BRITISH FLOWERS ROCK
- peakadvertiser
- Dec 29, 2025
- 2 min read
It’s almost January and there’s not much going on in the garden. It’s the time of year to hole up indoors and look back on last year and plan for next season. If you kept notes on your plot in 2025 (or did the cheats version and took photos of things as they were happening like I do) now is the time to decide what went well and what didn’t.
It’s also the moment to design your bouquets for 2026. Once you’ve got the cutting-patch bug and grown annuals you can tweak and refine what you want to have for next summer.
I like to design mine at the seed-order stage, so that when I’m wandering around picking, I always have the right bits available. Firstly I’m thinking about the colours. I love to layer colour – so lots of different shapes in coordinating colours, whether it’s pastel shades for weddings or brights for kitchen table bunches. I also like to think in terms of shapes – so rounds, spikes and fluffy bits. I also consider foliage, which can be shrubs and trees, but also fragrant herbs such as mint and basil.
For this summer I’ll be looking at dahlias – mainly I grow the pompom and decorative shapes, I’ll choose several different apricots and pale pinks with some bronzes and burnt oranges. I also like to have achillea, something like ‘Summer Pastels’ for a range of soft colours. Then I’d choose snapdragons and gladioli for contrasting spikes. They both come in gazillions of colours and if you have a bit of bottom heat (a propagator) you can start the snaps from seed in February – just make sure you don’t get the dwarf ones meant for bedding displays. Gladioli come in two types – the crazy big ones and the rather more dainty ones. I love both! You choose. But think of how the colours you grow will work with everything else, not only in your garden, but also in your bouquets.
Grow some grasses for ‘fluffy bits’ (official horticultural term!). Britza media aka Doddering Dillies is good for movement and really easy to grow from seed. Panicum elegans ‘Sprinkles’ is another very pretty grass which is really easy from seed and will make a special addition to your flower arranging. Miscantha ‘Flamingo’ has pinkish flowers later in the season – you’ll have to acquire it as a plant, but it’s well worth looking out for.
My other task for snowy days in January is checking my stash of indoor bulbs and to bring them indoors. If you didn’t start any last September, now is the time to write yourself a note so you remember to do it this year.
Vanessa Swetman
