Flower farming intro online course

Start something new that makes you happy.

Hello my flower poppets,

My thoughts are starting to head in the direction on picking up a seed catalog, the anticipation of sowing seeds and nurturing something into bloom then filling a vase-fills me with joy. It’s been 9 years since I started A Bunch Of Wild. It was a very cold January that I naively dug my clay allotment when everyone else was sat indoors with tea and keeping warm, not breaking their backs. Never dig clay in the winter, clay has a sweet spot and that’s mid spring. Still, fond memories. A short while after I started the business of flower farming and floral styling I wrote an online course on how I did it and how I would do it now. It’s a great starting point if it’s something you’re just thinking about getting into.

Back in November I gave the course an update and geared it up for anyone that wants to learn to grow flowers and turn that hobby into a business. It covers everything from starting a small cut flower patch inc my top tips for growing seeds, developing your floral style, attracting customers, figuring out what it is exactly you want to achieve and deciding on websites and tech stuff. It’s 16 text based lessons of everything I wish I’d of known or been able to ask when I started. I’ve kept it as accessible as possible at a one off fee of £50. It’s not a subscription so you will get the whole course immediately and go at it at whatever pace suits you. There are also printable charts to help you choose what to grow and when to plant.

It’s aimed at the complete beginner who has a passion for flowers and want’s to delve a little deeper into the world that is flower farming and floristry. If you have any further questions you can always email me directly from my substack publication. I’ll pop the link at the bottom of the page so you can have a look. But first let me give you my backstory of how I started A Bunch Of Wild…

Back in 2012 I collected 100 pieces of vintage china (the really pretty stuff) for my wedding. Afterwards I set up my company called Chintz n China. I’d just qualified as an interior designer and I was at a crossroads having to give up a career I loved as a salon owner due to rsi. After my course I realised I preferred styling interiors and gardens over complete interior design which involved a lot of making sure lights and switches were in the right place… so dull. So Chintz n China was born, a vintage styling business, this was to be my starting point for a career with flowers. During this time spent with brides, I’d often end up helping florists as we were setting up together. Then I had the bride that changed everything. She hadn’t booked any flowers for her at-home country wedding. So shocked was I that I talked her into letting me put garden flowers on the tables. I raided mine and my sisters garden and went armed with buckets of blooms, the seed of an idea was sown. I booked myself onto an intensive floristry course but was left unsatisfied with the imported blooms used, it became clear to me that garden flowers were the way forward, the wilder looking the better as it suited my bohemian country vibe that had naturally developed.

That year I started growing more annuals in my garden and grew the business via farmers markets. I stopped the china and prop side of the business to concentrate on growing flowers- A Bunch Of Wild was born. The next year I got an allotment and the business evolved further. I made sure to go in whatever direction the wind blew and it blew to me opening our own pop-up shop, styling events, teaching workshops in styling and photography, collaborations, markets and writing this course. Now, I’m a garden/floral writer and photographer and I use my cutting garden at home to help teach florists photography and to entertain like-minded people with flower and coffee mornings. My daughter Lilly uses the flowers for gift bouquets that she sells at our local village artisan market. It’s important to grow, much like a flower, finding your way, delicately twisting and turning to find the right spot. It’s a life journey, it can’t be rushed, growing flowers is a slow soulful process and even as a business- it can’t be forced to happen in a hurry. If this sounds like something you’d like to do then I welcome you to sign up to the course.

Things I’m doing right now-

Ordering seed catalogs and looking through pinterest and my own floral images for inspiration.

Putting together a rose order. I’m after putting in some new rose beds, this year I want it to be about roses.

Time spent looking at my soggy beds whilst clutching a cup of tea and thinking I really must pull those old annuals and lift those dahlias- Note I say THINKING, it’s too cold right now so I’ll wait for a slightly milder day to do this.

Writing my weekly publication to you. I always instal myself in my favourite coffee shop with a chai or two, it’s a lovely ritual and I talk more about happy rituals in my last post.

Looking through my seed box and having a clear out.

Making the most of lighting candles and flicking through magazines.

Enjoying looking at the seed heads and watching the birds in the garden.

It’s winter time, go gently forward - drink tea!

Happy growing

Emma.