FrOm wilted blOoms to blOom-boOstIng soil: CompostING AT Lopmint & purdy

STARTING MY OWN GARDEN COMPOST

I do not expect that one of the most romantic things I will do this year involves potato peelings, soggy grass and a bucket of guinea pig poo; yet in January, that is exactly where I find myself.

Here at Lopmint & Purdy, I grow my own flowers from my home garden and a small allotment down the lane. These are the blooms that become thoughtful, sustainable and FUNERAL SPRAYS, as well as seasonal ARTISAN WEDDING FLOWERS that find their way into your special days.

But, while I have been nurturing beauty above ground, I have been quietly outsourcing the life beneath it, buying bag after bag of compost while my own garden’s richness wilts and sits unused behind my flower studio. This year, that changes.

TURNING SEASONAL FLOWER WASTE INTO NUTRIENT-RICH SOIL

This month I’ve taken the plunge and started my own compost bins — and honestly, the timing couldn’t be better, because my garden currently looks less like a flower farm plot and more like I’ve opened a small domestic recycling centre.

Thanks to a festive bout of online shopping, I’m sitting on a mountain of cardboard, and after dismantling my CHRISTMAS WREATHS (and to all those lovely customers of mine who have returned their used wreath bases for all those WORKSHOP CREATIONS — thank you), I’ve also got piles of pine, worse-for-wear seasonal foliage and straw just begging to be put to good use. It turns out that what looked like seasonal chaos is actually the perfect compost starter kit.

I actually bought some modular bins a while back, (AMAZON LINK) so lots of weeds have come through. The first job was to clear these bins, leaving 1,700 litres of potential:

the promise that what grows here

will feed here, and grow again.

These three bins will form the backbone of my composting system.

HOW TO LAYER GREEN WASTE WITH BROWN MATERIAL FOR PERFECT GARDEN COMPOST

I’m approaching this compost malarkey as if I am making a lasagne. Last week I made my first proper start by tucking a bed of twigs and coarse stems into the bottom of one of the bins — a “meat layer” medley of leftover autumn leaves, windfall twigs, recycled cardboard and straw that felt satisfyingly resourceful. This airy base will do all the important work of keeping everything breathing, while inviting in all manner of industrious worms and little garden beasties to get the party started.

On top of that went the “pasta” green layer: I’m resisting mowing for now, so instead I’ve used leftover pine and seasonal foliage from my CHRISTMAS WREATHS, spent flower stems from my conditioning buckets, a generous helping of vegetable peelings from the kitchen, and a scoop of manure from my teenage son’s guinea pig farm. To finish, I dusted the whole lot with half a bag of old multipurpose compost (a cheesy layer) from last summer, which I’m told seeds the pile with beneficial microbes, before giving it a final light sprinkle of compost accelerator (AMAZON LINK) for good measure.

FROM SOGGY TO SNUG: MANAGING MY WINTER COMPOST BIN

After what feels like a small monsoon over Dorset, my poor starter bin had turned decidedly soggy — and if I’m honest, rather pongy too. In a bid to restore order (and my nose), I’ve piled in yet more cardboard and some stored dry leaves from the autumn, trusting that this will soak up the excess and bring everything back into balance. Fingers crossed the microbes approve… and perhaps, while I’m at it, a polite request to the weather gods: ‘rain, rain, please go away’.

Aside from adding more bits and pieces, my plan now is to leave the bin well alone and let nature get on with it. By mid-February, it should be starting to warm up: not just outside in the garden, but in the compost too, where all the little microbes are busy doing their thing.

I’ve already marked the diary for March, because by then bin one will be full and it’s time for the big move: a full turnover, shifting everything into bin two and giving it a fresh start for the next stage of its transformation, breaking down and softening even further.

USING LOCAL DORSET INGREDIENTS IN YOUR COMPOST

I plan to layer in plenty of local Dorset goodness as the compost grows: crushed eggshells (great for adding calcium) from my neighbour’s happy chickens, washed seaweed collected on dog walks along my local beach, coffee granules (great for adding nitrogen) from my favourite Dorset Roasters, and bags of firewood ash from a slightly overworked winter hearth. And, of course, my teenage son’s guinea pig manure adds a particular touch of Dorset-grown nourishment. By the end of it, my compost will be a true celebration of Dorset: a little bit of beach, a little bit of farmyard, and a lot of homegrown goodness ready to feed my flowers.

THE ECO COFFEE ROASTER

My favourite Eco Coffee makers based just down the road. who responsibly prepare all their coffees using green, renewable energy from wind & solar farms in and around the county & the UK.

VINES FARM SHOP

My favourite generational family run farm shop with the best egg production, market garden, animal feed and local Dorset country store sundries from wellies, coats, logs, coal & hay.

JURASSIC SEA FARMS

One of the best regenerative aquacultures here on the Dorset south coast, who offer sustainably farmed seaweed and oysters, with the main aim of supporting ocean health and creating a safer, cleaner habitat to support marine species.

STEP BY STEP COMPOST TURNOVER FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH

By the time the compost finally makes its way into bin three, around June, it will have transformed completely: dark, crumbly, and rich, with a scent that somehow manages to capture the magic of a Dorset woodland floor after a summer shower.

While it won’t quite be ready in time for my first sowings at the end of March, I’m hoping it will reach peak perfection for the second round of plantings and beyond.

By mid-summer, I’ll have a rich, multipurpose compost of my own making, ready to work its magic across my Lopmint & Purdy ‘dig-free’ and raised beds: the very same soil that nurtures the flowers I grow for WEDDINGS, GIFT BOUQUETS, and meaningful SEASONAL FAREWELL ARRANGEMENTS. In this way, the full circle of my garden is complete: what grows here feeds here, and what has finished its bloom returns to the soil, ready to give life again for the next season’s flowers. It’s nature’s recycling at its finest, and there’s something quietly joyful about watching yesterday’s blooms become tomorrow’s abundance.

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About the writer

Claire is a

City & Guilds qualified florist and micro flower farmer

...based near Wareham, on the edge of the Purbeck Hills in Dorset.

From her garden allotment ‘Lopmint’, she grows pretty ‘Purdy’ seasonal, British flowers guided by nature’s rhythm and the romantic spirit of an English country garden.

Sustainability sits at the heart of everything she does — from composting and seed sowing to creating foam-free funeral flowers, locally grown wedding florals and seasonal bouquets for Dorset homes.

Alongside growing, Claire also hosts creative workshops and collaborates with like-minded local businesses and country house venues.

Through every stem she cultivates, Claire hopes to champion sustainable Dorset floristry while inspiring others to reconnect with the beauty of seasonal flowers.