Hot on the heels of the Chelsea Flower Show, some news that is more local than the world famous celebration of gardening.
An Iden nursery, Park Farm Flowers, is part of a new venture, recently launched by Lucy Freeborn of Foxlight Flower Farm in Sedlescombe. Lucy has been in discussion with other flower growers up to one hour distance from her farm plot and has successfully signed up 22 growers to create The East Sussex Flower Grower Collective – a group of sustainable, seasonal flower growers, based in East Sussex or Kent, dedicated to growing quality flowers and foliage for florists, floral designers and wholesale flower buyers.
As well as Park Farm Flowers, there are two other local growers involved: Sandhurst Flower Hut and Water Lane Walled Garden in Hawkhurst.
Debbie Chalet from Park Farm said, “The cut flower industry in the UK is worth £1.4 billion but only 14% of flowers sold in the UK are grown in the UK. Flower sales are dominated by supermarkets. Locally grown flowers have almost no carbon footprint and use no pesticides as well as adding an economic benefit to the local area through employment and income. Local flowers are more interesting, have scent and enable greater creativity and last longer in the vase!”
Flowers from the Farm launched in 2011 and has now grown to over 1000 members. They had a stand for the second year at the Chelsea Flower Show and have been championed by King Charles for their sustainability credentials. A collective was first set up in Scotland by Debbie Scott in 2018 targeted at wedding and event planners and florists, enabling a quicker purchase experience to buy from a one-stop-shop.
Several more hubs like the collective in Scotland have since set up in other counties with Sussex coming on line six weeks ago led by administrator Lucy Freeborn. She said, “This is such an exciting opportunity for us as growers but also for event organisers and DIY brides who want flowers from the UK grown around the corner that have scent and interesting stems that add movement to displays and bouquets.”
https://www.flowergrowercollective.co.uk/eastsussex
Image Credits: Debbie Chalet , ESFGC .