We all want to make our homes feel comfortable and look good. Bringing nature into the heart of our homes has been shown to increase a feeling of well-being and can truly enhance our living environments. Cut flowers in our homes can make us feel connected to the natural world and can enhance our spaces both visually and with appealing scents. Devoting some of our growing space to growing some of our favourite cut flowers can be one way to make our gardens work for our well-being and enjoyment.
A polytunnel can make it easier to grow cut flowers and can increase the range of beautiful blooms that it is possible for us to grow. Now, when there is less going on in the vegetable plot, could be a good time to think about growing things for fun and to enhance visual amenity rather than for strictly functional reasons. Bear in mind, also, that growing flowers is essential in conjunction with other growing efforts in order to attract beneficial insects such as pollinators and other beneficial wildlife to your garden.
This month, one thing to think about is growing flowers from bulbs. It is not too late to sow some tulips in your polytunnel, and the immense range means that you are sure to find some tulips in colours that suit your home décor down to the ground. Whether you have space to sow tulips actually in your polytunnel, or sow some tulips just outside the structure, these will bring colour in to the space in the spring.
Another thing to think about this month is creating a planting plan for next growing season. There are a few seeds that can be sown over the next few weeks, such as sweet peas. Sow sweet peas now for an early display next year. Sweet peas are a favourite for cut flowers, with their delicate blooms and pleasant fragrance.
Now is also a good time to sow seeds of some perennial favourites, such as lupins. Lupins could be a good choice for sowing in a mixed polyculture flower and perennial vegetable bed, as they will help to fix nitrogen from the air for the use of surrounding plants. Foxgloves are one of the other perennial flowers that can help to attract the bees and other pollinators that you will need to pollinate food crops next year.
