Growing

Sustainability is an important pillar of Heathland Flowers. The natural world is an ever evolving cycle and this is what we are trying to replicate in our planting and growing practices. 

We utilize various growing techniques to mimic the natural cycle, such as the 'No-Dig' method, where the soil is left undisturbed and composts, manure and conditioners are laid on top of our beds. We're also proud to be using organic practices in our growing spaces, which means we use no synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides to grow our flowers. This means that you can be assured that there are no harmful chemicals coming into your home through our flowers. Any waste material such as flowers gone too far for picking, cardboard boxes, and gardening debris finishes its life on the compost heap to help feed next years flowers.

There is a myriad of permiculture, companion planting, cover cropping and other growing techniques we'll be trialing in our spaces in the years to come. The goal is to leave the soil and local ecology in better condition than when we came to it in all of our growing spaces.

This year (2023), we are fully peat-free in our seed sowing and, where possible, use the technique of soil blocking to reduce our plastic consumption. The plastic that we do use in our pots, mushroom crates, trays and tupperware are recycled and repurposed products. Any plastic we purchase brand new is always done so responsibly and with longevity in mind.

Floristry 

We do not use floral foam (oasis) in any of our designs, and aim to where possible use mechanics that can be continually reused. During the off season (November - March) we source our flowers from larger British flower farms that predominantly grow in glass houses. From April - October if our plots are a little low on material we source flowers from other artisan farms in Devon and Cornwall. We do not import any of our flowers from overseas.

This means that we do not need to use any preservatives to keep our flowers looking fresh and the carbon emissions from our flowers are reduced as there is no need for shipping / air miles or refrigeration. You can be assured our flowers used in your arrangements were cut no more than 48 hours before delivery and have a minimum vase life of 5 days.