Flowers

Agapanthus

Agapanthus, common name African lily, originates from South Africa. This herbaceous perennial is available in various shades of blue to white. A tall leafless stemmed plant with a rounded cluster (umbel) of funnel shaped flowers.

Agapanthus is available in Waitrose as a cut flower between July and August, and Waitrose also stocks a selection of Agapanthus in the spring planting bulb range.

Grown for Waitrose by Winchester Growers at their LEAF Marque accredited farm in Varfell, Cornwall.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum flowers are grown so that there are fresh flowers every day of the year. A range of colours and types ensures that the customers get a good choice of the best varieties. During the last few years work has been done to ensure the vase life of our flowers will give customers 10-14 days at home. This makes chrysanthemums one of the longest lasting flowers and given the wide range of flower types ensures that it remains one of the favourite choices within the floral offering.

A major strength of has been the work into variety development instrumented by Donaldsons and SGP who on any occasion may have in excess of forty new trials on going. This has been the driving force behind stronger brighter colours and testament to their commitment to developing in partnership with Waitrose.

Grown for Waitrose by Donaldsons and Southern Glasshouse Produce Ltd.

Daffodils

The Daffodil, also known as Narcissus, is one of the earliest British spring flowers. They are wonderfully bright and cheery, coming in a range of colours from the traditional bright yellow, but also available in orange, pink, white and red. Pheasant Eye is a speciality variety, available at the beginning of May. It is scented with large white petals and a small yellow cup, edged red, with a green eye.

Winchester Growers, a LEAF Marque accredited grower, grow and supply Waitrose with daffodils from their farms in Cornwall for the early season, Lincolnshire for the main season and source from Scotland later on to extend the season. Bulbs are planted in the ground for about three years so that they multiply and flowers are picked each spring. The bulbs are then harvested and either sold as bulbs or re-planted to produce the next generation of bulbs and flowers.

To maximise the life of a daffodil once cut, stand it in water for a couple of hours and then move to fresh water. If using as part of a mixed flower bouquet a special food is needed to neutralise the effect of the daffodil sap.

From January to April Waitrose stock cut daffodils, speciality daffodils, and potted daffodils which are perfect for brightening the home. If growing your own daffodils, plant the bulbs in August to October so they will flower from January to April. They suit a well drained soil and benefit from the sun or in light shade.

Grown for Waitrose by Winchester Growers, Cornwall.

Dahlias

Dahlias are a tubular crop are closely related to chrysanthemums but have hollow stems and smooth, pointed leaves. Native forms are quite daisy-like but more modern varieties include complete globes full of petals (pompoms), spiky and spidery forms (cactuses), and curled tubes of petals like sea anemones. Dahlias are available as a cut flower between mid July and early October.

Winchester Growers, a LEAF Marque accredited farm, is proud to own the National Dahlia Collection in Varfell, Cornwall which consists of over 1,700 varieties. The collection is open to the public for a few days in September when over 10,000 dahlias can be seen in full flower.

Grown for Waitrose by Winchester Growers.

Delphiniums

Delphinium are very tall, elegant plants which are a member of the family Ranunculaceae. The name Delphinium came from the Ancient Greeks who recognised that the unopened buds with their spurs look like leaping dolphins. Although most people expect delphiniums to be blue they come in a range of colours from deep purple to pure white. It is a difficult plant to grow successfully and requires fertile, well-drained soil. Given the right conditions, they will flower twice each year.

Waitrose range the Elatum-type Delphinium which were created over 150 years ago by Victorian amateur breeders. They are the tall English hybrid delphiniums which you see growing in the borders of most English stately homes.

Check in branches between June and September when this beautiful flower is in season.

Grown for Waitrose by Matthew Naylor.

English rose

The Waitrose selection includes varieties such as St Cecilia, Just Joey and Chandos Beauty. The producer is described as producing country-cottage style flowers for the 'Cath Kidston' generation. The rose is harvested in an ecologically sound way and has a truly strong scent, 'synonymous with the heady scent of forgotten English summers'.

Grown for Waitrose by The Real Flower Company.

Freesia

Before the freesia bulbs are planted the soil needs to be steamed. This cleans the soil of disease that may have a negative effect upon growth.

The bulbs are planted semi-automatically by a machine which at the same time puts the pipes in the soil to control the soil climate.

Pipes are laid between the freesia feeding the stems water and nutrients. The advantange of this method is that the flowers do not get wet which may increase the chance of botrytis (a plant infesting fungus which thrives in moist conditions). The soil is also covered by a light material called "styropoor" which reflects light, enhancing growth. Furthermore, this material has a positive effect upon the isolation and control of the soil temperature.

When the freesia have grown to the right cutting stage, they are harvested. In the first three weeks the head stems are harvested, and soon after the side branches are harvested. These come from the same plant however are shorter in length and/or lighter then the heads.

The freesia are sent by overnight transport to customers and auctions all over the world.

Grown for Waitrose by Unicum B.V.

Gladioli

Gladioli originated in Southern Europe but modern breeding programmes use colourful South African species. Crops are grown outdoors in the UK from July to September. They like free draining soil in a sunny, sheltered, south facing position.

Gladioli are grown from corms which are stems that are internally structured with solid tissue whereas a bulb is mostly made of layers of fleshy scales, which are actually leaves. On top of the corm, one or two buds grow into shoots that produce leaves and flowers.

The plant produces a tall, upright stem, often with flowers ranged one above the other. They are available in almost every colour and hue, with flowers from 5-18cm wide. Often there is a contrasting colour in the centre of the flower and petals may be frilled or ruffled. They all create splendid clumps of flowers in bright pinks, reds, oranges and other hot colours.

Grown for Waitrose by Fast Track Flowers.

Peonies

Peonies (from the genus Paeonia) are commonly herbaceous perennial plants although some species are woody shrubs. They are native to parts of Asia, Southern Europe and North America. They boast large flowers, often many protruding from the same stem and blooms can measure up to 18cm across in a distinctive bowl-shape. The blooms come in singles, semi-doubles, doubles or Anenome-flowered in a variety of colours and sizes. Plants will flower between April to July, depending on the variety.

Keep a look out in branch for our British cut Peonies in May and June, and we also stock a selection of Peony bulbs in our Spring planting bulb ranges.

Choose a sunny spot in well-drained composted soil but avoid early morning sun. Consider it a long-term investment as the plant may not be fully established for three years. Avoid transplanting and do not divide clumps, and in the autumn cut back the stems down to ground level.

Our British cut Peonies are grown for Waitrose by Winchester Growers.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers (genus Helianthus) are tall growing plants which feature fantastically large flower heads, popular with children and growing competitions! The stems can grow as tall as 3m whilst the heads themselves can measure up to 30cm across. When in bud the heads show heliotropism; they follow the sun from east to west every day before resting in the East position as night falls, however as they bloom they do not continue to do this.

They suit a well-drained soil in a sunny position, and seeds need to be sown in April.

Sunflowers are available from July to September and come in both standard and novelty varieties, such as Teddy Bear, Autumn Beauty and Evening Sun.

Grown for Waitrose by Ian Chatterton.

Sweet peas

Sweet peas are a traditional favourite 'cottage garden' flower from the genus Lathyrus, with their beautifully sweet aroma and frilly flowers . They are a climbing annual which normally flowers in the garden from late May until September. They can also be brought into flower earlier in a greenhouse, but can be difficult to look after when grown like this, needing constant watering, feeding and trimming.

How long will cut flower Sweet Peas last in the vase? David Guscott our grower says "All our flowers are treated with a long life food, but how long they last will depend on what temperature they are kept at and how clean the vase water is.They can last for 2 weeks in a cool environment, but can suffer greatly if left in a hot sunny room in the middle of summer".

Waitrose stocks David's sweet peas from March to June when the plant is in full season. Look out for our Sweet Pea planter, available in our spring bulb range.

Grown for Waitrose by Greenlines Nursery, West Sussex.

Tulips

The tulip is widely grown throughout the UK but is actually indigenous to central Asia, the name originating in the Ottoman Empire. They are a perennial bulb producing a single long stemmed flower sheathed in elongated leaves.

They can be grown directly in soil, in peat or hydroponically, taking an average of six weeks to flower from planting.

Tulips come in a huge variety of types such as standard, doubles, fringed, lily and parrot. Fringed tulips have feathered edges to the petals, whilst lily tulips have elegant, fluted flowers. Tulips come in a striking range of colours from strong primaries to pastel and multi-coloured shades, so you can be sure to find some that meet your colour scheme.

Cut tulips are available from January to May. Waitrose sources all of its tulips from British growers, Lambs Flowers and Winchester Growers, both of which are LEAF Marque accredited growers, working with them to select the best varieties to offer an exciting selection of cut flowers. They are predominately grown using a hydroponic system to maximise quality and reduce disease.

It is useful to remember that if you are using tulips as part of a mixed flower arrangement they naturally continue to elongate in the vase after having been cut.

Waitrose stock a range of tulip bulbs in the autumn planting range. They suit a well drained soil in full sun, and can go in from November to December.

Zantedeschia

Although called the calla lily, it is neither an arum ( the genus Arum) nor a lily ( genus Lilium). It is associated with the lily as a symbol of purity and is often used for weddings and funerals. Zantedeschia is a genus of twenty-eight species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to southern Africa. The name of the genus was given as a tribute to Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi. Although popular in white there are many different coloured varieties from burnt orange to pink and vivid yellow.

Grown for Waitrose by Copsey's (Denville) Ltd.