This flower farmer's seed order

Or how to spend more money than you intended because it's cold outside

Twas a dark and gloomy night, the lamplight flickered dim, my husband was watching tv comfort food in the form of a zombie film, the children were deep in their last-night-before-school funk hiding in their bedrooms. What was I supposed to do but deep dive into the seed catalogues and massively over-order for sowing in 2025?

I will admit that 2024 was a tough year for us. All self-imposed of course - don’t feel sorry for us! But it’s not a time when the world and their other halves are spending money freely and we spent 2024 finishing over spending on rebuilding a ruined barn in the middle of the field so we could move the flower farming away from the house. I should have known not to do it: other small businesses round here were pressing pause on development projects. We pushed ahead. It was a good idea surely? Ruined buildings in fields need a lid being put on them sooner rather than later or they fall down entirely. We moved to Common Farm in 2004 and this building had threatened us with restoration overspend for twenty years before we sorted it. 2024 was that year. And natch the barn/studio went fifty percent over budget because none of the prices were the same at the end as they’d been when we green lit the project so - while I’m not asking for a drop of sympathy - I’m not spending a merry fortune on on shrubs or roses to add to the collection either.

But I have spent nearly £250 on seed.

Now this goes against all the advice I give flower farmers. Don’t over spend on seed I say. Don’t let your eyes be bigger than your available growing space, not to mention your workforce. Do as I say, not as I do. It is safe to say I have over-ordered this year. Will I sow it all? Probably not. But it’s a lovely mix. Would you like to know what I’ve chosen?

Ok, here you go: