Blooming Green was founded in 2007 by cousins Bek & Jen and has since grown into a happy team of staff and volunteers who, together, form the unique business that exists today. Established on an acre of ground, that was once a Bramley orchard, the company now grows flowers and foliage on various sites — although the original flower plot at Loddington Farm is still at the heart of the business. Chemical-free, no-dig and what many people call their ‘happy place’... our flower plot is somewhere we love to share with our customers.
Our ethos at Blooming Green is to provide flowers to people in as eco-conscious way as possible — but without being preachy or gloomy. We are proud to be ‘foam-free’ — ie, we don’t use green florists’ foam. For packaging we use paper, cardboard and not a scrap of plastic, unless it’s compostable and plant-based. You can learn more about how we work on our selection of workshops and courses.
Our flower plot is a little ecosystem — and we try and make it wonderful for wildlife and people. We are inspired by regenerative farming and follow the no-dig principle of growing which involves adding compost or woodchip to feed the soil and suppress weeds. Our flowers include many that are great for pollinators. The edges of the plot are left wild for insects and other animals that eat aphids and slugs – so we have our own pest-control army, rather than using chemicals to control pests. We reduce the impact we have on the planet by: using peat-free compost; reusing our plastic propagation trays; irrigating with spring water; hand-weeding and using weed-suppressant fabric instead of weed-killer and composting our waste.
We also offer flowers and our floristry services for weddings and events as well as being one of the few ‘florist-growers’ to offer Pick Your Own Flowers – both smaller quantities for your home and larger buckets for special occasions. If you can’t get to us, or want to treat a friend, we sell seasonal products as well as vouchers via our online shop.
Bek
Co-founder of Blooming Green, Bek grew up on a fruit farm, studied environmental biology at university before working for nearly 20 years as a countryside conservation officer — which included being a compost advisor. Running Blooming Green has been a chance for Bek to focus on growing flowers using the no-dig technique — which goes hand-in-hand with organic principles. In all, Bek has 30 years’ experience of environmentally friendly growing and 17 years growing flowers and foliage for cutting. As if this isn’t enough to keep her busy, she has recently founded The Patch, a regenerative farm offering work-based training in horticulture for those with learning disabilities. We sometimes wonder if she ever sleeps!
Jen
Co-founder of Blooming Green, Jen started flower-arranging, aged 12, after her dad bet her £5 that she couldn’t win at the local flower show. After walking away with Best in Show she became a regular on the flower rota in her village church, which progressed to wedding and funeral flowers. After a degree in the Arts, her first job was at the Tate Gallery before changing careers to journalism. Writing and editing has for many years run alongside floristry work — from providing flowers for the editor’s office to writing about Blooming Green. She loves to spread the word about the benefits of locally grown, sustainable flowers — and, if this involves tea and cake, all the better.
Laura
Laura, our general manager, is the perfect combination of creativity and organizational skills, forming the ‘wedge’ in the Venn diagram of Jen & Bek. She is supremely diplomatic, knows the business inside out and could be described as having ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’. Customer care is her forte. She likes nothing more than creating dreamy floral designs — for every occasion while at the same time she shares Bek’s love of spreadsheets and systems. It’s a winning combination. Everyone needs a Laura — which is why she’s our general manager. Random fact: Laura is a qualified ‘DSE assessor’ so there’s no slouching or squinting in the BG office!
Emily
Emily started in floristry, having studied at Hadlow College and come to one of our talks at the college. She and Barbara were in the same class — asking some challenging questions about sustainable floristry, we imagine — and we are delighted that Emily is now a key member of the team. As well as being a super-capable florist, Emily has impeccable customer service skills (think smiling assassin) having worked for Lush for many years. She also assists with horticulture and social media, brings a lot of laughter to the plot and horrifies the rest of us with her year-round wearing of crop tops.
Sarah
Sarah and Jen go way back, having known each other at school. After a career in nursing, Sarah decided to follow a career in horticulture and, having volunteered at Sissinghurst and cut her teeth elsewhere, got in touch with us here at Blooming Green. And the rest is history… This farmer’s daughter is not afraid to get her hands dirty, picks flowers and foliage like a demon and doesn’t mind the early morning run up to New Covent Garden. She has a smile that lights up our shed, wears insanely bright nail colour whilst keeping us sustained with kindness and an endless supply of nuts.
Barbara
Another Hadlow recruit, works across floristry and horticulture. She’s a talented lady and much in demand. Previously employed by Pfizer, Barbara has retained her attention to detail, now combining it with her creative skills to make delicate hand-tied bouquets and all things taped & wired. That said, she’s always willing to roll up her sleeves, climb ladders and do the physical stuff that us florist-growers have to deal with. Barbara’s dulcet Scottish tones bely a wicked sense of humour and she’s a joy to have around. Tea break conversations often revolve around baking, fine-dining, cats and her garden.
Julia
Julia puts her organisational skills — honed over 25 years working for a GP practice — to good use within the horticulture department. Combat trousers are a tell-tale sign that she means business — and the potting shed is her HQ! Julia’s watering protocol runs like clockwork (quite literally, as her alarm goes off periodically during the day), her seeds and seedlings are kept in line and volunteers inspired by her awesome horticultural knowledge and skills. Little did we know, when we provided Julia’s wedding flowers in 2016 that she would end up being a key member of the team.
