For the past three years we have sold flowers at the gate in aid of the local cancer care centre.

We start in March and sell them every weekend until September. What started as a pretty casual idea has expanded and I now grow flowers specifically for the flower sales. This spring I made a new raised bed for dahlias and a large part of the veg plot is filled with asters, rudbeckias, statice and carnations. The alstroemerias in the poly tunnel are essential for spring bunches, I grew lots of sweet Williams for May bunches and they sold well but I am now relying on other things. I did sow some annual carnations last August and put them in the polytunnel, hoping they would bloom earlier than spring-sown plants and they are at their peak now, at least a month before the spring-sown plants will start to bloom. They also have finer flowers and longer stems so I will repeat it for next year.

What has proved a challenge has been to grow good zinnias. I grow them in one of two raised beds which have soil that is hugely improved with lots of spent ‘strawberry bags’ which consist of coir and perlite. The two beds are often planted with bulbs in winter but I alternate them with carrots and onions, and zinnias each summer. They all appreciate the efforts I have made with the soil. But the zinnias frustrate me every year. Now matter what seeds I buy, and the supplier, I never get the lovely double flowers in the photos. They grow well and flower profusely but they are never double. This year I did my very best and bought expensive F1 hybrid seed and gave the plants all the best possible treats and they have been fed with fish, blood and bone and now they have started to produce open flowers. And there are a few doubles but most are single. I bought four separate colours and they are lovely but, apart from the white and the green, you would not guess that there are only two packets of pinks, dark and pale – I have everything in between. I am not overly exasperated but it is mildly annoying.

But what is strange is that no one likes the green zinnias. I picked the first green zinnias, put them in a bunch wth achillea ”The Pearl’ and alchemilla and I thought is was the prettiest bunch I have put out for sale all year and – it was ignored. In the end we took it to Hope on Monday morning as it was not sold. I thought people loved green flowers. I was wrong.

And then there are abutilons.

This spring I sowed some abutilons. The seed was ‘Bellevue’ which is a mixture of colours and the plants should bloom early. The seeds germinated well and I grew about 100 plants, being careful not to ignore the smallest seedlings which I knew might produce the best colours. In theory the mix should include red, orange, pink, white and yellow. I am not sure ‘Bellevue’ actually exists because if you try to research it the photos are obviously not of what this mix might be. And the photos do not really represent what I grew.

The seedlings grew strongly and about a month ago the first flowers opened. There is definitely a bias towards orange and red flowers. In fact I did wonder if there would be any yellow, white or pink flowers. But there were some pinks and some nice pastel colours and some were so good I have potted them to keep because they are, frankly, as good as some named cvs. But no plants produced yellow or white flowers.

I potted some into larger pots and put them on the flower stall to sell (along with growing instructions).

I expected them to be snapped up at 3 euro each.

But no. I think we only sold one. Every day I carried them down to the gate and every night I carried them back. Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three weeks.

So this week I planted all the spares in a flower bed. I think I must have strange tastes because I think they are lovely, but no one else does.

So please don’t ask me if I have any spare ablutions this weekend!

But yes, there will be more green zinnias for sale this week!

abutilon bellevue, green zinnias, how to grow zinnias