By Veronica Peerless

Published: Monday, 26 September 2022 at 12:00 am


There are many reasons why we should grow our own cut flowers. The flowers that we buy from many florists and supermarkets are often flown in out of season from abroad, potentially with the widespread use of chemicals, dubious employee welfare and high carbon emissions. Homegrown cut flowers are local, sustainable and beautiful and can be grown organically. They can help us to connect us with the seasons.

There are more flower farmers in the UK than ever, and many of us are now keen to grow our own cut flowers, just as we do our food.

The recent bumper crop of flower growing books reflects this trend; we round up the best.

The best flower growing books of 2022

Grow and Gather: A Gardener’s Guide to A Year of Cut Flowers 

by Grace Alexander
Quadrille, £20
ISBN 978-1787135840

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‘If I had one piece of advice for you, it would be invest in your soil’. It’s a brave woman who writes about the intricacies of soil health when so many people want flash results without the hard graft. But I applaud author and grower Grace Alexander’s honesty in this book, because this is the most valuable tip for anyone wanting to grow flowers (or pretty much anything else). There’s no compare-and-despair here. Failures are given as much weight as success. Her book is so full of good sense and patient observation that you feel you are right alongside her as she sows, weeds, plans and grows.
Reviewer Caroline Beck is a flower farmer in Durham.