Seasonality - a quick guide to seasonal Irish-grown cut flowers

 
 
Seasonality is at the heart of what we do and we take deep pride in the fact that our Irish-grown cut-flowers and foliage celebrate the ever-shifting beauty of the Irish gardening year. While every growing season is unique and every member’s range of flowers and foliage will vary, here’s a guide to what you might expect to find in bloom or in leaf in any season….

SPRING

Our flower farms typically burst into bloom in March. Scented narcissus (daffodils) in shades of gold, white and cream, tulips in every shade under the sun, jewel-coloured ranunculus and delicate anemones are some of the loveliest spring blooms that we grow. Also, hellebores, muscari, euphorbia, primulas, the first of the Icelandic poppies, solomon’s seal and cherry blossom.

SUMMER

This is a time of great abundance on an Irish flower farm. Some of its seasonal glories include sweetly-scented roses, snapdragons, stock, dahlias, scabious, foxgloves, ammi, orlaya, astrantia, cosmos, delphinium, nigella, achillea, sweet pea, cornflowers, sweet William, honeysuckle, clematis, lavender, alliums, irises and bells of Ireland.

AUTUMN

This is peak-dahlia season on an Irish flower farm with exquisitely ruffled flowers in every size and colour imaginable. Other glories of this growing season include astrantia, scabious, crocosmia, hydrangea, cosmos, rudbeckia,  late-flowering species of clematis, salvia, chrsyanthemums and the last flush of roses. Ornamental grasses and berries are other highlights as is a rich variety of autumnal foliage in shades of russet, gold and rust.

WINTER

This is the time of year when we celebrate the wealth of beautiful Irish-grown evergreen foliage including silver-blue eucalyptus, holly, pittosporum, viburnum, cupressus, senecio, rosemary, ivy, ozothamnus and Scots pine, as well as the sculptural beauty of bare branches (birch, contorted hazel and willow), dried flowers, pine cones and seed-heads (honesty, teasels, old man’s beard). Seasonal Irish-cut flowers are very scarce at this time of year but include snowdrops, skimmia, viburnum and very early-flowering species of narcissus.