I visited the organic flower farm where Bloom & Wild grow their flowers last week, and it was an incredible experience. Amongst the beautiful sea of blooms, one plant caught mine and the butterflies' attention: statice.
There are plenty of spring bulbs you can grow for cut flowers, but at Pool Hullock Farm in Herefordshire, which grows Bloom & Wild’s 100% organic flowers, a beautiful sea of annual flowers was enough to inspire anyone to start their own cut flower garden. Zinnias, dahlias, snapdragons – you name it. What I didn’t expect to take away, though, was a newfound appreciation for statice.
Statice is commonly known as sea lavender, and it's usually grown as an annual. You might have spotted it in floristry shops and bouquets before, but because it’s more subtle than some of the larger blooms, it’s easy to overlook.
What I didn’t know is that statice is prized for its superb drying ability, and when I spoke to Jess and Jeremy, the owners of Pool Hullock Farm, they said it’s one of the best contenders from plant to bouquet.
‘It dries exactly as it looks, and it lasts,’ Jess said as we walked around the farm.
If you’ll be growing your own statice, there are plenty of benefits to enjoy before it reaches the bouquet, as well.
For one, it’s an absolute hit with pollinators. We were stunned by the number of butterflies fluttering over the statice section of the flower field – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place! If you’re looking for wildlife garden ideas that transfer nicely into the vase or bouquet, statice should be your go-to.
It looks beautiful while it’s growing, too. Whether you’re hoping to fill your garden borders with delicate blooms or make a feature out of them in pots, the purple and white flowers are the perfect way to brighten up your space.
Better yet, statice is really easy to grow – you'll just need to choose a spot with full sun and free-draining soil. It's actually one of the best drought-tolerant plants out there, if you're after a low-maintenance cut flower garden staple.
Where to buy statice seeds
- Thompson & Morgan: Order the Limonium gmelinii Kew Flowerhouse Seed Collection for beautiful lavender-purple flowers
- Suttons: Statice 'Special Mixed' produces an array of coloured blooms
Will you be giving statice a go? I know I will be!
