perfect Summer mix of blooms.

  7. Beautiful flowers. Soooo much nicer than store bought ones.

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