My Favourite Moments from This Flower Season

It’s hard to believe another flower season has come and gone. My year of growing kicked off in mid-March and ran right through until the start of October - and what a whirlwind it was! Looking back, I feel such a mix of pride, exhaustion, and huge gratitude.

There were so many special moments this year at Cicely Flowers, but a few in particular stand out - the kind of memories that make all the muddy boots, late-night seed sowing, and very early mornings completely worth it.

Mother’s Day Madness

This year started with a bang - Mother’s Day in March! And oh my goodness, you all showed up.
It was my busiest week ever on the flower stand. I still can’t quite believe how many people came out to support my flowers - bunch after bunch going out the door, wrapped, labelled, and loved. It was joyful chaos in the best possible way, and such an encouraging start to the season.

The Anniversary Bouquet That Made Us Both Cry

One of my favourite moments came early in the summer when a lovely gentleman ordered a bouquet for his wife’s wedding anniversary. When he came to collect it, he got tears in his eyes as soon as he saw the flowers.
He told me I’d included so many of her favourites - and how happy she’d be knowing they were all grown locally. We both had a bit of a lump in our throats! Those small, human moments are what make this job feel so special.

The First Time Every Bed Was Planted

By May, I had one of those “I actually did it!” moments. After two and a bit years working on my flower plot, I finally managed to fill every single bed. All 34 of them, fully planted!
It’s hard to explain how satisfying it felt to stand back and see every space bursting with life - it was the first time my growing space looked exactly how I’d imagined it could.

My Peonies’ First Big Flush

This spring brought something I’d been waiting on for years - my peonies’ first proper harvest. After all the patience (and crossed fingers), they finally rewarded me with armfuls of beautiful, blousy blooms.
There’s something magical about peonies - they’re fleeting, but they arrive right when the garden feels full of promise and everything is waking up again.

The Colour Palette Coming Together

One of the things I’m most proud of this year is how the colour palette flowed through the season. I worked really hard to make sure each bed transitioned naturally from one mood to the next - and it actually worked!
Soft spring pastels - peach, blush pink, lavender, pale yellow, and apricot - slowly deepened into rich oranges, pinks, and golden yellows by autumn. It made every bouquet feel connected to the moment it was picked.

Cosmos, Weddings, and Late Nights

The cosmos absolutely outdid themselves this year - so many delicate, airy stems I almost couldn’t keep up. And of course, there were all those last-minute wedding and party orders that somehow always seem to happen at once.
By the end of the season I could have kept going - there were still plenty of cosmos, dahlias, and chrysanthemums blooming right into November - but honestly, I was exhausted.

My youngest started school in September, and until then I only had about eight hours a week to work on the plot. So much of my season happened in the evenings, after the children were asleep - seed sowing under kitchen lights, planning orders at midnight. It was a lot… but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

This year stretched me in all the best ways - as a grower, a small business owner, and a person learning to balance it all.
The beauty of growing seasonal, British flowers is that every year tells its own story. This one was full of colour, chaos, and connection - and I’m already dreaming about what next season will bring.

Thank you, from the bottom of my muddy boots, to everyone who stopped by the flower stand, bought a bouquet, or simply cheered me on from afar. Your support makes everything bloom.

Until next time,
Alicia, Cicely Flowers