Since the beginning of Flowers from the Farm, exhibiting at flower shows has played a huge part in raising awareness of British flowers, in promoting a fledgling organisation and in building the confidence of participating members.
When Gill Hodgson first set up Flowers from the Farm (FFTF) in 2011, her business Fieldhouse Flowers was member number one. She put out a press release to tell the world about the organisation and her reasons for starting it and this gained coverage in her regional newspaper, The Yorkshire Post. Before she could blink, Gill was asked by The Great Yorkshire Show if she’d exhibit there, so she took a deep breath, pretended she did stuff like this all the time and said yes with a lot more confidence than she actually felt.
The display was a triumph and the public loved it, and more importantly, so did Gill. Chatting with the visitors about the flowers, about growing and about her experience, she realised that flower show displays could be a hugely valuable platform for the fledgling FFTF. They allowed it to connect directly with the public on large regional stages, and even more importantly, to put scented British cut flowers right in the line of sight and under the noses of visitors.
As Flowers from the Farm member numbers grew, Gill encouraged local groups to collaborate to put on displays at flower shows across the country and every region’s experience echoed her own in Yorkshire. The public love our displays of beautifully natural, seasonal scented blooms. The show organisers love the enthusiasm of our FFTF teams and their interaction with visitors: making buttonholes and flower crowns, floral selfie stations and charity sniff tests. FFTF teams love the experience: just as Gill learned in the early days, working with other local growers on a large scale project, sharing ideas and arranging skills brings a huge boost to experience and confidence. The show judges seem just as keen too, as FFTF has netted bags full of gold and silver gilt medals over the last 10 years.
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A collection of photos from our flower show archives. Images to bring back memories of the laughter, fun and hard work which goes into making our show appearances such a success.
Arit Anderson poses in her flower crown at the RHS Malvern spring show 2022. Photo: Shanna Ludwig.
Carol Klein sits in her birthday chair at BBC Gardeners' World Live
Having fun at our selfie station. Photo: Jason Ingram
Our celebration table marking 50 years of BBC Gardeners' World. Photo: Jason Ingram
Show organisers love the interaction FFTF has with visitors. Here, Anna of Flowers by Anna Brian organises flower crowns for selfies.
Char Johnson inspiring the next generation of flower growers at RHS Hampton Court. Photo: Janne Ford
An attentive audience watches demonstrations at RHS Tatton Flower School. Photo: Esther Shea.
FFTF East Midlands members and their joyous display at the Sandringham Flower Show.
Explore our collection of lovely images of our volunteer teams and their work, captured at shows this year.
You can meet us at shows and events across the country. Explore what we’re getting up to and come and join in the fun.
We’re proud to be supporting the acclaimed Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival from 22-24th September. Arguably the UK’s most sustainable floristry show, the festival celebrates the very best in UK […]
Hear how Gill Hodgson was inspired to start a flower growing network and her feelings about how FFTF has grown since those early days.
See moreWorking with other regional members on show displays is a great way to build your confidence. Watch an FFTF team at work building a show display and read more about our regional activities.
See moreMarianne Mogendorf of Wolves Lane Flower Company talks about why, in the summer of 2020, it was important for members to come together to improve diversity in our membership and in the flower industry in general.
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