Instagram story viewer> @spindleflowers> Posts

S P I N D L E Flowers

@spindleflowers

2.8K

followers

1337

following

Grower of British flowers & foliage. Florist, wholesaler & teacher. Also @oxfordcollegebarges

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

In our small corner of Dorset, the foliage farm is showing signs of drought.

Some species are better suited to this heat and dry than others, and inevitably we are seeing some losses.

Shallow-rooted species like cornus and physocarpus are suffering, though our multi-layered foliage system has largely built its own climate extremes insurance.

Amelanchier, Viburnum and Rowan, have been affected quite badly, depending on location. Each of these species have shallow, fibrous or spreading roots. Those in the higher ground in exposed positions have been most affected.

I’m pleased to report that although the Spindle also have shallow, fibrous roots, they are mostly looking fine. Spindles grown in full sun build thicker leaf cuticles, denser cell walls, and are highly efficient at limiting water loss during heat spikes - they also produce more fruit in sunny locations.

Sometimes it’s location specific. One forsythia under trees with large strappy leaves is showing signs of stress. It is coping less well than the others which are out in the open. Their leaves are smaller and more leathery. But even so, branches are brown on both.

Clover is out-performing grass. Shallow rooted plants like grass are quickly affected because their net of surface roots dries out. In contrast, clover - with its deep tap roots - can reach subsoil water reserves.

One birch in an exposed, dry spot is dying, but two that are in ground that is often damp are going great guns.
The cotinus is doing well. Callistemon, winter honeysuckle, and eucalyptus are thriving thanks to their leathery, waxy leaves that seal in moisture.
Eucalyptus even hangs its leaves vertically to dodge the harsh midday sun.

On the whole, the foliage plantings are showing real signs of the resilience of a complex, tree-based system.

Complex plantings shade the ground, dropping soil temperatures and shielding the soil microbiome. Diverse roots also feed a wider network of mycorrhizal fungi, which act as an underground nutrient snd water-sharing grid between plants. Deep roots draw moisture up from lower soil levels overnight and share it with the topsoil.

#SoilHealth #ClimateResilientGardening #agrofloristry by @spindleflowers

3

7

2 months ago

Europe’s central bankers get it: ignoring climate and nature-related risks isn’t just foolish, it threatens the entire global financial system.

Frank Elderson from the European Central Bank recently warned that the rising frequency of natural disasters linked to global heating poses a material threat to economic stability. Yet political hawks like Trump, Netanyahu, and Ben Gvir continue to put their short-sighted greed ahead of crucial planetary wisdom.

Trump pulled the US out of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) last year, abandoning a coalition of over 100 global central banks pushing to manage climate risk.

As a gardener, I watch the natural world struggle every day, and as a former climate activist, it breaks my heart to watch these men gamble with our future.

The time to pretend this doesn’t matter has long passed.

#Instagram #ClimateCrisis #NatureRisks #EuropeanCentralBank #ClimateAction by @spindleflowers

3

3

2 months ago

Ahhh, summer 🌿😊🌳

and thank goodness for friends old and new.

Kate, @ramblingroseflowers you are a diamond. Always striving for the very best quality (and that includes the people around you 😁) This wedding is going to be spectacular. Thank you for choosing British locally grown flowers and foliage once again.

And Alice, new, and already indispensable!

Thank you 🙏 by @spindleflowers

3

1

4 months ago

Our next wonderful grower supplying the hub with lots of lovely foliage is @spindleflowers you can get everything you need for your Christmas wreath making.

Abelia
Callistemon citrinus foliage
Cotoneaster (1m) with berries
Cupressus (gold)
Holly (variegated)
Myrtle
Olearia
Pittosporum - green, plum, variegated and wrinkled blue
Willow - curly

Buckets - foliage mix Christmas bundle

#wholesaleflowers #christmasfoliage #wreathmaking #agroecology #flowerfarming #flowergrowercollective @flowergrowercollective by @spindleflowers

82

4

a year ago

Doing a bit of barge renovation over the bank holiday weekend, removing rust from inside the hull.

We’re really happy to soon be calling this beautiful boat home. It’s one of the old college barges, moored on the Thames in Oxford.

For more info about these treasures - and the Corpus Christi barge in particular - take a look at our Barges Trust website (link in bio ☝️) or follow us on insta @oxfordcollegebarges.

With the steady help of Emma @winnowfarmseeds @meadowsweetfloristry Spindle Flowers continues to supply wholesale foliage to the West Country via @swflowergrowercollective

Meanwhile I’ve got an exciting new job with @naumflower as Senior Grower & Operations Manager, starting next week. by @spindleflowers

108

43

a year ago

Zanna here from @spindleflowers, proudly flying the Southwest Flower Grower Collective (SWFGC) flag this week.

Spindle is located on the Dorset / Devon border just inland from Charmouth. At 100m altitude, with plentiful water, south facing and sheltered, we are lucky 🍀 and can grow almost anything.

The soil is loamy clay but very stony. Digging a hole in this ground is hard work! So 11 years ago now we put in lots and lots of bare root trees & shrubs.

Back in 2014 I planned for it to be predominantly a foliage farm, but for about 6 years I grew flowers too. I still have some of the perennials - they’re old friends - but many of the annuals beds are returned to grass now.

‘Farm’ is quite a grand word for our 1.5acre plot. As a florist, i just wanted to experiment with lots of different trees and shrubs. I’ve ended up with a plant library, a great teaching tool, an oasis of calm, but NOT an easily harvestable site. Different varieties of cretaegus are nestled in next to rampant pittosporum which love the sheltered environment.

We are undertaking more pollarding and coppicing these days, to manage the foliage crops so that they are reachable and harvestable. Keeping them in this juvenile state has the added benefit of increased carbon sequestration. Biodiversity, agro-ecology, whatever you want to call it. Nature is, and always has been front and centre.

Many thanks for being part of the #britishflowers journey with us, and for reading this far!

I’m proud of my small, wholesale foliage growing business, made more efficient by the SWFGC.

What we’ve achieved with the Collective is astonishing really, in such a relatively short time and I’m excited for what it has yet to bring!

🌿💚

#flowergrowercollective
#britishflowergrowers #britishflowers #shoplocal #flowergrower #flowerfarming #flowerfarm #grownnotflown #wholesaleflowers #britishfoliage
#cutflowergrower #buylocal #flowerfarmer #sustainablefloristry #supportlocal #biodiversity #sustainablefarming #locallygrown #naturerecovery #agroecology #buylocal #thinkeco #savetheplanet #locallygrown #countryflowers #keepingitlocal taken in Wootton Fitzpaine by @spindleflowers

52

2

a year ago

August arrives and the flower barn turns into a camp kitchen for a few weeks #happyplace by @spindleflowers

3

0

a year ago

Spend a peaceful day connecting with nature and learning traditional floristry skills. Join Zanna Hoskins on 9 August from @spindleflowers for a comprehensive foraging and floristry workshop.

See comments for link

Combined with locally sourced flowers, you will gather seasonal blooms from our wild flower meadow, hedgerows and woodland before creating beautiful table centerpieces in our workshop. Using your own favourite vase plus natural biodegradable materials like moss, twigs, and even cucumber, you will learn to make both compact arrangements and elegant long table runners.

The focus is on celebrating the subtle beauty of British flora - those delicate seed heads and seasonal colours that make each arrangement truly distinctive.

You will leave with unique pieces that reflect your personal style, plus the knowledge to continue creating at home.

Perfect for beginners to professionals,

#wildflowers #botanicalart #foragingworkshop #sustainablefloristry #creativeretreat #naturecraft #wildflowerarrangement #britishflora #handmade #slowliving #plantbased #ecofriendly #artworkshop #countryside #naturalbeauty taken in Ruthin, North Wales by @spindleflowers

47

2

a year ago

Cotoneaster lasts really well out of water.

On the hub this week we’re selling mixed buckets of x 40 chunky stems of tough British grown foliage for out-of-water event work 🌿

To include (depending on what’s looking good) long stems of physocarpus (plum & gold) covered in seed heads, elaeagnus, rosemary, winter honeysuckle, forsythia,
and oak.

Stem length between 60cm - 1.5m

While the main body of this foliage is tough and resilient for out-of-water event work, sometimes the very tips may need pinching out.

Only available through the @swflowergrowercollective (see link in bio ☝️)

#summerfoliage #rosemary #oak #elaeagnus #forsythia #cotoneaster #mixedbuckets #wholesale #britishflowers #summer #greenery #allaboutthatbass

p.s. get me with one of my first (very imperfect) Instagram reels… every day’s a school day 🙂 #doneisbetterthanperfect by @spindleflowers

3

0

a year ago

This pretty, delicate deutzia has arrived unannounced.

I must have picked it up as a cutting, or been given it ( @pehcooper ? ) and it’s been sitting there quietly for years pretending to be a kolkwitzia.

But this year it’s decided to flower, and boy is it suddenly noticeable!

Just in time for @british.flowers.week.

Any suggestions what variety it might be? I think it looks like ‘lavender time’.

#undercover #deutzia #cuttings #plantsaremagic by @spindleflowers

3

0

a year ago

There’s something so steadying, I find, about a sturdy delphinium…. by @spindleflowers

3

1

a year ago

@oxfordcollegebarges

The beautiful and stately Corpus Christi barge.

Built in 1930, she was the last of the great Oxford College barges.

The architectural design of these boats evolved from the Livery Company barges of 15th century London, whose design was heavily influenced by the Venetian State barges. Those designs can be traced all the way back to Roman and Viking traditions of ship building.

With one of my other hats on, I’m on the Trust for the preservation of these beautiful barges.

Do give us a follow on our new Instagram page @oxfordcollegebarges and check out our website.
Link in bio and below.

https://www.oxfordcollegebargestrust.org.uk

#eights #isis #oxford_uk #oxforduniversity #oxfordbarges #thames #river #boating #rowing #heritage #oxfordhistory #history #centenary
#100years #2030 #1930 #preservation #restoration #crowdfunder #futuregenerations #londonlivery #livery #guild #venetianstatebarge1740 #venetian #roman #viking #shipbuilding #rivercraft #architecture by @spindleflowers

3

2

a year ago