How do we send our flower delivery?

How do we deliver our flowers UK wide?

Very simply: aquapacked and in sturdy boxes, hand-delivered, next day delivery, by courier.

• Here at Common Farm Flowers, our flower farm based between Bruton and Wincanton in Somerset, we cut our flowers to order.  So first thing in the morning Sharon and I pop into the office and print off any orders which have come in during the night, and put them with that day's orders from the file.
• We then make a stem count of what we'll need to cut, and then we fill our trolleys with clean buckets filled with fresh water.  Sharon takes one pair of scissors, I take another, and we head off in different directions with a stem count to cut each in mind.  At this time of year she'll usually start in the dahlias and I with the annuals and we meet up the top in the field known as the Ladysmock to cut foliage and various bits of extra to give our bouquets a little more zing.
• We then haul our full trolleys back to the studio (we may have gone in and out with several trolley loads by now) and pop all the flowers in the cool to have a nice, long drink.
• We then go off and do a little admin, return phone calls, have a second cup of coffee (we are much fuelled by coffee!)  I might speak to a bride, Sharon will do the manifest for the couriers.  We'll have lunch.  
• And then we make up the bouquets for the orders.  I generally do most of the floristry and Sharon is in charge of packing.  Each bouquet is made up individually, then Sharon Aquapacks the stems in a cellophane bag of water, tying the neck tightly so that they shouldn't spill.  Each bouquet has a card attached, and if there's a message it's hand written in the card.  The aquapacked bouquets are then put in tall boxes with a special insert which holds the bouquet upright.  The boxes are tall enough to make sure there's plenty of air circulating.  Then the address labels are added, fragile and perishable stickers too, and they're all stacked up by the studio door ready for our courier Jim to collect them some time between 3 and 4pm.

'When do we grow the flowers?' you ask... Well, after the bouquets have been boxed up out we go to get on with whatever needs doing.  We usually get a couple of hours gardening in each day, which may not sound much, but with Sue our lovely neighbour who helps (this is a massive understatement - she is magnificent!) and the odd burst of activity at weekends and so on, we more or less manage to keep on top of things.  Currently on my mind is what we should sow in the large tunnel in the autumn, planting out a few last seedlings for flowering late this year in the small tunnel... but that may make another blog post.

Bon, hopefully you've enjoyed this little post and are interested to hear that we send our all British flowers just freshly cut, in water, in sturdy boxes, next day delivery.  Simple!