british-flowers

Great British Flowers

12 Jul 2021

Here in the UK, many gardens are full of big colourful flowers, from carnations to dahlias and sunflowers to roses. But how many of us are boasting a truly Great British Garden?

Unsuspecting Overseas Flowers

There are a number of flowers that we commonly see in our gardens that you might be surprised to find out they are from overseas! While we still absolutely love them, they aren’t truly part of the Great British Flower collection.
Here are some you may or may not have known about:
Tulips – with many thinking they are native to the UK due to how common they are, and a great selection of people believing they originated in The Netherlands (which you could understand due to the abundance in which they now grow in the country), they are actually native to Central Asia.
Daffodils – as the national flower of Wales, it would be an obvious assumption that they are British, in fact, they are actually native to the warmer climates of Spain and Portugal.
Hyacinth – seen in many UK gardens the Hyacinth is an ever-popular choice. Unknowing to most, this stunning flower is actually native to the Eastern Mediterranean.

British Flowers

If you are looking to create a purely British flower garden, you still have some great choices!
Starting with your typical British country flowers, you can start your spring off with a bed of bluebells. These stunning gems will return year on year and fill your garden with woodland feelings.
Delphiniums are a great British flower that adds your choice of either bold or subtle colours to your garden, not to mention a bit of height with many varieties growing over 1 metre tall. Foxgloves are another colour British flower for your garden, again adding significant height they are available in a variety of colours.

Wildflowers

Whether you are wandering across unkempt fields, trundling through the woods on your dog walk or looking out the window of a car in the countryside, there are many places you will see wildflowers, all of which are native to the UK.
Recreating this in your own garden is as easy as 1,2,3. With the hardest part letting them grow in an unpruned wild mess.
Nearly all garden centres stock wildflower seeds which are easy to sow. We recommend sectioning off the part of your garden which you intend on letting the wildflowers take over. You can do this with the likes of border edging, and this can help to contain them to a specific area rather than running free through the whole garden.
Simply rake over the space adding a spot of compost, shake your seeds across the area (there’s really no need for neatness with wildflowers) and sprinkle over some more compost or topsoil. Your seeds only need to be a cm or so covered, and in many cases leaving them uncovered will make no difference. Remember to water them well until they begin to sprout.

For help in turning your garden into a wonderfully British flower garden get in touch with the team and we can discuss your garden design. We can also offer assistance with regular garden maintenance.

Abingdon's Complete Garden Service Ltd.,
50 Meadowside,
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
OX14 5DX
01235 533193