• @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 6. Gardening workshops for beginners. As flower growers up and down the country start sowing their first seeds, for us it isn't rocket science, but for some, it seems like a daunting and complicated process.  I wanted to share my experience and mistakes and am now in my second year of running the #seedtovase course for beginners. The uptake has more than doubled which I’m dead chuffed about.  Two groups have just completed their first session and we will be meeting for 5 more mornings each month until July. It’s like a month by month “do what and when I do” (or not as the case might be) which means we get to follow and support each other during the first part of the growing season.  We cover a mix of theory and discussion (and lots of coffee and cake) but we also get our hands in the soil each week. It is aimed at enthusiastic beginners taking them from choosing seeds to picking their own blooms.  There are always freebies to take home too.  This was what one of the group said about the first session “Informative and fun. Thank you so much Fiona. I think we’ll learn a lot and have fun along the way, which sounds good to me. I’ve already been writing up my list of things to do before next time which involves a lot of cleaning and tidying.” Looking forward to seeing them all again in March.  Lots of progress photos popping up on our whatsapp group 😁
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    @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 6. Gardening workshops for beginners. As flower growers up and down the country start sowing their first seeds, for us it isn't rocket science, but for some, it seems like a daunting and complicated process.  I wanted to share my experience and mistakes and am now in my second year of running the #seedtovase course for beginners. The uptake has more than doubled which I’m dead chuffed about.  Two groups have just completed their first session and we will be meeting for 5 more mornings each month until July. It’s like a month by month “do what and when I do” (or not as the case might be) which means we get to follow and support each other during the first part of the growing season.  We cover a mix of theory and discussion (and lots of coffee and cake) but we also get our hands in the soil each week. It is aimed at enthusiastic beginners taking them from choosing seeds to picking their own blooms.  There are always freebies to take home too.  This was what one of the group said about the first session “Informative and fun. Thank you so much Fiona. I think we’ll learn a lot and have fun along the way, which sounds good to me. I’ve already been writing up my list of things to do before next time which involves a lot of cleaning and tidying.” Looking forward to seeing them all again in March.  Lots of progress photos popping up on our whatsapp group 😁
  • @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 5: Special occasions and flowers for florists:  I am often contacted by people from all over the country/world looking to gift some flowers with a difference to someone special.  I try and keep deliveries local and on a set day to keep as efficient as possible.  This year after a successful trial in the autumn, I will be offering monthly subscription flowers locally too. Another target for this year is to grow my sales of funeral or farewell flowers this year. I haven’t been using floral foam for over a year now and plan to offer a fully compostable option using #britishflowers and am listed on the FFTF sister site @farewellflowers  Looking forward to picking up some tips and tricks on a workshop run by the queen of funeral flowers @tuckshop flowers later this month.  I’m hoping some recently acquired willow weaving skills will come in useful too. It always amazes me how many flowers I have at the end of each week surplus to my own needs, particularly from July to September. I'm delighted to be using @flowerscout again this year to market and sell flowers to local florists using their excellent and secure platform.  As I grow a little of a lot of things, florists can either choose to make up their own bucket with a selection of the stems I have listed, or they can opt for buckets of mixed flowers.  I have a small but growing band of florists that like what I offer.  Looking forward to working with more over the summer. Tomorrow I’ll be talking gardening so do tune in
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    @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 5: Special occasions and flowers for florists:  I am often contacted by people from all over the country/world looking to gift some flowers with a difference to someone special.  I try and keep deliveries local and on a set day to keep as efficient as possible.  This year after a successful trial in the autumn, I will be offering monthly subscription flowers locally too. Another target for this year is to grow my sales of funeral or farewell flowers this year. I haven’t been using floral foam for over a year now and plan to offer a fully compostable option using #britishflowers and am listed on the FFTF sister site @farewellflowers  Looking forward to picking up some tips and tricks on a workshop run by the queen of funeral flowers @tuckshop flowers later this month.  I’m hoping some recently acquired willow weaving skills will come in useful too. It always amazes me how many flowers I have at the end of each week surplus to my own needs, particularly from July to September. I'm delighted to be using @flowerscout again this year to market and sell flowers to local florists using their excellent and secure platform.  As I grow a little of a lot of things, florists can either choose to make up their own bucket with a selection of the stems I have listed, or they can opt for buckets of mixed flowers.  I have a small but growing band of florists that like what I offer.  Looking forward to working with more over the summer. Tomorrow I’ll be talking gardening so do tune in
  • @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 4. The services I provide (cont’d): Workshops. I love doing workshops, perhaps it’s the chance to enthuse about what I do, and I love seeing people go home happy with an arm full of flowers. I run most workshops from home for small groups of 6 or so. The beauty being that I live in quite a nice quiet spot and can include a tour of the garden (which always goes down well) and on some workshops, attendees can cut their own flowers.  I also run bespoke workshops off site if required for say hen parties and groups of friends at a private venue and at a couple of local country hotels @Barnsleyhouse and @the_painswick. (Definitely worth checking out for a special weekend away – amazing food and surroundings) When my fresh flowers come to an end I’ll be offering workshops with dried flowers which I will have dried naturally in batches over the summer. Excitingly I’ll be collaborating with other artists this year such as @katecullenstyle for a spot of botanical dyeing of natural fabrics and my head is buzzing with ideas for a winter collaboration. What other workshops would you like to see, or have been on that you’d like to see more of? Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about special occasion flowers and flowers for florists. Hope I’m not boring you too much!!
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    @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 4. The services I provide (cont’d): Workshops. I love doing workshops, perhaps it’s the chance to enthuse about what I do, and I love seeing people go home happy with an arm full of flowers. I run most workshops from home for small groups of 6 or so. The beauty being that I live in quite a nice quiet spot and can include a tour of the garden (which always goes down well) and on some workshops, attendees can cut their own flowers.  I also run bespoke workshops off site if required for say hen parties and groups of friends at a private venue and at a couple of local country hotels @Barnsleyhouse and @the_painswick. (Definitely worth checking out for a special weekend away – amazing food and surroundings) When my fresh flowers come to an end I’ll be offering workshops with dried flowers which I will have dried naturally in batches over the summer. Excitingly I’ll be collaborating with other artists this year such as @katecullenstyle for a spot of botanical dyeing of natural fabrics and my head is buzzing with ideas for a winter collaboration. What other workshops would you like to see, or have been on that you’d like to see more of? Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about special occasion flowers and flowers for florists. Hope I’m not boring you too much!!
  • @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 3 .  Services I provide: These are many and varied as I mentioned on Day 1, but I love preparing flowers for weddings!  At the beginning of year 1 of my business,  I remember saying to a well know and influential royal florist (who I embarrassingly didn’t recognize at the time) that I could never imagine doing wedding flowers….. Roll on the clock a few of years and after a floristry course with the lovely ladies @talluhlahflowerschool @rachelwardleystyle and @bathflowerschool  I took the plunge and now have lots of low to medium budget weddings under my belt or booked in at local venues in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Herefordshire .  I don’t have a minimum spend and can offer lots of options from supplying just a few buckets of flowers, to the full caboodle and anything in between.  I find they’re generally manageable on my own but I have a reliable list of helping hands if necessary. This photo was from a very local wedding in the neighbouring village of #Uley. The calmest most relaxed bride and groom ever who shared their special day with family and friends and enjoyed the hottest of summer days with the backdrop of the Cotswold edge at their reception at the village cricket club. C told me she “wore her flowercrown (which she said made her feel so special) and carried her bouquet all day and they even took the bouquet with them on honeymoon to enjoy for a few more days.” It’s always lovely to hear how everything went.  I’ll be going into more detail about what else I do in the next couple of days so would love you to keep tuning in.  Do let me know if there is anything in particular you would like me to tell you more about either in the comments or DM @cotswoldcountryflowers
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    @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 3 .  Services I provide: These are many and varied as I mentioned on Day 1, but I love preparing flowers for weddings!  At the beginning of year 1 of my business,  I remember saying to a well know and influential royal florist (who I embarrassingly didn’t recognize at the time) that I could never imagine doing wedding flowers….. Roll on the clock a few of years and after a floristry course with the lovely ladies @talluhlahflowerschool @rachelwardleystyle and @bathflowerschool  I took the plunge and now have lots of low to medium budget weddings under my belt or booked in at local venues in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Herefordshire .  I don’t have a minimum spend and can offer lots of options from supplying just a few buckets of flowers, to the full caboodle and anything in between.  I find they’re generally manageable on my own but I have a reliable list of helping hands if necessary. This photo was from a very local wedding in the neighbouring village of #Uley. The calmest most relaxed bride and groom ever who shared their special day with family and friends and enjoyed the hottest of summer days with the backdrop of the Cotswold edge at their reception at the village cricket club. C told me she “wore her flowercrown (which she said made her feel so special) and carried her bouquet all day and they even took the bouquet with them on honeymoon to enjoy for a few more days.” It’s always lovely to hear how everything went.  I’ll be going into more detail about what else I do in the next couple of days so would love you to keep tuning in.  Do let me know if there is anything in particular you would like me to tell you more about either in the comments or DM @cotswoldcountryflowers
  • @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 2,  Where and what I grow: If you check out on the insta stories/IGTV I’ve done a video of my plot just before storm Dennis hit. Visitors are often surprised when they see that I just grow from my garden and part of my neighbour’s small orchard on around 1/3 acre.  The established mixed species hedges are invaluable windbreaks and very useful foliage providers! The garden is surrounded by extensive farmland just on the edge of the cotswolds in an AONB so blessed with lots of feathered aphid and slug eaters. I only have a small greenhouse and potting shed (where all the propagation happens) and a north facing garage which is great for conditioning flowers.  I also adopt a friend’s greenhouse for a couple of months in the spring to overspill into. Most of the beds accommodate the annual, biennial and perennials, and some have caterpillar tunnels which provides some wind and weather protection and doesn’t get ripped to shreds. ( A tip picked up from @mayfieldflowers in Scotland). Most beds were created using the #nodig method and are rectangular with strong horizontal netting secured at the corners with recycled/unwanted posts from a building site. What I grow: I have a fairly short season of fresh flowers (around May – October) but grow a huge variety. “A little of a lot” is my motto. Again, it doesn’t work for everyone, but I like to grow the old faithfuls and experiment with new (to me) flowers.  My season doesn’t really get going until May with tulips, allium and this year for the first time (I hope) rananuculus. Biennials which were sown in the autumn and have overwintered outside should be next in line, followed by a succession (in theory - 😂😏) of annuals. A selection of perrenials and shrubs together with 60 or so dahlias complete the flowery picture.  If I am ever concerned about meeting an order, my customers know that I will top up with flowers from my besties @cotswoldposypatch @the-cutting-garden @plansandplant @loandaflowers. When the fresh flowers are done, my colourful dried flowers can be used in floristry and workshops over the winter months but more about that later in the week
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    @flowersfromthefarm insta takeover Day 2,  Where and what I grow: If you check out on the insta stories/IGTV I’ve done a video of my plot just before storm Dennis hit. Visitors are often surprised when they see that I just grow from my garden and part of my neighbour’s small orchard on around 1/3 acre.  The established mixed species hedges are invaluable windbreaks and very useful foliage providers! The garden is surrounded by extensive farmland just on the edge of the cotswolds in an AONB so blessed with lots of feathered aphid and slug eaters. I only have a small greenhouse and potting shed (where all the propagation happens) and a north facing garage which is great for conditioning flowers.  I also adopt a friend’s greenhouse for a couple of months in the spring to overspill into. Most of the beds accommodate the annual, biennial and perennials, and some have caterpillar tunnels which provides some wind and weather protection and doesn’t get ripped to shreds. ( A tip picked up from @mayfieldflowers in Scotland). Most beds were created using the #nodig method and are rectangular with strong horizontal netting secured at the corners with recycled/unwanted posts from a building site. What I grow: I have a fairly short season of fresh flowers (around May – October) but grow a huge variety. “A little of a lot” is my motto. Again, it doesn’t work for everyone, but I like to grow the old faithfuls and experiment with new (to me) flowers.  My season doesn’t really get going until May with tulips, allium and this year for the first time (I hope) rananuculus. Biennials which were sown in the autumn and have overwintered outside should be next in line, followed by a succession (in theory - 😂😏) of annuals. A selection of perrenials and shrubs together with 60 or so dahlias complete the flowery picture.  If I am ever concerned about meeting an order, my customers know that I will top up with flowers from my besties @cotswoldposypatch @the-cutting-garden @plansandplant @loandaflowers. When the fresh flowers are done, my colourful dried flowers can be used in floristry and workshops over the winter months but more about that later in the week
  • Who am I ? Good morning to all @flowersfromthefarm followers.  This week it’s me, Fiona Porter from @cotswoldcountryflowers doing the insta takeover. I’m based on the Cotswold edge between Stroud and Dursley  in Gloucestershire but as I look through the previous weeks’ posts, I realise how many of the business owners I know or have met from all over the country since belonging to this fabulous friendly and collaborative network; it has opened up a huge new bunch of friends and contacts to me not just locally but nationally.  I’ve met Sarah of @comptongardenflowers several times at regional meet ups and shows, the fabulous Marianne and Camila @wolveslaneflowercompany  I first met @talluhlahroseflowerschool. The three wise women Claire @plantpassion , Carol @carolsiddorn and Paula @millpondflowers I’ve met on @businessofflowers.  Before them it was Nicola from @flowertree from whom I buy my insurance plug plants in case of my own disasters. Anyway, I’ll be explaining more about me and my business over the next 7 days but in summary: When I hit 50 I had an overwhelming desire to take a different path. I had had careers in engineering and teaching and had a stint being a full time mum.  I knew that whatever path I took it needed to involve working outdoors, being my own boss (cos that’s not stresssful right??) and hoped it would involve gardening.  After attending a fabulous course @organicblooms on growing cut flowers. I dabbled for a year and was amazed how much I could grow on a few square metres.  I started selling flowers at the end of the lane and at the local village shop and that’s where it all started.  Joining @flowersfromthefarm was a no brainer when I launched my business @cotswoldcountryflowers in Jan 2017. Contrary to all the advice from the aforementioned ghurus, my business is very diverse a) because I don’t like to have all my eggs in one basket and b) because I enjoy (almost) every aspect of growing my own flowers and the creativity that working with them inspires. Look forward to telling you more over the coming days.
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    Who am I ? Good morning to all @flowersfromthefarm followers.  This week it’s me, Fiona Porter from @cotswoldcountryflowers doing the insta takeover. I’m based on the Cotswold edge between Stroud and Dursley  in Gloucestershire but as I look through the previous weeks’ posts, I realise how many of the business owners I know or have met from all over the country since belonging to this fabulous friendly and collaborative network; it has opened up a huge new bunch of friends and contacts to me not just locally but nationally.  I’ve met Sarah of @comptongardenflowers several times at regional meet ups and shows, the fabulous Marianne and Camila @wolveslaneflowercompany  I first met @talluhlahroseflowerschool. The three wise women Claire @plantpassion , Carol @carolsiddorn and Paula @millpondflowers I’ve met on @businessofflowers.  Before them it was Nicola from @flowertree from whom I buy my insurance plug plants in case of my own disasters. Anyway, I’ll be explaining more about me and my business over the next 7 days but in summary: When I hit 50 I had an overwhelming desire to take a different path. I had had careers in engineering and teaching and had a stint being a full time mum.  I knew that whatever path I took it needed to involve working outdoors, being my own boss (cos that’s not stresssful right??) and hoped it would involve gardening.  After attending a fabulous course @organicblooms on growing cut flowers. I dabbled for a year and was amazed how much I could grow on a few square metres.  I started selling flowers at the end of the lane and at the local village shop and that’s where it all started.  Joining @flowersfromthefarm was a no brainer when I launched my business @cotswoldcountryflowers in Jan 2017. Contrary to all the advice from the aforementioned ghurus, my business is very diverse a) because I don’t like to have all my eggs in one basket and b) because I enjoy (almost) every aspect of growing my own flowers and the creativity that working with them inspires. Look forward to telling you more over the coming days.
  • I have enjoyed hosting the Flowers from the Farm Instagram page for the past week. I thought I would leave you with a picture of what’s flowering right now and some of the little beauties to come. My original idea was to go out today and cut fresh flowers and foliage, however #stormdennis had other ideas, so this first picture shows pickings from a couple of weeks ago, the second is the Spring, followed by the summer and autumn. It is these beauties which makes flower farming such a fabulous job! So it’s goodbye from @comptongardenflowers - from tomorrow I handover to the lovely Fiona @cotswoldcountryflowers. Thank you for reading, liking, following and for your continuing interest in British flower farmers #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #springflowers #summerflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers #thejoysoftheseason #Ilovemyjob #flowersforalloccasions #weddingflowers #farewellflowers
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    I have enjoyed hosting the Flowers from the Farm Instagram page for the past week. I thought I would leave you with a picture of what’s flowering right now and some of the little beauties to come. My original idea was to go out today and cut fresh flowers and foliage, however #stormdennis had other ideas, so this first picture shows pickings from a couple of weeks ago, the second is the Spring, followed by the summer and autumn. It is these beauties which makes flower farming such a fabulous job! So it’s goodbye from @comptongardenflowers - from tomorrow I handover to the lovely Fiona @cotswoldcountryflowers. Thank you for reading, liking, following and for your continuing interest in British flower farmers #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #springflowers #summerflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers #thejoysoftheseason #Ilovemyjob #flowersforalloccasions #weddingflowers #farewellflowers
  • It is always such an honour to be asked to provide farewell flowers and today we created an arrangement for a very special person who just loved British seasonal flowers and one of her favourites was snowdrops. Many of the flowers from the farm members grow beautiful and evocative flowers for funerals, bringing a personal touch at a difficult time. To help you find these members' services, we have a sister website - for more information go to www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/farewell-funeral-flowers Today also saw us starting our seed sowing for the coming season. From mid-February Flower Farmers up an down the land are cracking opening open packets of seeds. No matter what seeds I sow, I always get very excited when I see the very first signs of germination – and a bit disappointed when nothing happens (which thankfully is not too often)! From February, seed sowing happens pretty much constantly. Broadly speaking, the main seed sowing time is February – May for annuals, June – August it’s all about perennials & biennials and then September – November we focus on sowing hardy annuals for the following year and it’s also the time when I sow my first batch of my favourite seeds! Sweetpeas are just gorgeous, with amazing scent, beautiful colours and just so quintessentially British – to see what I mean, check out our story today #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers #farewellflowers #funeralflowers
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    It is always such an honour to be asked to provide farewell flowers and today we created an arrangement for a very special person who just loved British seasonal flowers and one of her favourites was snowdrops. Many of the flowers from the farm members grow beautiful and evocative flowers for funerals, bringing a personal touch at a difficult time. To help you find these members' services, we have a sister website - for more information go to www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/farewell-funeral-flowers Today also saw us starting our seed sowing for the coming season. From mid-February Flower Farmers up an down the land are cracking opening open packets of seeds. No matter what seeds I sow, I always get very excited when I see the very first signs of germination – and a bit disappointed when nothing happens (which thankfully is not too often)! From February, seed sowing happens pretty much constantly. Broadly speaking, the main seed sowing time is February – May for annuals, June – August it’s all about perennials & biennials and then September – November we focus on sowing hardy annuals for the following year and it’s also the time when I sow my first batch of my favourite seeds! Sweetpeas are just gorgeous, with amazing scent, beautiful colours and just so quintessentially British – to see what I mean, check out our story today #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers #farewellflowers #funeralflowers
  • February is a lovely month, it feels like a turning point - days are getting a little bit longer and flowers are starting to appear. Here @comptongardenflowers things are starting to emerge there is a tinge of green just starting to appear. The stars of the show are the hellebores and snowdrops. We are not in full swing yet (see stories for more details) however it is possible to get some gorgeous #britishflowers from specialists like amazing tulips from @smithandmunson, the Cornish and Scilly Isle growers supplying @flowersbyclowance and in Lincolnshire @evolveflowers and of course up and down the country your local growers - just check the flowers from the farm website to check growers in your area (link in bio).
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    February is a lovely month, it feels like a turning point - days are getting a little bit longer and flowers are starting to appear. Here @comptongardenflowers things are starting to emerge there is a tinge of green just starting to appear. The stars of the show are the hellebores and snowdrops. We are not in full swing yet (see stories for more details) however it is possible to get some gorgeous #britishflowers from specialists like amazing tulips from @smithandmunson, the Cornish and Scilly Isle growers supplying @flowersbyclowance and in Lincolnshire @evolveflowers and of course up and down the country your local growers - just check the flowers from the farm website to check growers in your area (link in bio).
  • Today @comptongardenflowers was all about sunshine and horrible squally showers and it was freezing – this picture captures one of the sunny moments – the beautiful winter flowering honeysuckle, not only is it beautiful, it has the most gorgeous scent, conditioned well and picked at just the right moment, this is a lovely addition to an early spring arrangement – you might spot it if you swipe. For today’s reality check, go to stories to see what we have been up to! #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers
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    Today @comptongardenflowers was all about sunshine and horrible squally showers and it was freezing – this picture captures one of the sunny moments – the beautiful winter flowering honeysuckle, not only is it beautiful, it has the most gorgeous scent, conditioned well and picked at just the right moment, this is a lovely addition to an early spring arrangement – you might spot it if you swipe. For today’s reality check, go to stories to see what we have been up to! #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers #winterflowers #beautifullyscentedflowers
  • A big thank you to the team @wolveslaneflowercompany, Camila & Marianne, not forgetting Brian 🐾 for hosting last week, bringing us news from the #flowersfromthefarm conference and updates from their fabulous farm in London. I am delighted to be taking over the instagram feed this week and would like to introduce myself, I am Sarah Wilson and along with my husband Bob we own Compton Garden Flowers. We set-up our business in 2016 and farm on approximately one acre in the beautiful Somerset village of Compton Dando (between Bath & Bristol). One of the first things I did was become a member of @flowersfromthefarm As a collective we are a group of like minded people who earn a living growing and selling flowers. We can be found all over the UK and are mainly independent businesses who share a passion for promoting British Flowers. If you want to find your local grower just visit the flowers from the farm website (link in bio) and click on find flowers and enter your postcode. During this week I will take you through our week and show you what we are up to! Although there are very few flowers at this time of year, these beautiful hellebores being the exception - as you will see there is still a lot of work to do! We are dodging the rain storms today as the tail end of storm Ciara blows through. I will include some videos in insta stories so you can get a sense of our growing spaces. Please feel free to ask questions as we go. #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers
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    A big thank you to the team @wolveslaneflowercompany, Camila & Marianne, not forgetting Brian 🐾 for hosting last week, bringing us news from the #flowersfromthefarm conference and updates from their fabulous farm in London. I am delighted to be taking over the instagram feed this week and would like to introduce myself, I am Sarah Wilson and along with my husband Bob we own Compton Garden Flowers. We set-up our business in 2016 and farm on approximately one acre in the beautiful Somerset village of Compton Dando (between Bath & Bristol). One of the first things I did was become a member of @flowersfromthefarm As a collective we are a group of like minded people who earn a living growing and selling flowers. We can be found all over the UK and are mainly independent businesses who share a passion for promoting British Flowers. If you want to find your local grower just visit the flowers from the farm website (link in bio) and click on find flowers and enter your postcode. During this week I will take you through our week and show you what we are up to! Although there are very few flowers at this time of year, these beautiful hellebores being the exception - as you will see there is still a lot of work to do! We are dodging the rain storms today as the tail end of storm Ciara blows through. I will include some videos in insta stories so you can get a sense of our growing spaces. Please feel free to ask questions as we go. #flowersfromthefarm #grownnotflown #seasonalflowers #britishflowers #britishflowergrowers #flowergrower #flowerfarming #independentbusiness #smallbusiness #comptongardenflowers
  • Meet Brian 🐾 the other core member of @wolveslaneflowercompany 🧡here he is careering around one of the glasshouses at Wolves Lane - an old 1970s horticultural site that was originally used by Haringey council to grow bedding plants for local parks. Unusually there's also a palm house and a cacti house at the site which is slowly being restored to its former glory by a dedicated community of volunteers. We're very lucky to be part of a network of growers at Wolves Lane all who are committed to gardening with an organic approach and putting sustainability first. We're the only flower growers on site and are happy to do our bit to encourage the bees and insects to drop by 🐞👋 we had to remove a ladybird from the pictured bouquet before handing it over to the bride back in October 😂 a nice reminder of how our flowers are cut straight from the garden and haven't flown thousands of miles to appear at a wedding 🌱
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    Meet Brian 🐾 the other core member of @wolveslaneflowercompany 🧡here he is careering around one of the glasshouses at Wolves Lane - an old 1970s horticultural site that was originally used by Haringey council to grow bedding plants for local parks. Unusually there's also a palm house and a cacti house at the site which is slowly being restored to its former glory by a dedicated community of volunteers. We're very lucky to be part of a network of growers at Wolves Lane all who are committed to gardening with an organic approach and putting sustainability first. We're the only flower growers on site and are happy to do our bit to encourage the bees and insects to drop by 🐞👋 we had to remove a ladybird from the pictured bouquet before handing it over to the bride back in October 😂 a nice reminder of how our flowers are cut straight from the garden and haven't flown thousands of miles to appear at a wedding 🌱
  • 👋 flower lovers 👋 Camila & Marianne from @wolveslaneflowercompany here. We're still buzzing from the excellent conference yesterday with @shaneconnollyandco inspiring words ringing in our ears - flowers should have meaning and the best floral design is always rooted in the garden and nature 🌱 Shane's beautiful design made using British flowers is over on his grid today so check it out to see what February in the garden really looks like 💚 it's what all members of @flowersfromthefarm feel passionate about promoting and offering and why we all have to practice patience while we wait for the garden to regroup and rebloom come the spring. For now here are a few snaps from WLFC HQ - us hanging out amongst the weeds in one of the glasshouses on our site (ours is next door that this one!) and a little sneak peek at a section of our newly organised outside beds 🙂
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    👋 flower lovers 👋 Camila & Marianne from @wolveslaneflowercompany here. We're still buzzing from the excellent conference yesterday with @shaneconnollyandco inspiring words ringing in our ears - flowers should have meaning and the best floral design is always rooted in the garden and nature 🌱 Shane's beautiful design made using British flowers is over on his grid today so check it out to see what February in the garden really looks like 💚 it's what all members of @flowersfromthefarm feel passionate about promoting and offering and why we all have to practice patience while we wait for the garden to regroup and rebloom come the spring. For now here are a few snaps from WLFC HQ - us hanging out amongst the weeds in one of the glasshouses on our site (ours is next door that this one!) and a little sneak peek at a section of our newly organised outside beds 🙂
  • Flower growers from all over the country are converging in Maidenhead. It’s the Flowers From The Farm annual conference, and there will be 200 of us in one room tomorrow! It will be noisy. But today most of us our making our way, meeting on trains, in motorway service stations, and ending up at a social this evening. Claire @plantpassion, Paula @millpondflowerfarm and me @carolsiddorn met up last night and here at Claire’s Flower Farm. We’re often asked how we got started? The answer for each of us is we looked around and bought books (there weren’t many available at the time), we went on Flower Farm visits or flower growing workshops - but the biggest step was when we all joined Flower from The Farm. If you think you might like to start your own Flower Farming journey, we’d recommend you do all of these things - and as another option, we’ve created a new online course: Introduction to Flower Farming. Go to @businessofflowers and follow the link in the bio. We might see you there?h
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    Flower growers from all over the country are converging in Maidenhead. It’s the Flowers From The Farm annual conference, and there will be 200 of us in one room tomorrow! It will be noisy. But today most of us our making our way, meeting on trains, in motorway service stations, and ending up at a social this evening. Claire @plantpassion, Paula @millpondflowerfarm and me @carolsiddorn met up last night and here at Claire’s Flower Farm. We’re often asked how we got started? The answer for each of us is we looked around and bought books (there weren’t many available at the time), we went on Flower Farm visits or flower growing workshops - but the biggest step was when we all joined Flower from The Farm. If you think you might like to start your own Flower Farming journey, we’d recommend you do all of these things - and as another option, we’ve created a new online course: Introduction to Flower Farming. Go to @businessofflowers and follow the link in the bio. We might see you there?h
  • In greenhouses and polytunnels all across the land, ranunculus are stirring... It's Paula from @millpondflowerfarm here for a couple of days while @carolsiddorn is otherwise occupied. I've grown cut flowers in the Scottish borders for the past 7 years & have been a member of Flowers from the Farm for the same length of time. It's an essential part of my business and has helped to build and sustain it over the years. One of the most important aspects of being a member is the friendship and goodwill that is fostered through being part of a flower growers network. The ranunculus pictured were obtained through a bulk buy organised originally by @gandgorgeousflowers and in the last few years by @plantpassion We're able to buy cut flower specific varieties that give us better and more profitable varieties. And by working together on events and shared activities, we get to know each other and link up in other ways. I'm currently packing my bag ready for a trip south to the Flowers for the Farm annual conference. It has a great programme with interesting speakers, but the thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing all the flower people. Despite seeing them once a year at most, a lot of them have become good friends and it's a great chance to catch up with people who share the same interests (and are as bonkers about flower growing as I am 🤪 🌸).
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    In greenhouses and polytunnels all across the land, ranunculus are stirring... It's Paula from @millpondflowerfarm here for a couple of days while @carolsiddorn is otherwise occupied. I've grown cut flowers in the Scottish borders for the past 7 years & have been a member of Flowers from the Farm for the same length of time. It's an essential part of my business and has helped to build and sustain it over the years. One of the most important aspects of being a member is the friendship and goodwill that is fostered through being part of a flower growers network. The ranunculus pictured were obtained through a bulk buy organised originally by @gandgorgeousflowers and in the last few years by @plantpassion We're able to buy cut flower specific varieties that give us better and more profitable varieties. And by working together on events and shared activities, we get to know each other and link up in other ways. I'm currently packing my bag ready for a trip south to the Flowers for the Farm annual conference. It has a great programme with interesting speakers, but the thing I'm looking forward to the most is seeing all the flower people. Despite seeing them once a year at most, a lot of them have become good friends and it's a great chance to catch up with people who share the same interests (and are as bonkers about flower growing as I am 🤪 🌸).
  • Let’s talk about sustainability. We’re all talking about reducing plastic waste, flying less, eating less or better quality meat, buying less stuff, making the right decisions. Flowers are no different. You can reduce the carbon footprint of your flowers by buying locally grown or at least British grown. Most flowers sold in U.K. are imported and have a much higher carbon cost. If you want evidence, recent research can be seen on our website (link in bio) So seek out a local grower. Our website has a map of growers. Valentines Day roses? Roses in February? They will definitely be imported, usually from Africa or South America. By Plane. And treated with lots of chemicals to grow and protect them and prepare them for the journey. Truly seasonal flowers will be British grown gorgeous tulips, scented Narcissi, alstroemeria, anemones and fresh, lush foliage. And so much more beautiful for all their natural freshness. Saying it with flowers shouldn’t cost the earth. Choose well and show you really care. #makevalentinesgreen Carol 🌱 @carolsiddorn Thanks to Kirsty @teenyweenyfarm for the graphic ✨
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    Let’s talk about sustainability. We’re all talking about reducing plastic waste, flying less, eating less or better quality meat, buying less stuff, making the right decisions. Flowers are no different. You can reduce the carbon footprint of your flowers by buying locally grown or at least British grown. Most flowers sold in U.K. are imported and have a much higher carbon cost. If you want evidence, recent research can be seen on our website (link in bio) So seek out a local grower. Our website has a map of growers. Valentines Day roses? Roses in February? They will definitely be imported, usually from Africa or South America. By Plane. And treated with lots of chemicals to grow and protect them and prepare them for the journey. Truly seasonal flowers will be British grown gorgeous tulips, scented Narcissi, alstroemeria, anemones and fresh, lush foliage. And so much more beautiful for all their natural freshness. Saying it with flowers shouldn’t cost the earth. Choose well and show you really care. #makevalentinesgreen Carol 🌱 @carolsiddorn Thanks to Kirsty @teenyweenyfarm for the graphic ✨
  • A little story..... A friend’s mother lost an intense and devastating battle with cancer. Just a few weeks ago. Andrea @thenectarbar was battered and bruised by the experience and trying to keep her own family life together over Christmas and New Year. She was determined to do the funeral flowers for her mother and wanted them to be British (plus her fathers request for some red roses, which had to be imported). She asked me for some flowers and foliage (see second picture). She also asked Angela @petal_and_twig to help her do the arrangements - both for practical and moral support. This is an entirely British grown heart tribute, made by Angela. All foam-free, in a degradeable paper base, with British sustainably sourced moss, and my flowers, plus ivy from Andrea’s mum’s garden. The point of this story? Well two things. If you want real, locally grown, sustainable flowers for one of the most important and final gestures, then Flowers From the Farm members can help. Even in winter. Check the growers map on the website, or go direct to our sister account @farewellflowers and website farewellflowers.co.uk. The main point though, is that all three of us - Andrea, Angela and I only met through Flowers From The Farm. I saw them both this week too, at a visit to a local garden, with others. None of this could have happened without this supportive and committed flowery network. 💕 Carol @carolsiddorn
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    A little story..... A friend’s mother lost an intense and devastating battle with cancer. Just a few weeks ago. Andrea @thenectarbar was battered and bruised by the experience and trying to keep her own family life together over Christmas and New Year. She was determined to do the funeral flowers for her mother and wanted them to be British (plus her fathers request for some red roses, which had to be imported). She asked me for some flowers and foliage (see second picture). She also asked Angela @petal_and_twig to help her do the arrangements - both for practical and moral support. This is an entirely British grown heart tribute, made by Angela. All foam-free, in a degradeable paper base, with British sustainably sourced moss, and my flowers, plus ivy from Andrea’s mum’s garden. The point of this story? Well two things. If you want real, locally grown, sustainable flowers for one of the most important and final gestures, then Flowers From the Farm members can help. Even in winter. Check the growers map on the website, or go direct to our sister account @farewellflowers and website farewellflowers.co.uk. The main point though, is that all three of us - Andrea, Angela and I only met through Flowers From The Farm. I saw them both this week too, at a visit to a local garden, with others. None of this could have happened without this supportive and committed flowery network. 💕 Carol @carolsiddorn
  • Flowers from the Farm is a collective of flower farmers, growers and florists of all shapes and sizes. Many have chosen flowers as a second or third career. I’d guess that all of us have done something else before we found flowers (or they found us!). There is a huge amount of knowledge and experience within the members and a real willingness to share it. If you love flowers, and want to learn more, many of the members will be running various courses through the year, and will welcome you into their fields and plots. Whether it’s just for pleasure and a fun way to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning, or to learn how to make a bouquet from your garden, or make a beautiful arrangement in a bowl or urn without floral foam, or to grow your own flowers, or to make the first step to being a flower grower, or to make a real commitment to building your business as a flower farmer - you will find a course or workshop to suit you. Go to the Flowers From The Farm website (link in bio) and navigate to the ‘Events’ tab. You will find a calendar of workshops and events colour-coded by type. If you are finding it hard to choose, I wrote a blog a few weeks ago, on the criteria to select the best course for you. It’s geared at flower growers, but the principles apply to anyone. You can find it at www.thebusinessofsellingflowers.com and navigate to the blog, or go to @businessofflowers and follow the link in the bio. You might need to scroll down a bit. If you want something different, many of the members will be opening their gardens and fields for the Flower Farmers Big Weekend in August. Details won’t be finalised yet, but you can get an idea of what might be happening here : www.flowerfarmersbigweekend.co.uk I really hope you do make it to a course somewhere, and share in the love of flowers - whether seeing them growing in a field or creating something beautiful with them. I should warn you though: you might get hooked, if you’re not already! Carol 🌱
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    Flowers from the Farm is a collective of flower farmers, growers and florists of all shapes and sizes. Many have chosen flowers as a second or third career. I’d guess that all of us have done something else before we found flowers (or they found us!). There is a huge amount of knowledge and experience within the members and a real willingness to share it. If you love flowers, and want to learn more, many of the members will be running various courses through the year, and will welcome you into their fields and plots. Whether it’s just for pleasure and a fun way to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning, or to learn how to make a bouquet from your garden, or make a beautiful arrangement in a bowl or urn without floral foam, or to grow your own flowers, or to make the first step to being a flower grower, or to make a real commitment to building your business as a flower farmer - you will find a course or workshop to suit you. Go to the Flowers From The Farm website (link in bio) and navigate to the ‘Events’ tab. You will find a calendar of workshops and events colour-coded by type. If you are finding it hard to choose, I wrote a blog a few weeks ago, on the criteria to select the best course for you. It’s geared at flower growers, but the principles apply to anyone. You can find it at www.thebusinessofsellingflowers.com and navigate to the blog, or go to @businessofflowers and follow the link in the bio. You might need to scroll down a bit. If you want something different, many of the members will be opening their gardens and fields for the Flower Farmers Big Weekend in August. Details won’t be finalised yet, but you can get an idea of what might be happening here : www.flowerfarmersbigweekend.co.uk I really hope you do make it to a course somewhere, and share in the love of flowers - whether seeing them growing in a field or creating something beautiful with them. I should warn you though: you might get hooked, if you’re not already! Carol 🌱
  • A couple of days ago, I was asked to explain here how I market and advertise my flowers. Hard to compress and I can only talk about my own experience. So here goes.... I’m starting with weddings because I know more about my wedding customers. I spend time with them and get to know more about them than, say, someone who just buys a bunch of flowers. I also recently did a survey of all last year’s wedding customers (following the example of marketing queen, @plantpassion) How did they find out about me? By far the highest number came through personal recommendation. This is perfect as it means they already know what I do and they know it’s what they want. These are the best enquiries. Do a good job, treat people well, and you will be recommended to other people. 100% of people in my survey said they would recommend me to other people. Next main way to find me was just google searching. So you need a website, that can be found by search engines, even if it’s a simple ‘holding page’. The other ways people found out about me were the Flowers From The Farm website, Instagram, and a business card picked up from a venue. Why did people choose me? First was because my flowers were grown locally. Equal second were seeing photos of previous weddings that I’d done and the sustainability principles I follow. So these are the things that potential customers want to hear me talk about. I need to go through the same process in understanding all other sales avenues - retail bunches, wholesale, funeral flowers and workshops. Get to know my customer and how they will find me and what they want to know. It’s never quite as simple as this sounds! And the theory is easier than the practice, but this is my starting point. If you want to know more about marketing your flowers, then hop over to @businessofflowers and check out some of the courses that Claire runs. If you want to find a flower grower, then the Flowers From The Farm website is the place to start. This photo of the gorgeous Vicky and James is by @shanewebberphotography , but this isn’t her testimonial. That came from another bride, but I’m not sure who as the survey was anonymous! But thank you! Carol 🌱
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    A couple of days ago, I was asked to explain here how I market and advertise my flowers. Hard to compress and I can only talk about my own experience. So here goes.... I’m starting with weddings because I know more about my wedding customers. I spend time with them and get to know more about them than, say, someone who just buys a bunch of flowers. I also recently did a survey of all last year’s wedding customers (following the example of marketing queen, @plantpassion) How did they find out about me? By far the highest number came through personal recommendation. This is perfect as it means they already know what I do and they know it’s what they want. These are the best enquiries. Do a good job, treat people well, and you will be recommended to other people. 100% of people in my survey said they would recommend me to other people. Next main way to find me was just google searching. So you need a website, that can be found by search engines, even if it’s a simple ‘holding page’. The other ways people found out about me were the Flowers From The Farm website, Instagram, and a business card picked up from a venue. Why did people choose me? First was because my flowers were grown locally. Equal second were seeing photos of previous weddings that I’d done and the sustainability principles I follow. So these are the things that potential customers want to hear me talk about. I need to go through the same process in understanding all other sales avenues - retail bunches, wholesale, funeral flowers and workshops. Get to know my customer and how they will find me and what they want to know. It’s never quite as simple as this sounds! And the theory is easier than the practice, but this is my starting point. If you want to know more about marketing your flowers, then hop over to @businessofflowers and check out some of the courses that Claire runs. If you want to find a flower grower, then the Flowers From The Farm website is the place to start. This photo of the gorgeous Vicky and James is by @shanewebberphotography , but this isn’t her testimonial. That came from another bride, but I’m not sure who as the survey was anonymous! But thank you! Carol 🌱
  • Most of us probably started out as gardeners. Either as a job or a hobby, we would have worked in gardens, with varieties of plants specifically bred for gardens. This usually means a neat growth habit, not too tall so they don’t need to be staked in the border. Growing flowers and foliage for cutting requires quite different characteristics. Tall, rangy growth can be good - rampant growers and big spreading shrubs provide more cutting stems and recover better from being constantly cut. This is a big learning curve for most of us. I trained in horticulture for gardening and domestic garden design. When I started to grow for cutting, I had to learn a whole new range of plant species and varieties. It is specialist knowledge. Flowers From The Farm has not only helped me to learn about these cutting varieties, but enables me to get hold of some of them. Many special cultivars bred for cutting are only sold through commercial wholesale supply chains, to big scale growers and they will only be supplied in very large quantities. We can use the Flowers From The Farm membership to club together so we have more buying power and we can access these specialist cultivars. One perfect example is these @italian_ranunculus which members can now access through a bulk buy organised by @plantpassion, on an entirely voluntary basis. So we can grow these gorgeous, frilly, tall, long-lasting flowers in all the most beautiful colours. Thank you Claire! And thank you to members of Flowers From The Farm who have taught me so much. Carol 🌱 @carolsiddorn
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    Most of us probably started out as gardeners. Either as a job or a hobby, we would have worked in gardens, with varieties of plants specifically bred for gardens. This usually means a neat growth habit, not too tall so they don’t need to be staked in the border. Growing flowers and foliage for cutting requires quite different characteristics. Tall, rangy growth can be good - rampant growers and big spreading shrubs provide more cutting stems and recover better from being constantly cut. This is a big learning curve for most of us. I trained in horticulture for gardening and domestic garden design. When I started to grow for cutting, I had to learn a whole new range of plant species and varieties. It is specialist knowledge. Flowers From The Farm has not only helped me to learn about these cutting varieties, but enables me to get hold of some of them. Many special cultivars bred for cutting are only sold through commercial wholesale supply chains, to big scale growers and they will only be supplied in very large quantities. We can use the Flowers From The Farm membership to club together so we have more buying power and we can access these specialist cultivars. One perfect example is these @italian_ranunculus which members can now access through a bulk buy organised by @plantpassion, on an entirely voluntary basis. So we can grow these gorgeous, frilly, tall, long-lasting flowers in all the most beautiful colours. Thank you Claire! And thank you to members of Flowers From The Farm who have taught me so much. Carol 🌱 @carolsiddorn
  • Hello! I am Carol Siddorn (@carolsiddorn on here) and I’m taking over the #flowersfromthefarm account this week, stepping in for someone else at short notice. So I haven’t prepared a series of posts and I’m happy to cover whatever you want to hear about flower growing in the U.K. A short intro to flowers From The Farm: we are a collective of individual Flower Growers, florists and similar - all doing our own thing all over the U.K., united by our desire to promote flowers grown in the U.K. Most of us run businesses, some grow more than others, - we are all shapes and sizes. You will find us all on the growers map on the website (link in bio) and we each have a separate entry which shows where we are based, what we do, what we grow, what services we can offer and who we sell to. Go and find your local grower, if you haven’t already. They may not have many flowers yet, but most will have social media pages, website or newsletters you can follow. What about me? I grow loads of varieties of garden and wild type flowers in West Cheshire. I really love to grow the soft, scented and ephemeral varieties which don’t survive international transport, so I cut, arrange and sell locally, for weddings, local bouquets, buckets of flowers, funerals as well as wholesale to event florists. I run workshops too, for pleasure (you get to cut your own flowers) or to learn how to become a flower farmer. You can check my website via my own Instagram account. So what do you want to hear about? What I’m doing this week? Or favourite flowers? Throw me your suggestions and I’ll do my best! I’m also covering my own account and @businessofflowers too this week, so I’ll be checking in regularly 🌱 Photo by @meadowviewstudios
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    Hello! I am Carol Siddorn (@carolsiddorn on here) and I’m taking over the #flowersfromthefarm account this week, stepping in for someone else at short notice. So I haven’t prepared a series of posts and I’m happy to cover whatever you want to hear about flower growing in the U.K. A short intro to flowers From The Farm: we are a collective of individual Flower Growers, florists and similar - all doing our own thing all over the U.K., united by our desire to promote flowers grown in the U.K. Most of us run businesses, some grow more than others, - we are all shapes and sizes. You will find us all on the growers map on the website (link in bio) and we each have a separate entry which shows where we are based, what we do, what we grow, what services we can offer and who we sell to. Go and find your local grower, if you haven’t already. They may not have many flowers yet, but most will have social media pages, website or newsletters you can follow. What about me? I grow loads of varieties of garden and wild type flowers in West Cheshire. I really love to grow the soft, scented and ephemeral varieties which don’t survive international transport, so I cut, arrange and sell locally, for weddings, local bouquets, buckets of flowers, funerals as well as wholesale to event florists. I run workshops too, for pleasure (you get to cut your own flowers) or to learn how to become a flower farmer. You can check my website via my own Instagram account. So what do you want to hear about? What I’m doing this week? Or favourite flowers? Throw me your suggestions and I’ll do my best! I’m also covering my own account and @businessofflowers too this week, so I’ll be checking in regularly 🌱 Photo by @meadowviewstudios
  • It’s @theflower_tree last day on the @flowersfromthefarm Instagram account. I hope these week Ive managed to give you all an insight into our little business! I wanted to end my takeover with something non-flower related (and I am sure some of you have already stumbled upon this incredible book). ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’ by @charlie ackesy was given to my mum for her Christmas by my brother. When I was having a few rocky days last week she thrust it into my hand and made me read it. I could relate to every single page and message in this book. I have decided to share this one (second pic ⬆️), for 2 reasons: 1. Being in the moment is most definitely something I struggle with 2. If there’s one thing (other than flowers) that connects the flower growing industry ... it’s CAKE!! I hope others can relate to this, and if you haven’t already, go buy this book! #overandout #takeover #buythisbook #wisewords #onwardsandupwards #heresto2020 #flowersfromthefarm
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    It’s @theflower_tree last day on the @flowersfromthefarm Instagram account. I hope these week Ive managed to give you all an insight into our little business! I wanted to end my takeover with something non-flower related (and I am sure some of you have already stumbled upon this incredible book). ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’ by @charlie ackesy was given to my mum for her Christmas by my brother. When I was having a few rocky days last week she thrust it into my hand and made me read it. I could relate to every single page and message in this book. I have decided to share this one (second pic ⬆️), for 2 reasons: 1. Being in the moment is most definitely something I struggle with 2. If there’s one thing (other than flowers) that connects the flower growing industry ... it’s CAKE!! I hope others can relate to this, and if you haven’t already, go buy this book! #overandout #takeover #buythisbook #wisewords #onwardsandupwards #heresto2020 #flowersfromthefarm
  • DAY 5 of @theflower_tree takeover - Our season in nutshell. Our indoor anemones (we grow the galilee pastel mix) start our season off in mid February. I find we do get the odd one or too flowering before this, but quantity appears later on. This is shortly followed by our ranunuculus (2 of our main and most popular crops - great storm length and vase life). Our season then ends with the first frost (anywhere between mid october and early November - it does seem to be getting later each year!) We grow a mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, alongside some roses, peonies and foliage. As I know many of you that also grow, I have found over the past 3 years it is all about timesavers and low maintenance crops. So with this in mind we have been increasing our perennial beds (mainly scabious, astrantia, phlox, Veronica, delphiniums). We still grow a large range of annuals, but this has definitely been fine tuned to the most popular crops (Orlaya, Ammi, snaps, larkspur, cornflower, sweet peas). This is mainly due to how labour intensive they can be! An area we definitely want to invest and expand into is our range of foliage. We planted a lot of eucalyptus last year, but are always on the look out for more suggestions on what other growers find to be popular???? #whatwegrow #allinaseason #timesavers #growninsomerset #flowersfromthefarm
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    DAY 5 of @theflower_tree takeover - Our season in nutshell. Our indoor anemones (we grow the galilee pastel mix) start our season off in mid February. I find we do get the odd one or too flowering before this, but quantity appears later on. This is shortly followed by our ranunuculus (2 of our main and most popular crops - great storm length and vase life). Our season then ends with the first frost (anywhere between mid october and early November - it does seem to be getting later each year!) We grow a mix of annuals, biennials, perennials, alongside some roses, peonies and foliage. As I know many of you that also grow, I have found over the past 3 years it is all about timesavers and low maintenance crops. So with this in mind we have been increasing our perennial beds (mainly scabious, astrantia, phlox, Veronica, delphiniums). We still grow a large range of annuals, but this has definitely been fine tuned to the most popular crops (Orlaya, Ammi, snaps, larkspur, cornflower, sweet peas). This is mainly due to how labour intensive they can be! An area we definitely want to invest and expand into is our range of foliage. We planted a lot of eucalyptus last year, but are always on the look out for more suggestions on what other growers find to be popular???? #whatwegrow #allinaseason #timesavers #growninsomerset #flowersfromthefarm
  • DAY 4 @theflower_tree #flowersfromthefarm takeover - go checkout the stories for mini tour of where life gets started for our little seeds! Unintentionally, these little babies have become a big part of our business. Rewind 4 years when @theflower_tree was established and my intentions were to follow in my mums footsteps (wedding florist), but using all my own flowers that we had grown. Fast forward to today and that is probably the smallest side of our business! In fact our business is now split something like this: • 50% - selling to local florists (mainly event florists only a handful of shop florists). The fact that we have so much space (particularly indoor) means we can grow in volume so this seemed a natural path to go down •35 % plug plants - this started from sowing so many in our first season. We had such a surplus that we thought we would put the word out there to other growers. We are still fine tuning certain areas (such as courier services) and slowly increasing the range we offer, but it means we have a larger market as we can post these. •15% WI /Garden group talks and our ‘Flower Club.’ This gives us the opportunity to spread the #britishflowers word and also welcome flower lovers to our plot! Has your business taken an unexpected path since you started? #unexpectedpath #whatwedo #inanutahell #growninsomerset #flowersfromthefarm
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    DAY 4 @theflower_tree #flowersfromthefarm takeover - go checkout the stories for mini tour of where life gets started for our little seeds! Unintentionally, these little babies have become a big part of our business. Rewind 4 years when @theflower_tree was established and my intentions were to follow in my mums footsteps (wedding florist), but using all my own flowers that we had grown. Fast forward to today and that is probably the smallest side of our business! In fact our business is now split something like this: • 50% - selling to local florists (mainly event florists only a handful of shop florists). The fact that we have so much space (particularly indoor) means we can grow in volume so this seemed a natural path to go down •35 % plug plants - this started from sowing so many in our first season. We had such a surplus that we thought we would put the word out there to other growers. We are still fine tuning certain areas (such as courier services) and slowly increasing the range we offer, but it means we have a larger market as we can post these. •15% WI /Garden group talks and our ‘Flower Club.’ This gives us the opportunity to spread the #britishflowers word and also welcome flower lovers to our plot! Has your business taken an unexpected path since you started? #unexpectedpath #whatwedo #inanutahell #growninsomerset #flowersfromthefarm