Although the bulbs are confident it is Spring as they push up into the light, the weather is determinedly wintery with snow this week. The plants are growing slowly in their pots and there will be just a few ready for this weekend’s Sofacoma Market on the 12th and a week later at Wolvercote Community Market.

Flowers:

Flower Orders: these can be made now for this weekend (12th March) and for Mothers’ Day (19th March). Each bunch or bouquet will contain a mixture of lovely Spring flowers and foliage grown by me supplemented with flowers from other local and British growers chosen for their sustainable approach. As well as the jars and bunches, bespoke bouquets can be made too – just ask. Smaller jars of flowers will be available at the market.There will only be a limited number available, particularly for Mothers’ day on the 19th March so please email me to place an order in advance if possible. Flowers are delivered free within 5 miles of Oxford with a minimum order of £10 or can be collected from the market. Payment is via BACS, cash or contactless card.

Email: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flower Prices:

Pickle pot of flowers: £10

Wrapped bouquet: £20

Bouquet in a vase: £25

There will be smaller jam jars of flowers available for £6 at the markets. If you would like more than one of these delivered, please let me know.

Plants:

There are some plants this weekend and hopefully more to follow next. These include:

Bill Wallis hardy geranium: one of the most cheerful and tough plants in my garden. It thrives in all sorts of conditions and gently self seeds. Its pretty purple flowers are long lasting and give a lovely cottage garden feel. Good for the front of a border or filling in the gaps. £3.00 a 1 litre pot

Homesown Sweetpea Mix: these are grown from seed saved from my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.50 a 9cm pot of 3 seedlings.

Named Sweetpea Varieties: Prince Edward of York, Matacuna, Albutt Blue, Piggy Sue and Bristol among others – all chosen for their wonderful scent and strong flowers. £1.50 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Primroses in old terracotta pots: simple and beautiful to enjoy close up and a great present: starting at £5.00 a pot