We've put together a vibrant, scented, seasonal collection of Autumn bouquets using the rose hips and tying them with orange, red and purple scented roses and seasonal herbs. Hope you like them!

Not only do the roses look beautiful but they also perform a very important role. Roses are more sensitive to the fungal diseases powdery mildew and downy mildew and by planting roses at the edges of the vineyard they serve as an early warning system to the vineyard teams as the roses will fall victim before the vines. The disease can be treated if caught in the early stages.

The roses also create an important habitat for some beneficial insects.

The Romans used this early warning system for their vines and they are also thought to have dropped rose petals into their wine as it was thought it was a cure for drunkeness!

We went for a little circuit around the farm where our workshop is located this afternoon and we came across the pumkin and squash field.

A magical sight on a dark, drizzly afternoon as we head into Autumn. They really light up the landscape, don't you agree?

So what else is happening on the farm?

Well, all of the chick's and duck's born this summer are almost fully grown now. There are lots of small birds feasting on the rubrifolia hips and the blackberries, which we no longer pick for bouquets as they have become soft.

The Bees from the hives are making good use of the open sedum, which we are picking for bouquets, and some late summer flowers on the rose hips.

Around the open fields on our farm we have planted Bee strips consisting of wild flowers which are now teeming with Bees - a truly spectacular sight.

I'm delighted to report that our farm manager has also been harvesting potatoes, sweet corn and two very large pumpkins from one of our empty beds which he's made excellent use of before the bed is planted up with next years herbs!

It's a beautiful wooden door, full of character and history which opens into....

...a walled garden full of summer flowers and herbs!

All pages from Wedding Flowers Magazine

Durleigh Marsh Farm grows Asparagus for cutting in May and June each year along with many different vegetables but soft fruit is a speciality and there is always an abundance of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, redcurrents, white currents, blackcurrents, plums, greengages and gooseberries. If you're interested in making your own jams and chutneys (as I am!)then it's paradise here in August!

Workload permitting we sometimes go for a circular walk around some of the footpaths on the farm at lunchtime and last week on just such a walk I took some photos to share with you...

Up the tree lined footpath to the top of the hill....

Views through the trees across the fields....

At the top of the farm the weather changes and the view over to the South Downs is quite dramatic....

The weather changes again as we come down the path past the blackberries.....

A heavy crop of Blackberries.....

On past the horses....

And finally, all refreshed from our walk, back to the workshop where freshly picked herbs and blackberries are ready for us to tie with roses into wonderful bouquets!

I was ecstatic about being invited to write for The Real Flower Company and for my first post I thought that I should focus on my experience of being a recipient of one of the fabulous bouquets produced here, however, that then turned into another project of mine! Intrigued? Then read on.

I recently received a bouquet and not only were the flowers beautifully scented and perfect in every other way but there were also herbs included in the bouquet (rosemary, mint and sage). I love it when a company goes the extra distance and adds a new dimension to an already outstanding product. That is exactly what The Real Flower Company does.

I cannot convey in words just how amazing the bouquet was. I think you have to experience it to believe it and I would strongly recommend that you consider buying a bouquet from the company the next time you need a gift for that special occasion. It is most definately worth it.

The Real Flower Company is renowned for its unmatched quality, high standards and beautiful bouquets. We are all aware of the amazing aesthetic and decorative purposes of the products , but how can you increase the amount of pleasure you receive from your flowers? I have one simple suggestion, create a bath bouquet.

A Bath Bouquet is something I created when I was feeling under the weather recently. I collected some of my favorite herbs and plants from the garden, namely Chamomile, Purple Sage, Thyme, Lemon Verbena and Eucalyptus. I created a small bouquet with string and added them to the hot running water. This releases the beautiful scent of the herbs and also adds some of their oils to the bath water and your skin. I was amazed at just how much fragrance you can release from a small handful of herbs, the beautiful scent filled my house.

You too can achieve this with some of the herbs and foliage from your Real Flower Company bouquet. Couple this with good music and a candle or two from The Real Flower Company shop and you have a recipe for a great pampering session. If you could spare a sacrificial rose you could also add the petals to the bath for that extra special touch.

With a little know how you can select a small amount of your fabulous bouquet and use it to accompany a time of relaxation and make it that little bit more luxurious. Herbs, flowers and their extracts have been used this way for centuries and their benefits have been well documented and this will be discussed in my next post.

So, the next time you receive flowers from The Real Flower Company don't ignore the foliage. There are fantastic herbs that can be put to good use. Herbs including green sage, purple sage, variagated sage, fennel, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint, pink oregano, lavender, myrtle, jasmine, and rose scented geranium, and all included in the bouquets produced here and each has its own particular qualities that makes it perfect for the bath. So go on treat yourself!

Have you tried this for yourself? What would you add to your bath? We would be interested to hear your stories.

*Most herbs are safe to be used regularly but please check to see if any are known to have undesirable effects before use and consult your GP if you have an underlying medical condition.

Post by Ryan Lewis.

Ryan Lewis gardens in West Wales and blogs at Ryan's Garden

300ml/10fl oz double cream
75g/2.5 oz of caster sugar
2 rose scented geranium leaves
140g/5oz cream cheese

Put the cream, sugar and the leaves in a bowl over a pan of hot water and heat gently until the cream is hot (don't boil). Remove and leave until cold. Slowly add the cream cheese and mix until smooth and creamy. Cover and leave in cool place (not the fridge) for 12 hours.
Remove the leaves and put in servng bowl.

Tamasin recommends serving this with fresh raspberries or blackberries both of which are appropriate at this time of year.

I intend to try this at the weekend while our Rose Scented Geranium is at it's peak.

She is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful roses that we grow in England and in terms of perfume she's unbeatable and quite unique.

Merril is the classic bridal rose, ivory not stark white, she often takes on a slight pink or peach blush to her petals depending on the weather. In bud she is a fine rose but when fully open, displaying her gold centre surrounded by flat, ivory, petals she is simply glorious.

The Real Flower Company offer Merril in hand tied bouquets, shower bouquets, bespoke wedding arrangements and as boxes of stems either mixed or with other ivory roses or on her own for brides who have friends to help make the flower arrangements.

Freshly picked from our English farm, the rose is available from June to the end of October and from our sustainable Kenyan farm throughout the Winter and Spring.