Our story
Hi I’m Abi
You will mostly find me with my feet in the grass and my hands in the soil. I have always been at peace outdoors in nature and found therapy in growing fruit and vegetables for my family. After being a paediatric nurse for 16 years I decided to follow the niggle in my heart to move into a career outdoors, and in 2021 began my RHS diploma in Horticulture. I have been working in private gardens consolidating my experience and building up a love for flowers ever since.
I set up the Devon Wreath company in November 2021 to share my hand woven Willow Christmas wreaths with friends and family. It was after doing this that I discovered my love of making sustainable and beautiful arrangements from natures gift.
I was fortunate enough to have the perfect growing space at our home on the edge of the Blackdown Hills. A half acre garden that had previously been used for grazing and was in need of an injection of life. Our vegetable patch had been slowly expanding but I knew we had potential to use even more of the space. So in March 2022 Blackdown Blooms was launched. With the help of my husband and 2 children we lay out several no dig beds using organic seaweed enriched soil to maximise the quality of our flowers.
The field
We encourage wildlife and biodiversity in our flower field by leaving as much as we can to grow wild. We have seen such an increase in insects and pollinators after taking a step back from controlling pests to let nature do its job.
By investing in good quality soil the moisture has been retained in the flower beds, and watering the flower field is minimal. We harvest rain water whenever possible to use for watering our greenhouse and pots. I am taking a regenerative approach to my farming methods to protect the delicate microbiome of the soil and improve carbon absorption.
Our flowers are grown to support our Earth, as nature intended and not just for cutting, but to leave as food for the insects and wildlife.
The flowers
Our flowers reflect the seasons and mostly grow outdoors without the help of heated tunnels. We have one greenhouse and one small polytunnel to extend the season by approximately 6 weeks. We optimise our available flowers by ensuring we grow the right flowers, at the right time and in the right environment.
We do not use chemical pesticides and ensure our flowers grow from the healthiest peat free soil. When you discover our flowers you will find colour, diversity and scent that you cannot replicate from supermarket flowers.