Tales from a farmer/florist part 4
Selling flowers.
I knew I didn’t want to end A Bunch Of Wild but I knew it had changed considerably, I had two magazine features that went out, one was shot before covid when I had the shop so it was very out of date but it was run anyway, I felt like a fraud. The other I had total control of writing it so I was able to adapt it to the moment. In the space of covid what I hadn’t realised is that I’d grown A Bunch Of Wild into something more than just flowers, it was now a real cottage industry of artisan crafts and I didn’t know what to do with that.
Hello my flower loving friends, welcome to the last part of how I started a career growing and selling flowers. We’re at the final phase- growing the business!
It was all a bit of a whirlwind really. So I had the allotment which was where I was growing most of my flowers, another flower farm had opened locally so I was able to use their blooms to top me up for events. And I had my regular farmers markets and garden gate stall, I was also hosting workshops in a pretty village hall. It all sounds lovely but I was up against not having quite enough land to grow on and it wasn’t by my house, in the long run making trips countless times a day just wasn’t practical and we decided to dig up most of our garden and start again. It was sad leaving my allotment and my new friends and if it had of been near to my house within walking distance I would of kept it, something to take note of if this is something you’re thinking of doing. Back home we lifted an area of turf and planted four new beds.
The farmers markets were wonderful but if you got a wet weekend (which we often did) they could be rather challenging. The friendships I made doing these was wonderful, the community at farmers markets is often a very strong one! Farmers markets are a great way to get your wares in front of people and test the market. I wanted to expand though and have my flowers available on a more regular basis. It was at this point I was looking for ways to refine A Bunch Of Wild and make life a little easier. It was whilst walking with my daughter to her work experience placement that I came across what was to be my little shop. I’d grown up in this village so I knew the premises well, it was a jewellers. I used to play outside when I was a little girl, then later on the jeweller reconditioned my antique wedding ring, I had a strong connection to this place and couldn’t believe it was up for rent, I rang the number on the window almost immediately and booked a viewing, I took it there and then!
It was a darling little shop and I loved it! It was tiny and a triangle shape but I managed to cram it with flowers, antiques, art and ceramics and it was an aladdin’s cave! Children would press their noses up against the glass like it was a sweet shop. I think it’s because it was just so unique and full of interesting things. It was an absolute hit and I had people travelling from all over just to visit this tiny postage stamp size of a shop- I couldn’t believe it, it actually still amazes me to this day. I absolutely loved styling and sourcing beautiful things as well as making up garden arrangements and the customers were lovely! Its downside was it didn’t have a loo or anywhere to make a cup of tea which is actually quite a problem. I’d taken the shop on as a 6 month project and I was certainly ironing out kinks. The shop was a huge success but I didn’t have anywhere there to make up more flowers on site or do any work and running down the road to costa when I needed the loo was a bit of a nightmare. I decided then to look for new premises and I had found a lovely shop in Hitchin. I closed my Ampthill store at the end of February then I became incredibly ill and took to my bed, a few weeks later we went into lockdown and It became obvious-I had covid. Days turned to weeks, turned to months where I just wasn’t strong enough to do a daily walk that we were being permitted to do. But I had my garden and that I was truly thankful for. I took solace in my garden studio with my clay, you see I’m also a ceramicist and painter. I could just about manage to make ceramics and paint, I set up an online shop and started selling my work this way. I was starting to get better by the summer and I was back cutting flowers again for my garden gate for people that were on their walks. Lockdown ended (temporarily) and I took up with farmers markets again, I cant tell you how relieved I was to of closed the shop just before lockdown so I didn’t have that worry on top of being ill. It made me (like the rest of the world) slow down and just take stock of everything. I was also grateful to be able to do the farmer markets again, this is a really good way of connecting with your right audience. Don’t ever be alarmed or upset when someone turns their nose up at what you do- they’re not your people! Those that flock to you with huge smiles- they are your right people! Never forget that.
I knew I didn’t want to end A Bunch Of Wild but I knew it had changed considerably, I had two magazine features that went out, one was shot before covid when I had the shop so it was very out of date but it was run anyway, I felt like a fraud. The other I had total control of writing it so I was able to adapt it to the moment. In the space of covid what I hadn’t realised is that I’d grown A Bunch Of Wild into something more than just flowers, it was now a real cottage industry of artisan crafts and I didn’t know what to do with that. I wasn’t ready to open another shop, I was to worried about the effects of covid and the stability of the economy. With all this in mind I knew I needed somewhere peaceful to continue to grow the business with no expectations on me but somewhere where I could grow more flowers and maybe one day host workshops again, have open studios that kind of thing. We moved in October 2022 to a tiny cottage in a Bedfordshire village that had a third of an acre of land with a studio and outbuilding for workshops. I wound the business right down during the first year as we settled in and made plans. My pottery and art business were sustaining me at this point as the garden at Potters Cottage had no flowers at all. It was a sea of grass. My idea was to create a cutting garden complete with entertaining areas as time had given me clarity on how I wanted to evolve.
A Bunch Of Wild has grown slowly into so much more than I had ever imagined, I think being open to change and learning when to let go are key to keeping a healthy mindset- which brings me to where I want to take it next. At the moment work is underway on the new cutting garden, a family effort in making raised beds and a greenhouse coming soon, I’ve designed a tranquil space for the next phase and that is to bring people into the garden to learn about flowers, gardens and to simply unwind whilst doing something lovely. I’m looking forward to welcoming flower lovers, florists or anyone that needs a little respite, through informal classes over tea and cake, getting back to nature and bringing in a sense of nostalgia to the party I hope to really help people whether they are looking to make a career out of flowers or need to relax. My aim is to keep this intimate either as one-to-one or one-to-two classes, or groups of six maximum. I’d love it if you continued to follow along with me and I hope you have enjoyed the backstory to how I started A Bunch Of Wild. Don’t forget you can see my progress on Instagram, visit my online shop where I sell my creations and if you love these posts and know of a friend that would like them too then please feel free to share them. I’ve rather enjoyed writing this newsletter every week for a Sunday so I’m going to keep going- writing about how we’re getting on in the garden. I’ll also be posting my regular floral arrangements and my extra snippets for my paid subscribers. Enjoy your Sunday!
Emma x