We catch up with the grower, educator and author Celestina Robertson about her Norfolk-based cut-flower farm, Forever Green Flower Company, her new book on cut flowers and her passion for sustainable growing.
“Cut flowers should celebrate the natural world, rather than be produced to its detriment,” says Celestina Robertson. “Seasonality is key and it’s the first step to sustainability, which is the focus of my flower farm and the courses I offer.”
What led to you establishing the Forever Green Flower Company?
My mum grew up on the 12th floor of a tower block. There was never any connection with nature in my younger life – we never went on trips to the coast or countryside.
At school, I was encouraged in an academic direction, yet I ended up running away from my history of art degree to join a group of organic growers with a local vegetable delivery box scheme. Their ethos of providing seasonal food for local people stuck with me and has been a huge influence on my flower farm.
Some years later, I went back to college to learn garden design, met my husband, and together we set up a landscape design business in London. Then, once we had children, we made the move to North Norfolk for a better quality of life. This involved packing up two big trucks, one of which was solely filled with pots and containers from our lives in London rentals. I have an olive tree in a huge container that I’ve been carrying with me for over twenty years now.
After a transitional period with sporadic design projects in London, I decided it was time to start a business locally. Garden design didn’t seem like a viable option in that area at the time. Neither did a flower farm really! But then I discovered Flowers from the Farm, an association aiming to unify a network of UK growers who, encouragingly, all had the same idea as me. I rented an acre of land and began trading the next spring.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I don’t really have a typical day, though I always start by bringing in the harvest, as it’s best to do this when the temperature is cool.
The shape of the day changes with each season – in spring, for example, I’ll spend a lot of time sowing and planting out. As we move into summer, for the most part, it’s about maintenance of the ground, harvesting and selling. Then, in autumn, it’s time to plant bulbs for the following year.
I’m also always dealing with the marketing side of the business and our customers. We run a subscription delivery service and sell mixed bunches to locals, as well as wholesale to florists.
What are the greatest joys and greatest challenges of running a flower farm?
Selling flowers is the loveliest job in the world. Handing them over is always a joyful act and seeing the smile on the recipient’s face makes the graft worthwhile. It is hard work though. At peak season, I’ll be on the field for 12-hour days.
The biggest challenge is the reason I started a business rooted in sustainability: climate change. It’s causing the weather to be increasingly unpredictable. We don’t often get mid-season hail here, a mile from the coast, but last year we got it in late May. I don’t grow under cover, so it ruined all the plants coming into leaf or flower and resulted in the cancellation of many orders.
Alongside working as a cut flower farmer, you’ve also developed some courses. What do these offer?
I’m hoping to expand my flower farm and, in the meantime, I’ve developed various consultation services and workshops centred around the business and planning aspects of sustainable flower farming. Having trained in garden design, I am no stranger to meticulous spreadsheets. A formal education in floriculture does not currently exist, particularly for bio-intensive farms that are small scale with a significant crop variety, and many growers require guidance – this is where I help.
I also introduced a one-to-one mentor service last year. Growers can sign up for the year-long course in autumn, and we’ll look at all of the planning and implementation for the following year. Meanwhile, I teach whole groups about sustainable production and the development of cut flower farms with a circular, sustainable economy.
Your first book, Cut Flowers, is on sale now. What’s it about?
I’ve always dreamed of writing a book so was thrilled when Bloom approached me last year to write the cut flower edition of their gardening guide series. Cut Flowers had quite the turnaround, as I started writing it in March for a September deadline while navigating the busiest year on the farm! It explains how and why to grow cut flowers in your garden. It talks about sustainable growing and celebrates the joy of the process.
Is there a fail-safe cut flower to grow?
You can’t go wrong with dahlias. They’re so easy to grow and will flower from mid-summer till the first frosts. They’re also cut-and-come-again: the more you cut, the more you’ll get. The wonderful thing is you can have them in a pot even if you have the tiniest space.
At the moment, I love the peachy, semi-cactus Dahlia ‘Preference’. It looks brilliant with other pink and orange flowers.
For more information about the Forever Green Flower Company, please visit forevergreenflowerco.co.uk.
To order a copy of Cut Flowers by Celestina Robertson (RRP £12.99), click here.
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