HOMEstead GROWN

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HOMEstead GROWN

HOMEstead GROWN: a grower, florist and seller of my beautifully fresh, seasonal garden flowers!

12/06/2026

Another VERY rainy day saw some of the north-west growers taking shelter from our farms and fields for a bespoke workshop at Macclesfield’s brilliant Silk Museum. Armed with some of our flowers and herbs, we came together to learn about making botanical dyes, inks and printmaking pigments and had a fantastic time in the capable and enthusiastic hands of Becca, Director of the New Macclesfield School of Art. Spurred on with coffee, cake and happy chat, our experimenting was full of fun discoveries. Many of us tie wedding bouquets with frayed-edge silk ribbon, so watch this space: there could be some special naturally-dyed pieces in the offing…!

15/05/2026

I don't know where the year is going but I do know it's very hard to keep track of it these days. Spring fools us and then snatches the warmth away. Some flowers have been blooming early; the summer ones are likely to be late. It's a challenging year -again - for growers! The best thing to do is enjoy every moment and photo/memory, and today I'm re-living the stars of early spring - narcissi, in all their lovely shades and forms.
Each autumn, I plant more bulbs and varieties to add to my cutting stock, and they return fairly reliably year after year. The cheery hazard-yellow ones are the first to shout the arrival of spring; I love them in banks and roundabouts but in my own cutting patch and garden, I prefer to grow the softer colours and scented, unusual varieties for your bouquets and arrangements. They don't seem to mind what the weather throws at them and I have literally just harvested the last valiant few, which has meant a staggering 8 weeks of successive blooming!

09/03/2026

POV: you are packed and have five hours before leaving home for the airport.
You could…
- whizz round and give the roses a quick prune
- persuade your long-suffering husband to pre-sprout 60 ranunculus corms in compost
- prick out and pot on two trays of winter sown seedlings
- lift the squirrel-proofing off the tulip shoots to allow them to grow on freely
- water and say goodbye to all the seedling babies inside and out

And STILL be at the airport on time!
See the little reward at the end ☺️

12/02/2026

So, here they are: the new favourites for Valentine's Day for those looking for a stunning, seasonal option - no chemicals or air miles here!

Before my own tulips are blooming and available from late April onwards, these beauties are from Lincolnshire family flower growers Smith and Munson , raised hydroponically in huge glasshouses these days.

Many thanks for all the pre-orders - there will still be a few extra bunches available this Friday to Sunday while the stock lasts.

Do pop down to South Park in Macclesfield for a delicious coffee and cake, where you'll also find the tulips on sale.

Just the job to treat someone special or treat yourself and chase those February chills away!

08/02/2026

Just when we thought February was a short month, turns out it's feeling veeeery long, very grey and VERY wet, at least in this neck of the woods. It looks a wet, wintry mess of dirt and matted fallen leaves out there with few bright days and, at this point, I Can Not Wait for the warmth and flowery season to arrive!

As with all flower growers, however, there are plenty of winter jobs to be tackling in preparation for the mad seed-sowing marathon around the corner when the daylight hours are long enough. Not to mention hours inside poring over the seed packets and planning out what to sow this year, when and where.

Without fail, I feel brighter and calmer for having stepped out and had my hands in the earth each day, and when things in the big wide world are unspeakably bleak, first hand encounters with the promised turning of the seasons help me to hold on to hope. And there's always a robin there!

Here are a few of the unassuming and beautiful hints of garden colour and signs that spring is on the way, even on the days it doesn't feel like it.
Much of the quiet work is going on underground. Hang on in there!

02/02/2026

Hotfoot home from the weekend's annual conference and my brain is still buzzing, my tank full to overflowing: 'Building a resilient and professional British Flower Industry' was this year's theme.

Quite the best way to start the year ahead of a new growing season: networking with several hundred kindred spirits all passionate about growing (and arranging) beautiful British flowers in line with nature's biodiversity and the seasons, with regenerative methods on whatever scale of land and business we each have. It was especially fun to share the weekend with a large group of fellow North-West growers who are fast becoming friends.

The information from a diverse range of experts and the debate around it all was hugely thought-provoking - working with the issues we all now face is so very complex, from the urgent climate and environment crisis to the AI revolution; supply chains and geopolitics ...How do we future-proof our business and evolve with the rapidly changing times? There were some really inspiring ideas from Japanese natural planting philosophies and life-mindsets.

The learning points, ideas, resources and take-home messages were many but above all, there is definitely strength and inspiration to be had in collaborating together to offer the British public a sustainable, localised and uniquely beautiful alternative to imported flowers in single-use plastic. We were all frequently reminded that every one of our businesses is unique in its vision, challenges and rewards, and something to be extremely proud of. Which I am 😊

.proust .hq

29/01/2026

Living Spring Wreath Workshops
at The Random Apple Co, Swanscoe, Macclesfield, SK10 5SZ, Cheshire.

Friday 20th March, 7 - 9:30pm
Saturday 21st March, 2 – 4:30pm
Sunday 22nd March, 2 – 4:30pm

Welcome the brighter, lengthening days by joining me to make a beautiful, fresh, ‘living’ wreath in the wonderfully rustic barn of the The Random Apple Company on the rural edge of Macclesfield.

Settle into the session with home-made cake and juice pressed on the farm from the fruit of the heritage orchards.

Using British-grown seasonal flowering plants, we will moss-wrap their root balls and tie them with twine, along with flowering spring bulbs and foliage, to a cushioned base of moss.
Complete it with the final touches of hand-blown quail eggs, feathers and twigs, and the finished wreath you’ll take home will continue to grow and flower beautifully for several weeks to come, through Easter and beyond.
Plant the bulbs in your garden afterwards for a spring display next year.

No experience is needed and all materials, tuition and guidance will be provided.
Why not gift a workshop voucher for Mother’s Day, or to a friend or family member for some other special occasion.

Cost: £60 per person.
Places are limited to 12 per workshop.

To book, fill in the online form linked below, or email me.
Payment details will then be sent for you to secure your place.
https://www.byhomesteadgrown.com/workshops
Email: [email protected]

You can see what a fantastic time we had last year so I do hope you'll join us!
Rachel x

Address

South Park
Macclesfield

Website

https://www.byhomesteadgrown.com/

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