British flower growers and wholesalers are the focus of this week’s Floristry Industry Insight. And they share the impact of the coronavirus on their businesses. Thank you so much to all the contributors listed alphabetically below. I hope that their words provide reassurance, comfort and inspire you during these uncertain times.
By the way, did you hear about the new hashtag which Flowers from the Farm have created. It’s #virtualbritishflowershow. British Growers will be using it when they post their flowers on Instagram.
CLAIRE BROWN | PLANTPASSION | SURREY
What has been the impact of the coronavirus on your business?
‘We are just about to go into our eighth season of selling cut flowers that are grown here on the field in East Clandon in the Surrey Hills. Our business is split fairly evenly in four. There are DIY weddings, florist sales, workshops for florists and the public. Plus flowers to our local villages as the “quarters”. We’ve really ramped up our numbers over the last couple of years and our processes are all fully in place for a bumper season.
So far, our weddings are cancelled or postponed up until July. Our workshops and flower clubs, which are always popular in the spring are all cancelled. And the florist sales, mostly for events too, are decimated. Our local support has been amazing. Lots of villagers who have known about Plantpassion but never ordered from me have now been prompted to order tulips, flower arrangers buckets or market bouquets. Because these have to be delivered though, that is creating extra work for fairly small ticket items. But it will help to pay some of the business costs.
Of course as a grower, I bought all my stock last July (and paid for it). I paid for staff to plant and tend to it. And now, just as our bulbs start flowering, and our Perennials and Biennials bloom, our market has disappeared. We’re already getting emails about this year’s bulb stock and will have to make decisions in the next month or two as to whether we are investing and in what numbers for next year.
Rather than waste the excess flowers, I have joined up with a group of Surrey Event Professionals who are feeding the NHS staff at our local Royal Surrey hospital. And three deliveries of flowers have now been donated to cheer up the staff there. They may not have noticed but there were distinctly pale and pastel colours, as those were the varieties that would normally be at weddings.
Because our business is seasonal, we’re still having to plan, plant and seed sow for the coming months. If we slow down on the planting now, there will be no flowers when we come out of this. So staying at home isn’t an option. I’m lucky that my field is only a few minutes drive from my house. And with my staff at home, I now have the whole place to myself, although I got help from my husband and son over the Easter Weekend.
What are your plans for the next few weeks?
Without as much help as normal, there is only a certain amount that I can do. Selling flowers to my locals to pay the bills is going to be important. But it’s also imperative that I don’t get behind on the planting, or my July and August flowers won’t be there. I’ve changed some of the colour schemes as my local customers like brighter colours than the event customers. And I’m working on late batches of annuals that will take me into October, plus more flowers for drying. My plan is to keep healthy, not worry at all about the weeds, and make sure that I’m still around to make the most of the new local interest when people can come and pick up from me again.
What advice would you give to flower growers during these challenging times?
Take any help that’s going to you. I’ve got a local business group that have been amazingly supportive. And the ideas of how to keep your self safe and within all the rules while not giving up on your business have been so helpful.
Don’t listen to the news. While there are dreadful things happening in the world outside, your mental health and the ability to carry on are more important. The stuff that you need to know for your business is on the Government website. And while (unlike the Canadian and American flower growers) our flowers are not considered an essential service by our Government, our customers are crying out even more than normal for good quality freshly grown local flowers.’
Claire Brown | Website | Instagram
Written on Wednesday, 15th April, 2020
GILL HODGSON | FIELDHOUSE FLOWERS | YORKSHIRE
What has been the impact of the coronavirus on your business?
‘I’m embarrassed by how little C-19 has affected my own daily life. At a time when people around the whole world are in turmoil, I feel so ashamed and uneasy about my unchanged surroundings. When my flower money box was broken into last week, I was furious but also slightly relieved that I’d been asked to give up something. A bit like the Queen Mother, when a wing of Buckingham Palace was bombed, saying that she now felt … “able to look the East End in the face”. I felt the same but in a more lowly way and with worse language.
Life’s always been isolated here: I’ve lived on the same farm all my life, ploughed alone on a tractor for days on end and solitude has been a friend rather than something to fear. And, with providential timing, I began shrinking my own flower business in 2018 taking no more bookings either for wedding or engagements as an after-dinner speaker. Instead I began concentrating on smaller local sales intending to future-proof Fieldhouse Flowers against arthritis and give me an interest and income for years to come. I’m blessed that the temporary cessation of the business doesn’t put me in great financial hardship.
Social media has become a lifeline for all of us. I have much more time to read the blogs and longer IG posts that I’ve skimmed in the past. And I’m conscious of a stronger bond being built between us all as we’re more willing to share the downs in our lives rather than only posting the successes.
In particular, through Flowers From The Farm’s closed Facebook group, I’m seeing members even more willing to seek help, quick to offer it and generous with their support to whoever’s in need. It’s an extension of the help I thought I was creating – back in 2010 when I founded the organisation – when I imagined members would be sharing tips on horticulture, accounting and marketing. How much more important that they now share support in bad times. They are the framework up which future growth will climb: the stout canes up which Sweet Peas can scramble and tiny tendrils cling.
What are your plans for the next few weeks?
I continue to pick the flowers. Up here in Yorkshire, we’ll be a few weeks behind many of you with Narcissi still going strong, and Anemones and Tulips just starting. My trolley on the roadside has been filled with flowers since the start of the epidemic with a note asking passers-by to take a free posy to anyone in need. There are also larger bunches for sale to the few who still travel down the lane with a percentage going to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Mr H. and I are both in our mid-sixties and blessed by having family close by. Living in adjoining houses, sharing a garden and working together on the farm means social isolation is impossible. If you’ve watched my Instagram stories you’ll know that Granny School takes over my house from 9am-12pm every day [no-one having told the grandchildren about Easter holidays] and that by midday I’m in need of gin.
What advice would you give to flower growers during these challenging times?
Advice? I have none to offer except to urge you not to spend time looking at those online sites filled with hate and negativity. Those people are in the minority, the vast majority are kind and generous – none more so than gardeners. Does flower growing and using attract nice people – or are people made nice by growing and using flowers? Discuss.‘
Gill Hodgson | Website | Instagram
Written on Thursday, 16th April, 2020
JAMES COCK | FLOWERS BY CLOWANCE | CORNWALL
What has been the impact of the coronavirus on your business?
‘My business has definitely taken a hit because of the Coronavirus and has required a rapid review of how or can I function under the new restrictions. We just made it over the line for Mother’s Day this year before the lockdown kicked in.
The year, in general, was shaping up very nicely indeed; from December 2019 we saw a spike in demand and orders for British flowers. The Wednesday before Mother’s Day is when it all started to change, worryingly so. Florist orders were starting to get cancelled at a rate of knots. These were mainly for weekend weddings and floral workshops. This meant I had extra stock in hand and no sales for them.
The week after Mother’s Day was a step into the unknown. After the Government closed all shops on the high street on the Tuesday night, worry and panic started to creep in. Again, my fridge was stocked full of flowers and foliages for the week’s pre-orders.
I contacted all our customers ASAP to see if they still wanted /needed their flowers that week. Over 70% of my customers then cancelled their pre-orders and standing orders, as they were now closed until further notice. I’m very fortunate that many of my customers consist of high-end online flowers by post companies, farm shops and grower/florists who work from home. So I was able to continue to trade and use my stock with minimal waste.
I had to act fast and adapted to a new way of working with no staff, no help in general, just me. And I even had to make my own cardboard boxes! I pack over 50 orders per day/3 pallets of flowers. Making over 100 boxes per day soon lost its novelty!
The first concern was would I still be able to source flowers from my British growers? My transport link to Lincolnshire flowers had now stopped. Luckily some growers could courier flowers down to me. My Cornish growers generally deliver to my farm respecting the social distancing and without contact, so no issues there. As for my other growers from North Cornwall and Devon, we arranged to meet halfway on the A30.
The run up to Easter was good, trading figures were on par from the previous year. The demand for flowers was still there. I changed my website around and stopped all general public flowers by post as I didn’t have time to make these bouquets. I just offered wholesale boxes of British flowers – Cornish Daffodils, Alstroemeria, Mixed Boxes etc. This is manageable on my own. But I’m still really busy as my wife works for the NHS. And I have two young daughters at home who need homeschooling.
What are your plans for the next few weeks?
As an online British flower wholesaler who works from home, following the Government’s guidelines, I’m continuing to trade. Demand is still there for flowers, more so now for British grown. I use a contactless courier company to deliver my British flowers nationwide next day. Due to the crash of the Dutch flower market and the uncertainty of imported flowers, I’ve seen a huge increase in interest in my business by new florists and how they can buy British flowers direct from me. I currently email my weekly Wholesale British Flowers Availability List to over 2,890 UK florists. I expect this to rise to 3,000+ subscribers by the end of April.
What advice would you give to flower growers during these challenging times?
Make no mistake; this is devastating for the British Horticulture Sector in general. We have yet to see the full effects of the fallout from COVID-19. Many growers will survive, but some sadly will not. Some will retire early or be forced to close their business. Our British growers have invested heavily financially, in time/man-hours for the 2020 season with some having their only sales outlets close overnight
As a British flower wholesaler, it’s not for me to give our growers advice but all I can say is keep the faith. And keep an eye out for the light at the end of the tunnel. I firmly believe there will be a MASSIVE opportunity for all British flower growers and the British Flower Industry in general once the lockdown restrictions have been eased/lifted. The uncertainty of the Dutch Flower Market and imported flowers will favour the British Flower Industry 100%.
The Governing bodies need to champion/back our British growers more than ever now. Our growers are mainly family businesses, many 3-4 generations old and they all have a story to tell. Horticulture is a major employer which will provide jobs to many who now find themselves out of work. Colleges and floristry schools need to reconnect with our British growers also. New students need to be taught about our fine heritage and our history as commercial flower growers and that buying flowers from Holland is not the default option of sourcing fresh flowers will help. There is something very special and magical about the seasonality of British blooms and I think this has been lost.‘
James Cock | Website | Instagram
Written on Thursday, 16th April, 2020
RACHEL SIEGFRIED | GREEN & GORGEOUS | OXFORDSHIRE
What has been the impact of the coronavirus on your business?
‘Like all other florists and growers, our weddings and workshops have been postponed up until June so far. Our brides and course attendees are all very keen to pick up where we left off once things are back to some kind of normal and we can reschedule dates. This is a huge relief as having to refund everyone would really impact on our cash flow at the moment.
For our many courses I have considered Zoom and online offerings but feel that our ‘on the flower farm experience’ is such a sensory immersion that I cannot really summon the enthusiasm for it. The joy is being here on the farm. And I would rather wait until we can resume business as normal so that people’s expectations are fulfilled. This does mean taking a rather large hit financially as we will not be able to take on more weddings or schedule in new courses for later this year or even possibly 2021. We also had to close our farm gate which connects us with our more local customers and is an important outlet for the flowers we do not use for our event work.
After a 2 week break from staff altogether we decided to bring back just one worker each day. It means we can keep to the social distancing advice, keep our labour at an affordable level and hopefully keep on top of the growing so that when we do get back to normal we can hit the ground running.
What are your plans for the next few weeks?
After over twelve years of growing, picking and selling flowers, it’s hard to just stop. And even if I wanted to the flowers have other plans. So with all our usual investment in spring bulbs looking like it was headed for the compost heap, I decided to take action. We have a strong local following. And as soon as we went into lockdown the phone started ringing with people asking how they could get our flowers. So I came up with a contact free Field to Doorstep delivery service. It is in its third week and the demand is overwhelming. I know flowers are not essential but they still seem pretty important to people, especially as gifts to other family, friends and carers.
We offer a bucket of flowers and foliage for people to arrange themselves. And it has been lovely to see people’s arrangements on Instagram. To complement this service, I’m doing a farm walk on IGTV every Sunday to show what’s in season and what might be included in the buckets. The next step will be to do a floral demonstration to show how the flowers like to be arranged to show off their naturally beautiful selves. On a positive note, I think this sudden change in direction for the business will bring new customers for the future.
What advice would you give to flower growers during these challenging times?
I’m sure many flower growers are wondering how much and what to grow this season. They will also be experiencing a shortage of labour. So a leaner approach will be necessary to keep everything ticking over until business resumes as normal.
I decided to cut back on the quantities I normally sow for early summer (i.e. the hardy annuals) and focus on perennials and half hardy annuals which will flower from July through to the first frosts. The perennials sown early enough will give me lots of flowers in August and then even more the following year. So there’s no worry about it being a waste of time and effort. I may well do some more direct sowing this year if the conditions are favourable as again it takes a lot less labour.
Hopefully by the end of May we’ll have a better idea of what the next steps will be after lockdown at which point a decision can be made about the Dahlias and Chrysanthemums. All my excess plants are being sold as plugs through our delivery service at the moment!
We have spent a lot of time and effort mulching this autumn and spring so that weeding is kept under control. And some cutting beds have either been planted up with vegetables instead or sown with green manures so the ground is being improved and kept weed free whilst it has a year off from cultivation.’
Rachel Siegfried | Website | Instagram
Written on Wednesday, 15th April, 2020
ROSEBIE MORTON | THE REAL FLOWER COMPANY | HAMPSHIRE
What has been the impact of the coronavirus on your business?
‘To my amazement, both sides of our business have gone mad. Our Online website has seen an unbelievable demand. I think people are so pleased that they can have flowers delivered to their door, or indeed a loved one’s door who may be suffering from isolation. People whatever their circumstance need an uplift of scented beauty, so people have been ordering busily.
On the trade side, with the shutdown of New Covent Garden Market and difficulties sourcing flowers in general, we’ve had lots of contact from florists who are new to us, along with our regular florists who are so pleased that we are still able to supply all our flowers and foliages. Graeme at Zest Flowers has been brilliant in passing our name on to his customers who are struggling to find flowers.
I was very worried about what was going to happen to all our Sweet Peas which are just getting into full flush. But so far the demand has outstripped the supply! Next week will be different though when our spring crop gets going and we will be cutting thousands of stems!
We’ve had to stop guaranteeing a timed delivery because the couriers are under such pressure. But at least they’re still managing to deliver, which is a huge relief! The team here have been amazing and have been working flat out to keep up. Those who can work from home are doing so. But the rest of us have been here to pack flowers and make bouquets. We all feel very lucky to be able to carry on working with a product which constantly puts a smile on one’s face.
What are your plans for the next few weeks?
To catch my breath! I keep talking to people who are planning ahead and getting organised for the inevitable madness which will ensue when we are all out of shut down. But I’m a long way from getting organised! On the trade side, we have been planning a new flower brochure to send out to all our florists. It will have clear pictures of all the roses which we grow, but we never seem to finish it. So that is high on the agenda!!
The immediate plan is to catch up on the planting side. I’m looking at several crates of Dahlia tubers, which will need attention soon. On both the Sweet Pea nursery and the Rose farm, we’re very short of staff. Several of our regular Poles and Latvians didn’t manage to make it over before the shut down. So we need to work out how we’re going to manage for the summer.
It would be tragic to be producing thousands of Scented Roses and not be able to pick them. Normally at this time we would be flat out preparing for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. But obviously this is now not happening. So I should have more time to make plans!! Oh for a crystal ball to know how this season will progress, but for the moment it’s business as usual. And the flowers continue to grow and need love and attention!
What advice would you give to flower growers during these challenging times?
To remain upbeat and to plan for later in the year. If your weddings and events have been postponed, then the chances are that you’ll have a very busy late summer, early autumn. So plan your growing to meet this potential demand. Aim for late summer annuals and other autumnal plants to extend the season as much as possible.
For the immediate period, if you’re looking at all your rapidly appearing seedlings and indeed plants that are already flowering and wondering what is going to happen to them, then think about offering local flower deliveries to the immediate community. We’ve seen lots of flower growers changing their normal business from supplying events to selling bouquets and bunches locally.
The pleasure that these flowers bring to so many people who are struggling with the current situation is really uplifting. It’s also a feelgood for all involved. The power of flowers on peoples’ mental health is so strong. And so as flower growers we’re all able to really help our communities and also keep going financially.
Turn these challenging times into a positive. Remember how lucky we are to be growers. Appreciate the joy of the soil and the extraordinary miracle of nature day to day. Don’t despair because we’ll all get through it. Try and use this time to appreciate what actually really matters in our lives and to evaluate what we’re doing and why.‘
Rosebie Morton | Website | Instagram
Written on Friday, 17th April, 2020
Thank you so much to everyone who’s shared their thoughts this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed their invaluable insights. Here are links to previous Floristry Industry Insights featuring florists, florist shop and flower school owners:
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