British Flowers Discovery Day

This time last week I was learning all about British flower farming in Lincolnshire. As I explained in July, year-on-year British flowers are making up a higher proportion of the UK’s flower sales, so I wanted to see where these were grown. Small artisanal growers like mine may get a lot of media coverage, but it’s the ones I saw in Lincolnshire that are providing 99.9% of the blooms. And it was absolutely fascinating!

As you can see in the photos the scale is immense - 40 million tulips, 80,000 snaps…

We saw four crops; chrysanthemum, snaps, and ornamental cabbage grown in the ground, and hydroponically grown tulips.

Their environmental measures were impressive too - biomass heating (using locally sourced woodchip), rainwater harvesting, solar panels, and biological controls (using beneficial insects), as well as waste management and reusable transportation measures. It’s all been thought through.

As a family owned and run business, this farm employs 60 - 80 people, the majority working year-round on great pay.… (no volunteers!)

The risks and challenges are immense too, befitting of the scale of operation, as is the financial investment they’ve made.

As a 100% British flower business it was reassuring and inspirational. Sustainable floristry requires an eco-system of growers, and these guys are doing it all brilliantly.

I’m going to write up my experience as a blog, for those more interested, and I would encourage other growers and florists interested in British flowers to attend one of Evolve Flowers next Discovery Days.

It’s certainly filled my head and spurred on my research, and information gathering.

Thanks to Helen from Evolve Flowers and Ian from Collison Cut Flowers for such a great day.

Harriet