Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Ma Lowe on February 18, 2014, 22:04
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I have seen allotments with lots of colourful flowers on them and often wondered what flowers they were and were they grown for any particular purpose.
I would like to grow some flowers on my allotment but am not sure which ones to grow.
What flowers do you grow on your allotment and why?
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I have set aside a small bed this year just for flowers. I have bought seeds for cut flowers and for pollinators. I have bought some seeds just because I like the flowers. Then I found a box of wild flower seeds that I bought a while back and forgot about. :)
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I mostly grow edibles: seed for baking with or flowers for use in salads or floating in drinks/ice cubes: nasturtiums, chamomile, cornflowers, borage, marigolds, poppies. And I let some of my fennel and broccoli flower because it's just so pretty.
I also grow sweet peas for the scent, poached egg plants for attracting hoverflies and cosmos and sunflowers for the bees - I love seeing them lolling about almost drunk on the sunflowers.
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The first flower that always gets space for me is the pot marigold - it's as tough as old boots and the single bloom varieties are bee and insect heaven.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/17/alys-fowler-marigolds
The other is the lowly tagettes .... Inside the greenhouse keeping the white flies at bay, and outside they are a jam jar for all the good insects (the slugs can't resist them, and when the lop off a stem overnight, just replant it and away it'll go again :D)
And the sunflower in its many forms, and the bees will always thank you :)
That's just for starters for summer - spring is a tough time for our insects.
(edit, my spelling is getting worse !)
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Sunflowers for the competition??
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I mostly grow veg but have started a cut flower bed last year. I'm still finding out which ones cut well for the house. Sweet peas, sweet william, calendula are good, but the oenothera weren't good as they looked a bit scruffy most of the time.
Other flowers I grow for the bees[and because I like them]poppy, marigold, sunflower, phacelia, nasturtium, antirrhinum, poached egg plants.
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Cut flowers:
*chrysanthemums (spray types)
*gladioli
*roses
For the home garden:
*Wallflowers
*Sweet Williams
Then there’s the occasional patch for dried flowers when the fancy takes me.... and I've enough spare time to fiddle about with them.
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This year we will be having flowers which is a first for us, my herb bed is getting a few radom poppies and cornflowers and sweet williams will be grown for mummies vases. :lol: no marigolds as the badger man said badgers love them and I dont need him thinking its an invite. he already things my plot is his playground.
I just want a bit of colour for the bees and me
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Wow thank you everyone. You have helped me addd more flowers to my list for the allotment. I have always grown nasturtium marigolds and targets in the garden as I know they help with the insects wether it's keeping them off my veg or just helping them but there are a lot more flowers I will be trying too.
Many thanks
Ma x
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but the oenothera weren't good as they looked a bit scruffy most of the time.
That's a thought - need things which are open during the day! I bet they looked lovely after you'd gone home in the evening.
I've planted a row of lavender for bees and cutting. I think that's the traditional "excuse" for the OB's growing flowers, to take home for the wife, so sweet peas and chrysanthemums. But my main purpose for growing flowers is goin to be as an insect attractant, so I am planning calendula, coriander, buckwheat, clovers. Also flowers to eat - rocket, calendula, borage.
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I had cornflowers which the bees LOVED, some sunflowers dwarf and normal, poached egg plant, verbena and several pelargoniums.
I grew a lot in the florist buckets so the could be moved to show them off as the flowered
I will be doing calendula and borage this year also
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I grow sweet pea, gladioli, chrysanthemums, Lillies and dahlias for cut flowers for the house and competition. I will also be growing sunflowers for seed heads for birds.
I love the colour that they add to the plot.
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lots of sweet peas, poppies and marigolds grown on mine - oh and self seeded borage :D
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lots of sweet peas, poppies and marigolds grown on mine - oh and self seeded borage :D
Poppies, I didn't think of growing poppies, I like them. We were asked at the AGM to grow more flowers for the bees and I was a bit stumped. Don't know much about flowers. I've got a massive lavender bush on my plot which the bees love, and I've grown borage before.
Poppies I think, for seeds for bread.
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Thank you all, I got loads of flower seeds now and hope to dedicate a full plot bed to just flowers. I might just be the sweetest smelling plot holder lol :D
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Thank you all, I got loads of flower seeds now and hope to dedicate a full plot bed to just flowers. I might just be the sweetest smelling plot holder lol :D
Is that a challenge Ma?!! :D
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Thank you all, I got loads of flower seeds now and hope to dedicate a full plot bed to just flowers. I might just be the sweetest smelling plot holder lol :D
Is that a challenge Ma?!! :D
I love a challenge Fairy Plotmother ;)
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Thank you all, I got loads of flower seeds now and hope to dedicate a full plot bed to just flowers. I might just be the sweetest smelling plot holder lol :D
Is that a challenge Ma?!! :D
I love a challenge Fairy Plotmother ;)
Pictures in the summer then? :)
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As last year was my first year with the plot, I set aside an area for Dahlias. This year I will be adding lots of sweet peas and marigolds and sunflowers.
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I always struggle to grow my favourite flowers from seed, so I cheat and buy mini plug plants to grow on.
I have a patch right at the front of the plot just for my flowers. Hubby encourages it because once the flowers are blooming it can look really pretty and colourful, it distracts eyes away from the weedy bits further back :lol:
My absolute favourite is lobelia crystal palace. They grow in neat little globes, the bees seem to like it, and it's a stunning purple.
On order this year I have -
Lobelia Crystal Palace
Mesembryanthemum Livingstone Daisy Mixed
Salvia Vista Red
Rudbeckia Tiger Eye
Petunia Trailing Tumbelina Candy Floss
Million Bells Collection
Alyssum Clear Crystal White
Lavender Spanish Eyes
The petunias and million bells are for a double hanging basket near the shed, and the lavender was requested by hubby as he loves the smell.
We have spring bulbs planted which are in action - crocus, snowdrop, daffodil, tulip - and also a row of oriental lillies which look pretty when they flower later in the summer.
I think there are about 200 plug plants in my order so I hope to have a pretty display this year :D
I just flick through catalogues/websites and go 'oooh that's pretty' then make a list of the ones I like. Then I look at when they flower, and most importantly how tall/wide they grow. I make sure I have a mixture of contrasting colours (I like to plant defined stripes/rows/sections) and with little ones at the front and taller ones at the back, no taller than about 50cm.
I do love a good flower patch 8)
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I grow poppies, calendula, chamomile, poached egg plant, borage, nasturtium, sun flowers and phacelia. The bees seem to particularly like the phacelia and I don't mind it either :)
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I have sown last week ready for my flower plot
Marigolds
Sweet pea
Cosmos
Poppy
I need to pull my socks up and get more seeds going and of course I HAVE to buy some more from the ones suggested on here :D
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Bought a lavender plant at bm yesterday for the bees picking up my free packet of poppy seeds from whs later,i also have snap dragons seeds over so they can go on the plots border too. :D