The Queen’s Favourite Flowers

The Queen’s favourite flowers wasn’t a topic I ever planned to write about. But, as I sit down to pen this week’s blog, I have to say my heart isn’t in it. Normally I’m brimming with ideas. I’ve often just tried something in the garden or I’ve just discovered a lovely plant combination and I want to share it with you. But this week, well, this week has been dominated by the news of the sudden death of our dear Queen Elizabeth II and I can’t deny it has knocked me sideways.

I’m not completely sure why I’m so shocked by the events of the past week. She was 96 after all! It couldn’t be a complete surprise. But like so many other people, I guess I just took for granted her always being there. She’s been the backdrop to my entire life.

Her Majesty was also the same generation as my parents. My parents both served during the second world war, (I’m the youngest of 6 so they were quite old when they had me!). They had her kind of views of duty and service and respected her immensely. So losing the Queen almost feels like losing yet another connection with my parents and their era.

The upshot is that blogging about anything feels a bit trivial at the moment. So if you don’t mind I thought I’d share a shorter blog than usual this week, and will use as my inspiration the Queen’s favourite flowers and those our new King Charles III.

Two very different plants – linked by this moment in history.

Lily of the Valley

I read somewhere that The Queen’s favourite flowers were lilies of the valley. I smiled when I saw this as it seemed so fitting. It’s such an easy plant to take for granted. Small, no nonsense, uncomplicated but what an impact! In addition to its lovely white bell-shaped flowers in the summer months, lily of the valley has the sweetest of fragrances.

There’s lots of symbolism behind lily of the valley. It represents motherhood, purity, good luck and humility. It is said to have first bloomed where Eve’s tears feel as she left the garden of Eden. That’s a lot for one small plant!

Thinking of her own humility and faith, it doesn’t surprise me that the Queen’s favourite flowers were this gorgeous, humble bloom. Indeed, she incorporated it into her life. The Queen carried lily of the valley flowers in her bouquet of orchids when she married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. They also featured in the Queen’s coronation bouquet.

To remember her I’m going to plant some of this beauty in my own garden.

Caring for the Queen’s Favourite Flowers

Lily of the valley is a woodland plant. Indeed it’s often an indicator of ancient woodlands here in the UK. I sadly don’t have anything as grand as an ancient woodland in my garden, but a lovely cluster of lily of the valley in my shaded green and white border might work. I gather it spreads pretty easily in a damp shaded spot and it’s good for bees. So what am I waiting for!

I’ve read that newly planted lily of the valley struggles to grow in cold, wet conditions. As a result, experts suggest planting the crowns into pots in March and growing the plants on indoors before planting them out in mid-May. This head start increases the likelihood of flowers in the same year. So that’s going to be a lovely, slightly bitter-sweet job gardening job for March.

King Charles III’s Favourite Flowers

King Charles III (gosh saying that is going to take a bit of getting used to) loves gardening. The gardens at his Highgrove home are legendary. But among the feast of flowers created there, the delphinium is apparently his favourite.

He has said in the past: “I have an absolute passion… for delphiniums – and I’ve always had it.”

I can understand why. The delphinium is a classic of the English country or cottage garden. Indeed, their common name larkspur dates back to Tudor times.

Delphiniums bloom in June, July and August when they add froth, drama, romance and glamour as they rise up majestically in sunny mixed borders. Ooh I love them.

People perhaps mostly know them for their vivid sapphire, almost electric-blue flowers, but you can also get them in mauves, dusky pink, white – and even red as below!

Caring for Delphiniums

Sadly delphiniums aren’t quite as low maintenance as lily of the valley. You must protect them from slugs in spring, give them full sun, protect them from wind, stake them, give them moist soil and plenty of feed. Mmm that’s quite a shopping list of care. But oh the impact if you get all of this right! They reward you with upright spikes absolutely laden with flowers. It’s no wonder bees love them. They’re also perfect for a cutting garden.

I currently don’t grow delphiniums. In the past the staking has put me off. But I successfully grew one this year as an experiment in a recycle box, (oh the indignity for the poor plant!). I found that I coped with the staking just fine. So, encouraged by this success, I plan to grow more in the future. I don’t currently have space for them. However, when we remove the sheds at the bottom of our garden (this is a very long-term project Mr F-W is in the middle of) a whole new space for a sunny border will open-up.

I envisage it being a very frothy and romantic bed, so that definitely means delphiniums! Perhaps with with roses, peonies and other vertical flowers such as lupins, salvias and verbascums. What a lovely time I’ll have planning that border!

But that’s all for another day.

A Time to Reflect

Whereas for today, well for me it’s a time to pause, reflect and give thanks for the most incredible of Queens – and her extraordinary life of duty and service – and to look to the future with our new King.

I’m sorry this isn’t a longer blog for you. But I will see you all next week – when normal blogging service will be resumed. Sending you love – x