Hello and welcome to Friday 27 February 2026.

You join me on the plot today for some thoughts about what's going on this week. I'm not quite myself this week and I think it's my hormones again so I talk about this a little bit. If you're feeling a little bit "off" then this may (or may not) resonate with you, and if it does, you're not alone.

Today's Plant Profile Series continues with Hazel: a wonderful shrub for long straight stems of very useful and desirable foliage. It's a super-easy plant to care for and inexpensive to buy which makes it the ultimate low-maintenance, high-yielding foliage option for growers.

Please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Tuesday 24 February 2026.

I have lots of news from the plot to tell you in the first part of tonight’s episode including planting my new perennial plugs, removing nettles from the old nigella bed, and tidying Kylie’s room plus more. I also started to make a dead hedge with apple prunings, which I’m very proud of.

In the second part of the episode I’m sharing all the prep work involved in getting my greenhouse ready for seed sowing including cleaning the glass, replenishing the soil base, sorting the shelving, getting the trays ready plus plans for my seed compost trials this year. This time next week I’ll be cracking on with it so if you’re at the same stage as me you might find this of interest.

I really hope you enjoy today's episode and that you’ll come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Friday 20 February 2026.

In tonight's episode you join me on the plot where it's windy and rainy (at one point we even had sleet) and the hens make a guest appearance when one of them scared themselves and then frightened all of the others. I'm talking about what's happening on the plot right now including all the new growth I'm seeing, the plants which are still fast asleep, or in the wrong place, or have just been put in the right place but not actually planted (sorry, phlox).

In the second part of the episode I'm continuing my Plant Profile series with Statice, a very pretty annual which I grew really well in 2024 but not so well last year. It's very easy to grow but I'm not planning on doing it this year although after this episode I realised I actually want to grow it again.

I hope you enjoy today's episode: please come back and join me for the next one - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Wednesday 18 February 2026.

Happy Shrove Tuesday for yesterday!

Today I'm talking about a Floret video I saw on instagram about using a rich potting mixture for sowing seedlings rather than just a plain seed compost: it's really interesting and Erin shares the recipe if you want to take a look. I've always used a nutrient-poor compost for germinating seeds and had excellent results but I'm fascinated by what Erin is suggesting so I'm going to try it, see what happens and report back to you.

Valentine's Day in Spain was a very laid-back affair but it seems that back home in the UK a battle has been raging on instagram about whether we should be using imported roses or choosing an alternative, like red tulips. I'd certainly love to see more tulips offered for Valentine's Day and many growers have made truly stunning bouquets this year. I'm also discussing a newspaper article about the chemicals found on imports and I've put a link to the article below.

Finally I wonder about whether growers are disrupting the floral system (in a good way): if we're selling directly to the public and bypassing florists, are florists going to continue buying imports because there aren't enough British stems available to them? I'd love to know what you think.

Please do come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome and my Plant Profile Series will feature in Friday's podcast.

The Guardian article about chemicals on imported flowers:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/14/valentines-day-flowers-roses-pesticides-testing

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Friday 13 February 2026. Are you superstitious about Friday 13th?! I hope it was a good day for you.

In this episode I continue talking about pricing. I talk about how I did it in 2025 as a year 1 grower including the market research I did and the places I hunted for prices, how I worked out my costs of production (and what I didn't record) plus I share with you what this actually meant when I grew my Cosmos last year. I contrast my Cosmos data with that of my Hazel, which I didn't have to touch except when harvesting.

I also reflect on my new attitude to pricing in 2026 and what I'll be focusing on when selling. I've also included a tip that I try to use that I learnt from other trades/businesses, which may be of help.

In part 2 I continue my Plant Profile series by talking about Craspedia globosa. It's a super-cute and highly desirable flower that sold really well for me. I'm sharing what I've learnt about this plant and how I grew it in 2025. Please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Tuesday 10 February 2026.

Today's episode is a big one and it's all about pricing. It's such a hot topic: everyone wants answers and so I thought I'd share my experiences of it. I'm covering the nitty-gritty details including why pricing properly matters, what information you need to calculate the cost of producing stems (and how you do this), how I do the sums, all the elements growers have to consider, margins for wholesale and retail customers, the importance of market research, why imports are cheaper and why customers in the UK won't have much idea of what British-grown flowers actually cost to produce, and why the margin for retail customers is higher.

I hope you find this episode helpful: if you have any questions please get in touch and I'll answer them (if I can!) in a future episode. Speaking of which, please join me in the next episode for my Plant Profile Series - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Friday 6 February 2026.

The stats are in: we've had a lot of rain. According to the Met Office my region of the UK has had 188% of its average rainfall in January. It's no wonder I have been grumpy this month: missing days of work and nothing doable on the field. On the plus side I have collected a lot of rainwater but I'd swap that for some dry days.

In light of this I'm discussing the impact of flooding and waterlogging, what makes it worse and action we can take, including the use of raised beds. I hope you're not experiencing flooding at the moment but if you are, please don't give up.

Part two of this episode continues my Plant Profile Series with Verbena bonariensis. This stunning plant is super-easy to grow and generous with its flowering. If you haven't grown it yet, I hope my profile will encourage you to give it a go.

Please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.

Hello, it's Tuesday 3 February 2026.

Another wet week!

In today's episode I realise that I don't have enough growing space for all the annuals that I'm planning to grow, which is a problem. I have come up with a solution and hopefully you'll agree it's a good one (although the chickens may not approve).

I discuss my seed sowing plan in great detail including all the calculations I have made and the reasons behind them. I'm playing it safe with the dates. The formulas behind the numbers mean that I can make any number of changes and the calculations will be done automatically for me. I hope it proves to be helpful and it's a tool that I will be refining over the coming years.

I'll be continuing my Plant Profile Series on Friday so please come back and join me for the next episode - you're always very welcome.

Connect with me

If you like what you hear, please follow/subscribe to this podcast so that you're the first to hear new episodes when they become available every Tuesday and Friday. And if you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to leave a review because it really does help more cut flower-lovers just like you to find the podcast.

Follow me on instagram @henhillcutflowers for a behind-the-scenes look at life on my cut flower plot. And you can find my website at www.henhillcutflowers.co.uk.

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.