A rural business chat with florist and gardener Sarah who created Sarah's Gardens based on Anglesey, North Wales
Well I hate to say it but summer feels like its on it way out already and like many of you we are not ready! There are as always some plans here kicking off...... and of course those of you who regularly read this blog will now notice the format changed where I share other peoples stories about living a rural life and for some running a business as well.
It's always a bold move to set up a business for anyone. For those moving to a new home and creating a new life, well it's not easy to combine the two and I'm really enjoying talking to those who've done the same as us. If you enjoy the content please become a member on the website and that means you can comment on the posts. Feedback is always appreciated!
So of course, as we all feel the year coming to a close and the late summer flowers are now blooming I had to chat to someone about plants and gardens. Perhaps there might be some inspiration in her social media images to inspire you for next year. That is what keeps us all going after all. We all see the days getting shorter and the weather remaining changeable but in that year end it offers us all some hope to create something new or aim higher for next year. The shorter days offer me the promise to sit in front of the fire and plan out the borders in the garden. Certainly seed shopping is one of my favourite things to do over winter.
Sarah from Sarah's Gardens does the same. For her however her choices define her business for the next 12 months. Having dabbled in growing plants myself to sell when I did Garden Design many years ago I have much admiration for Sarah. Growing plants to use for your floral bouquets for the year certainly must require time, effort and a lot of guts to have the confidence to supply your own business. It was therefore a pleasure to chat with her and ask her how she does it.
I have really enjoyed engaging with Sarah, her work ethic is much like mine and the bouquets that she puts together are both creative and energetic whilst also being so fresh in appearance which is all down to her own individual business model of using only what she grows. There would be something rather exciting by ordering from Sarah knowing that you are getting something so fresh from the garden, I can only imagine how some of those bouquets smell, something that commercially grown flowers seem to lack these days.
1, From your website you’ve documented a long history working with plants, What has drawn you into creating Sarahs Gardens and selling your own home grown flowers locally?
My business originally started as garden maintenance in Cheshire, but I think the idea for flower growing started many years ago watching a Monty Don program where he advised two friends who were growing cut flowers and I thought what a lovely thing to do. More recently I had been growing cut flowers in the gardens of one of my garden maintenance customers which had given me more confidence in growing from seed at a bigger scale. After my career changed and we moved to Anglesey we were lucky to have some land with the house it was a decision to either grow vegetables or flowers. Flowers seemed the more viable option, particularly for growing in a relatively small area. However I do also grow herbs and fruit.
2, What do your customers say or love about being able to get locally grown flowers over anything imported?
Some customers love the ethos of buying local and buying flowers which have been grown more sustainably. Other customers appreciate the more informal look of grown flowers and the different varieties. Customers have to be quite trusting as I can’t guarantee a particular look or colour palette, it’s determined by what’s best on the day I cut, but most people understand that. I do also get customers who ring thinking I’m a normal florist but most are quite interested when I explain what I actually do. The main feedback I’ve had is how long they last, as I think the perception is that they won’t last as long as commercially grown.
3, Is your niche in growing your own and taking charge of what you can supply something you find is working for you and your business?
At the moment the business is still getting established. The balance between actually growing vs delivering flowers can be difficult and I’m still working on that, I definitely need and would like to be spending more time growing. Originally I’d planned to grow and just sell wholesale but as that wasn’t viable I started doing deliveries. I do sell wholesale to other businesses but it's only one strand of my sales.
On the farm I'm still making small adjustments to reduce the time spend for example on cutting, by planning beds better so there is less walking about etc. There's still lots of room for improvement. As I scale up in terms of output it will also give me more options. I am definitely a grower who uses and sells her own flowers as opposed to being a florist, if I couldn't use my own flowers then I wouldn't be selling them. Growing your own can definitely be demanding in terms of weather and pests but it gives huge flexibility of being able to walk out of the door and pick what I think is suitable and looking best.
There is a lot of scope for the business to expand and evolve in the next couple of years. I have done a couple of workshops offsite, and when the barn is finished it would be nice to hold more of these actually on the farm, and maybe some pick your own events as people have expressed an interest in seeing the farm. I also do some small weddings and funeral work and would like to do more of these as it can be more personal and also creative. Larger orders are obviously more work, but they are also a more focused use of time.
4, What do you love the most at the moment about your business?
At the moment I’m looking forward to next spring! I’m currently ordering tulips, nurturing biennials and planning what else new to grow. Spring is my favourite time of year so it’s nice to be looking forward and planning for an even better year to come 🤞
5, What challenges have you faced?
In the spring of my first year of growing I had emergency back surgery. Afterwards I could barely lift a small plant pot and thought I’d never be able to garden properly again. It’s taken a number of years to get some strength back and I still have to adapt the way I do things but I’m fortunate to be able to continue. The biggest issue was how far this set me back due to overgrown beds. Out of necessity I adopted no dig to get most of it back under control, which is also better for the soil. It has definitely slowed the business down but next year all the original beds will be back in operation.
6, What does your work life balance look like working on your own business and managing the gardens throughout the year?
Erm! There isn’t much balance in reality! In addition to the flowers we’ve spent the last six years planting a vineyard, putting up a new barn, planting more fruit trees and building shepherds huts for holiday rentals so at the moment we work nearly every day. We hope to get everything fully open next year so once the actual development is finished we plan to have more time off! I also work part-time, so most of my admin is done in an evening. 7, What would you advise people to try and grow at home if they haven’t grown anything from seed before?
There are lots of things which are easy from seed without the need for a greenhouse. My first plant from seed was verbena bonariensis in a small plastic greenhouse. Flowers like sunflowers, Calendula, Sweet William, Nigella and Cornflowers are all easy from seed. Or try veg like broad beans, courgettes or kale. I start everything in pots due to weeds but all of those can be sown direct into the soil as well. 8, Do you have any specific flowers that you are absolutely in love with at the moment?
I love Thalictrum which is flowering at the minute, it’s so dainty and pretty but the stems are actually pretty tough and stand up well to Anglesey’s gales!
9, Are there any tips or advice you can offer anyone thinking of living rurally and having their own horticultural based business?
I think a lot of people think it’s idyllic, and while I wouldn’t change it, it’s definitely hard work so be prepared for that and be sure it’s what you really want. At a small scale it’s hard to make a living from the soil so if you’re planning a business then try to make it distinct and something you also love doing, and research as much as you can. Other people are always willing to share advice. I’m a member of Flowers from the Farm which is a network of small flower growers and florists across Britain, it’s great to be able to ask for support and advice and to hear other people’s struggles and triumphs, I think most small business owners experience the same highs and lows so it’s good to be able to share them!
I am really appreciative of Sarah offering up her time to talk through her business, so if you enjoy flowers pop over to her social media pages and give her a like, every comment and click these days really helps showcase work like this. Of course if you are local and need some flowers give her a message and place an order. I know I will. Supporting local businesses is becoming even more important as is supporting those who have wonderful talents for creating beautiful crafts.
I have to say that Sarahs comments do chime with me very loudly. Whilst our businesses are completely different there is a common thread, it's hard work and we also work everyday. Whilst our futures are always uncertain there is one thing for sure we are pushing on and building something we love.
For us there is the goat barn to build which I am very excited to say has started!!! Plans have adapted and changed which is part was down to the cost of materials but I think the time taken to really think about it is going to result in something far more wonderful than originally planned. This Saturday, which actually is today the day I'm finishing off typing this post is a day for a meeting with friends over home made goats cheese and freshly baked bread to talk plans.
Like Sarah, many of my flower beds in the gardens are weedy and the grass is long as it's rained too much for me to be able to get out there and cut it all down. But you know what, like Sarah, sometimes things just don't get done as planned and you learn that living this life and being as busy as we are some jobs can wait.
I look forward to updating you guys as the barn walls rise... it won't be quick but you'll all understand when you see it. I'll definitely be back on Youtube soon to document that build... and of course the next blog is going to be alllllll about goats and baby goats which have just landed...
Stay in touch,
Emma
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