bouquet bar

start growing march — june

This carefully chosen collection of beautiful blooms has been selected for its variety of colours and shapes, with flowers and foliage that can be tied into the perfect bouquet.

Start by unwrapping your Growbar and place it with the brown protective paper facing upwards, into a container with plenty of space to allow it to expand; a takeaway food tray is ideal. Gently pour half a litre of water into the tray and position indoors on a warm, bright sunny windowsill. The seeds will need to be a cosy 18°-22° to germinate.

Water regularly and ensure the Growbar is perfectly moist, it should remain the colour of a rich dark ginger cake.

After a few weeks you should have a bar neatly dotted with little seedlings. These will be happy growing together in the bar for a further month in their sunny location.

When the seedlings have produced 4-8 leaves you may then gently separate them, being careful to not damage the delicate roots, and plant them in individual pots or a sunny weed-free spot in the garden. Plants grown in the ground with plenty of space and sunlight will produce more abundant fragrant foliage but it is possible to grow the seedlings in large containers on the balcony or patio.

How to identify your seedlings:

Leucanthemum seedlings have smooth scallop-edged leaves.

Bells of Ireland seedlings have round, rough- edged leaves.

Ammi seedlings have feathery leaves, rather like cow parsley.

Depending on weather conditions and when you began growing your seeds, your flowers will appear between June and September. Snip stems with a sharp blade on a dry morning and put them straight into water.