Pick Your Own Flowers

Fridays and Sundays 10 till 4 from May till the end of September (if you need to pick on a different day for an event that's fine, just contact us to book in) 

We grow almost everything from Antirrhinums to Zinnias, grasses and foliage. 

When you've finished picking you can reward all your efforts with a cuppa and a slice of cake. 

Come and collect a bucket or jug and a pair of snippers from the Tea Garden. For the best vase life please bring your own bucket to transport them home. 

We'll direct you to where the best flowers are on the day, then you are free to explore the gardens and pick your favourite flowers to take home. 

If you are picking flowers to give as a gift we offer a simple, environmental gift wrapping service using brown kraft paper and tissue paper. Buckets of flowers can be divided and wrapped into a few bunches. 

Fill a jug with any of our lovely flowers, foliage and grasses.

Do not cram them in - you'll just damage the flowers and stems

As above

Short stemmed flowers and grasses, maximum of 20 stems please. 

If you plan to give your flowers as a gift, we can wrap them with our simple eco-friendly paper. 

Our flowers are to be found all around both the Cutting Garden, polytunnels and the ornamental Old Kitchen Garden, so take your time and have a good walk around before you start cutting. 

Please feel free to pick any flowers that take your fancy, however, certain flowers may be sign posted with a restriction of how many you can pick.

Cut down to the length required - usually about 50cm, or 20cm for a jam jar. Then strip off the leaves and throw onto the soil. 

Bring a container with you to get your flowers home in some water.

Choose flowers that are not quite fully open but just showing their colour - this is especially important for roses. 

Cut to a suitable length for your vases, cutting just above a leaf or bud. 

Put your flowers straight into your vessel of water whilst picking.

When you get home put the flowers in a bucket of cool water somewhere dark and cool for between 12 and 24 hours.

Before arranging, cut another inch or so off the stems. Any delicate, thin stems (such as poppies and cosmos) benefit from the bottom of the stalk being seared in about 10cm of boiling water for 15-30 seconds.

Thicker woody stems benefit from having the bottom 10cm slit vertically with a knife to allow more water to be absorbed.

Add a little bleach or clear vinegar to the vase water.

Change the water every other day, snipping a little more off the stems.

Your flowers should then last at least a week depending on the varieties.