Our Story

Flowers by the Gate is a farm garden growing British flowers for local people.

Have you been growing flowers long?

In growing terms, Flowers by the Gate has recently been ‘potted on’. What started out as a life-long hobby of growing flowers and veg bloomed into something a little bit bigger during 2020, when I grew the flowers for my daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, a now all too familiar story… the wedding was postponed until 2021 and we started all over again, but this time with more space and you’ve guessed it, more flowers! They had to go somewhere, so we put the flowers by the gate for the local villagers. The proverbial seed was sown, we had a name and in-between bouquet orders and a wedding, plans were made to turn a hobby into a new way of life.

Where do you grow your flowers?

We grow all our flowers in the established beds and borders of our home and dedicated cutting gardens around our arable farm in the village of Claypole, which is on the Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire border.

Who has the green fingers?

I look after the growing and arranging and my husband, Richard continues to run the family farm while lending a hand with some of the more practical things, like building coldframes (and making sure poly tunnels don’t blow away!).

Why do you only sell flowers between May and October?

My first love is growing, quickly followed by arranging — I only grow what the seasons allow, with an unheated green house and poly tunnels to protect the early and delicate flowers from the worst of the weather. My aim is to keep my footprint low by only using what I grow where ever possible., so it’s all about sustainability. There might be times when flowers arrive a little earlier, but there will always be blooms from May to the first frosts.

Buy British, Buy Local

We’re proud to be a member of Flowers From the Farm, a community of seasonal British growers and florists. So when you buy from us, you know you’re buying some of the best of British blooms.

  • We grow British flowers from seed

    Only 14% of cut flowers are grown in the UK, by buying from us you will be supporting the growing community of sustainable flower growers arcross Britain and local businesses

  • We keep it clean and green

    Some countries use harmful pesticides, banned in many other parts of the world leaving residue that pollute the soil and ground water, and pose a health risk to pickers, packers and florists. As someone who cares about the environment I am committed to growing organically, reducing, reusing and recycling everything I can, and using biodegradable packaging… wouldn’t it be amazing if the only footprint was a muddy welly on the doormat!

  • We only supply local

    Imported flowers have clearly notched up some airmiles. We only supply locally within a radius of 5 miles, or can travel up to 20 miles to a venue. So our flowers are really as fresh and local as they get.